Disability Related Associations
 The
American Association of People
with Disabilities is the largest national nonprofit
cross-disability member organization in the United States, dedicated
to ensuring economic self-sufficiency and political empowerment
for the more than 56 million Americans with disabilities. AAPD
works in coalition with other disability organizations for the
full implementation and enforcement of disability nondiscrimination
laws, particularly the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of
1990 and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.
 The
National Council on Disability
(NCD) is an independent federal agency making recommendations
to the President and Congress on issues affecting 54 million Americans
with disabilities. NCD is composed of 15 members appointed by
the President and confirmed by the U.S. Senate. In its 1986 report
Toward Independence,
NCD first proposed that Congress should enact a civil rights law
for people with disabilities. In 1990, the Americans with Disabilities
Act was signed into law.
Introduction
to The Arc: The Arc is the national
organization of and for people with mental retardation and related
developmental disabilities
and their families.
It is devoted to promoting and improving supports and services
for people with mental retardation and their families. The association
also fosters research and education regarding the prevention of
mental retardation in infants and young children.
 The Learning
Disabilities Association of America (LDA, formerly ACLD,
the Association for Children and Adults with Learning Disabilities)
was formed in 1964 by a group of concerned
parents on behalf of children with learning disabilities. LDA is
the only national organization devoted to defining and finding
solutions for the broad spectrum of learning disabilities.
LDA is the largest non-profit volunteer organization
advocating for individuals with learning disabilities. LDA has
50 state affiliates
and more than 600 local chapters in 50 states, Washington DC, and
Puerto Rico. Membership totals more than 50,000. The membership,
composed of individuals with learning disabilities, family members
and concerned professionals, advocates for the over two million
students of school age with learning disabilities and for adults
affected with learning disabilities. The state and local chapters,
through their affiliation with the National LDA, work continuously
for individuals with learning disabilities, their parents and the
professionals who serve them.
 ADAPT focuses
on promoting services in the community instead of warehousing
people with disabilities in institutions and nursing
homes. Attendant services (help with things like eating, dressing,
toileting, moving from wheelchair to bed, etc.) are the cornerstone
to community based services for people with severe disabilities.
 The
Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund, Inc.
(DREDF) is the leading national law and policy center in disability
civil
rights. DREDF was founded in 1979 by a unique alliance of adults
with disabilities and parents of children with disabilities. DREDF's
name was chosen to associate and align with the tradition of other
civil rights legal defense funds, starting with the NAACP Legal
Defense and Educational Fund.
The World Institute on Disability (WID)
is a nonprofit, public policy center dedicated to promoting independence
and full societal
inclusion of people with disabilities.
 The
National Council on Independent Living (NCIL) is the oldest cross
disability, grassroots organization run by and for people with disabilities.
Founded in 1982, NCIL represents over 700 organizations and individuals
including: Centers for Independent Living (CILs), Statewide Independent
Living Councils (SILCs), individuals with disabilities, and other
organizations that advocate for the human and civil rights of people
with disabilities throughout the United States.
 Rehabilitation
International is a federation of national and international
organizations and agencies. It develops and promotes initiatives
to protect the rights of people with disabilities, to improve rehabilitation
and other crucial services for disabled people and their families,
and to increase international collaboration towards these objectives.
The ADA
WATCH campaign is a nonprofit informational online network
designed to activate the  disability community's grassroots in response
to threats to civil rights protections for people with disabilities.
 The International
Center for Disability Resources on the Internet (ICDRI),
founded in 1998, is a non-profit center based
in the United States and designated as a 501 (c)(3) entity.
Our overarching vision is the equalization
of opportunities for persons with disabilities. As an internationally
recognized public
policy center organized by and for people with disabilities, ICDRI
seeks to increase opportunities for people with disabilities by
identifying barriers to participation in society and promoting
best practices and universal design for the global community.
 The Center
for Social Change is a nonprofit organization supporting
children
and adults with special needs. The Center is a strong
advocate for personal choices in community living for individuals
who are developmentally, physically, psychologically and emotionally
challenged.
The Center is dedicated to improve their quality of life through
an integrative support system of care, love and partnership. The
Center provides residential services to adults and children, vocational
services, supported employment, day care and volunteership to adults.
 The
Independent Living Institute's purpose is to promote the opportunities
of persons with disabilities to gain more personal and political
power,
self-determination,
full participation and equality through information, training materials,
consultancy and technical assistance. The Institute works in cooperation
with other organizations which support these aims at the local,
national and international level, including self-help groups in
developing countries.
 Family
Village is a global community
that integrates information, resources, and communication opportunities
on the Internet
for persons with
cognitive and other disabilities, for their families, and for those
that provide them services and support.
Juvenile Justice
Youth Leadership
 The National
Disabled Students Union (NDSU) is a nationwide, cross-disability,
student organization concerned with civil rights. We work to ensure
that all disabled students have the opportunities they need to
learn, the opportunities they need to live and work, and the opportunities
they need to be full participants in their communities and full
members of American society.
We will mobilize and organize students
with disabilities throughout the nation in order to continue
the legacy of empowerment and community
solidarity that is our heritage. As one of the great leaders of
our movement, Justin Dart, once said, "We are here, we are
united, and we are proud." We will work to ensure that all
disabled students have the opportunities they need to learn, the
opportunities they need to live and work, and the opportunities
they need to be full participants in their communities and full
members of American society.
 Kids as Self-Advocates is a national,
grassroots network of youth with special needs and our friends,
speaking on
behalf
of ourselves. We are leaders
in our communities, and we help spread helpful, positive information
among our peers to increase knowledge around various issues. Those
issues include: living with special health care needs, health care
transition issues, education, employment, and many more. We also
help health care professionals, policymakers and other adults in
our communities understand what it's like to live with special
health care needs and we participate in discussions about how to
help each other succeed.
 Youth
on Board is a visionary grassroots nonprofit organization
founded in 1994. We prepare youth to be leaders in their communities
and strengthen relationships between youth and adults by providing
publications, customized workshops, and technical assistance. For
the past eight years, Youth on Board has been helping individuals
and organizations revolutionize the role of young people in society.
Mission
Youth on Board's mission is to revolutionize the role of young people in society
by changing attitudes and strengthening relationships among youth, and between
young people and adults; preparing young people to be leaders and decision
makers in all aspects of their lives; and ensuring that policies, practices
and laws reflect young people's role as full and valued members of their
communities.
Vision
Youth on Board envisions a world where young people are fully respected, and
treated as valued and active members of their families, communities, and
society. To reach that end, we are working to revolutionize the role of young
people in society to:
- Change attitudes and strengthen relationships among youth,
and between young people and adults;
- Prepare young people to be leaders and decision makers in
all aspects of their lives;and
- Ensure that policies, practices, and laws reflect young people's
role as full and valued members of their communities
Parents,
Families and Caregivers
 Through the Looking Glass (TLG)
is a nationally recognized center that has pioneered research,
training, and services for families in which a child, parent or
grandparent has a disability or medical issue. TLG is a disability
community based nonprofit organization, which emerged from the
independent living movement, and was founded in 1982 in Berkeley,
California. Our mission is "To create, demonstrate and
encourage non-pathological and empowering resources and model early
intervention services for families with disability issues in parent
or child which integrate expertise derived from personal disability
experience and disability culture."
Parents
Educating Parents and Professionals (PEPP): A
State and National Voice for Families of Children and Youth with
Disabilities. The United
Parent Syndicate on Disabilities (UPSD)
is a national program of Parents Educating Parents and Professionals,
Inc. (PEPP Inc.), a nonprofit corporation
dedicated to improving life for all families of children, youth,
and adults with special needs. PEPP, Inc., has the unique capabilities
to provide the most up-to-date resources and information concerning
all community, educational, and government events on both state
and national levels.
 Support
for Families of Children with Disabilities (SFCD) is a parent-run
San Francisco-based nonprofit organization founded in 1982. We
support families of children with any kind of disability
or special health care need as they face challenges.
Vision:
Families of children with disabilities
will have the information, resources
and support they need to make informed choices for their children.
Mission:
To support families as they face challenges.
 Parents
Helping Parents (PHP) is
a family resource center serving parents of children with special
needs.
 The
Administration for Children and Families (ACF) is responsible
for Federal programs that promote the economic and social well-being
of families, children, individuals, and communities. ACF oversees
and finances a broad range of activities in partnership with state,
local and tribal governmental agencies. These agencies provide direct
services and assistance to children, youth, families, persons with
developmental disabilities, refugees, migrants, Native Americans,
legalized aliens, and others eligible to receive help under ACF legislative
authorities
Technology
 AbilityHub's purpose
is to help you find information on adaptive equipment and alternative
methods available
for accessing computers. Searching the Internet for accurate information
on Assistive Technology is much like "looking for a needle
in a haystack". This website attempts to reduced the size
of the haystack and bring you the information in an orgranized
fashion.
 The Center
for An Accessible Society is
a project of Exploding Myths, Inc. a media enterprise company.
Funded by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation
Research,
The Center is a national organization
designed to focus public attention on disability and independent
living issues by disseminating information developed through NIDRR-funded
research to promote independent living.
The CPB/WGBH National Center for Accessible Media (NCAM)
is a research and  development facility dedicated to the issues
of
media and information technology for people with disabilities in
their homes, schools, workplaces, and communities.
The DO-IT pages
form a living document and are regularly updated. We strive to
make them universally accessible. We minimize the
use of graphics and photos, and provide descriptions of  them when
they are included. Video clips are open captioned, providing access
to users who can't hear the audio. Suggestions for increasing the
accessibility of these pages are welcome. To learn more about accessible
Web page design, go to their list of Web
development resources.
 ABLEDATA is a federally funded project whose primary mission is to
provide information on assistive technology and rehabilitation equipment
available from domestic and international sources to consumers, organizations,
professionals, and caregivers within the United States.
 The mission
of rehabtool.com is to help children and adults
with disabilities enhance their lives, increase their independence
and productivity, and gain greater social inclusion through the
use of leading-edge assistive technology.
 The
Center for Applied Special Technology, (CAST), founded in 1984,
is an educational,
not-for-profit organization that uses technology
to expand opportunities for all people, especially those with disabilities.
The following sections explain CAST's mission and goals and public
policies.
 BobbyTM is a comprehensive web accessibility software tool designed
to help expose and repair barriers to accessibility and encourage
compliance with existing accessibility guidelines. Bobby was created
at CAST, a not-for-profit research and development organization whose
goal is to expand opportunities for people with disabilities through
the innovative use of computer technology.  The World
Wide Web Consortium's (W3C) commitment to lead the
Web to its full potential includes promoting a high degree of
usability
for people with disabilities. WAI, in coordination with organizations
around the world, pursues accessibility of the Web through five
primary areas of work: technology,
guidelines, tools, education and outreach, and research and development.
 The Department of Defense established the Computer/Electronic
Accommodation Program in 1990 to eliminate employment barriers
for people with visual, hearing, dexterity and cognitive disabilities.
CAP is the Federal government's centrally funded accommodations
program, providing assistive technology solutions at no cost to
the requesting agency. Much of CAP's success lies in the ability
to provide reasonable accommodations to employees quickly and easily,
which can increase employment and retention of employees with disabilities.
Your partnership with CAP will help ensure an accessible future
for people with disabilities.
 The mission of the Alliance
for Technology Access (ATA) is to increase
the use of technology by children and adults with disabilities and
functional limitations.
International Youth Opportunities
 A major goal of Disabled
Peoples' International is the full participation
of all disabled people in the mainstream of life, particularly
those in developing countries, who form the vast majority of the
world's 500 million disabled people. DPI recognizes that poverty
not only leads to disability, but also allows few concessions for
the needs and aspirations of disabled people. In many rural areas,
where up to 80 per cent of the general population lives, disability
prevention and rehabilitation are rare. People with disabilities
are often rejected or hidden away as an evil family secret. Hence,
DPI's goal of full participation is a goal of gigantic proportions,
but one that has already been proven possible.
Mobility International USA: Challenge
Yourself and Change the World! ®As a US-based national non-profit organization, the mission of
Mobility International USA (MIUSA) is:
- to empower
people with disabilities around the world through
international exchange, information, technical assistance and
training;
- to ensure
the inclusion of people with disabilities in international
exchange and development programs.
New Information December 2004 New International Career Publication Available Online for People with Disabilities - Press Release
New Information
October 2004 Many
high school and college students with and without disabilities
from around the world apply to study in the USA every year...but
sometimes they are not able to come because the exchange organization
can not find a US family to host them. With your disability knowledge,
please have your family consider hosting a student for a semester
or an academic year and share about the diversity of the United
States. For more information on hosting go to the websites:
www.ayusa.org,
www.yfu.org, www.academicyear.org or www.afs.org.
Information Resources
 National
Information Center for Children and Youth with Disabilities (NICHCY) is
the national information center that provides information on disabilities
and disability-related
issues. Anyone can use our
services-families, educators, administrators, journalists, students.
Our special focus is children and youth (birth to age 22).
 YouthBuild
USA is the national nonprofit support center and intermediary for
the YouthBuild movement. It is also the home of the YouthBuild
Coalition and the YouthBuild USA Affiliated Network. Our mission
is: "To create and sustain a broad-based national
movement in support of policies and programs which enable young
people to
assume
leadership in order to rebuild their communities and lead responsible
lives." Organizing the YouthBuild Coalition
and Affiliated Network to produce the largest possible number of excellent
YouthBuild programs is currently
the primary means by which our broader mission is being fulfilled. We also
sponsor Youth on Board, a national project to train youth to serve in various
policy-making roles
 The Council
for Exceptional Children (CEC) is the largest international
professional organization dedicated to improving educational outcomes
for individuals with exceptionalities, students with disabilities,
and/or the gifted. CEC advocates for appropriate governmental policies,
sets professional standards, provides continual professional development,
advocates for newly and historically underserved individuals with
exceptionalities, and helps professionals obtain conditions and
resources necessary for effective professional practice.
 The
mission of the PACER
Center is to expand opportunities and enhance
the quality of life of children and young adults with disabilities
and their families, based on the concept of parents helping parents.
With assistance to individual families, workshops, and materials
for parents
and professionals, and leadership in securing a free and appropriate public education
for all children, PACER's work affects and encourages families in Minnesota and
across the nation.
 DisabilityInfo.gov, the result of this collaborative effort, is the Bush
Administration's latest step toward a citizen-centric Federal government.
It is a comprehensive online resource specifically designed to provide
people with disabilities with the information they need to know quickly.
With just a few clicks, the portal provides access to disability-related
information and programs available across the government on numerous subjects,
including civil rights, education, employment, housing, health, income
support, technology, transportation, and community life.
 Access
by Design is a Web site with a variety of resources for persons
with disabilities such as the ADA information, products, updates and links.
 The Disability
Social History Project is a community history project and we welcome
your participation. This is an opportunity for disabled people to reclaim
our history and determine how we want to define ourselves and our struggles.
People with disabilities have an exciting and rich history that should
be shared with the world.
 International
Center for Disability Information is a department in
the College of Human Resources and Education at the West Virginia University
with three branches that include The West Virginia
Research and
Training Center, Job Accommodation
Network, and Referral System for Vocational Rehabilitation Providers.
 Disability
Central is a gathering
place for people with disabilities which we hope you will visit often for
information, community, and fun!  @ctiveTeen has
an editorial area by teens for teens, including the e-zine for disabled
teens, Beyond All Barriers!
 The
iCan website has a little bit of everything. It is kind of like a
normal search engine, but it also has a lot of information for people with
disabilities. I
think that people with disabilities also direct it.
 Special
Needs Family Fun - Their mission is to: enable families with
special needs to share their experiences and information via our newsletter and eGroup forum; offer
information on a variety of family friendly fun and helpful topics;
and provide easy access via rings and links to
websites relevant to special needs families.
 Half
the Planet, where the entire disability community can access reliable services
and products, connect with peer support, and keep
up with disability-related news and information all day every day.
Government Agencies
 Maternal
and Child Health Bureau: A future America in which the right to grow to one's
full potential is universally assured through attention to the comprehensive
physical,
psychological
and social
needs of the maternal and child health population. We strive for a society where
children are wanted and born with optimal health, receive quality care and are
nurtured lovingly and sensitively as they mature into healthy, productive adults.
MCHB seeks a nation where there is equal access for all to quality health care
in a supportive, culturally competent, family and community setting.
 The Department
of Justice enforces the law and defends the interests of the United
States according to
the law, provides Federal leadership in preventing
and controlling crime, seeks just punishment for those guilty of unlawful
behavior, administers and enforces the Nation's immigration laws fairly
and effectively, and ensures fair and impartial administration of justice
for all Americans.
 In the FY2001 Department
of Labor appropriation, Congress approved an Office
of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) to be headed by an Assistant Secretary.
ODEP's mission is to provide leadership to increase employment opportunities
for adults and youth with disabilities. ODEP is a federal agency in the Department
of Labor. Its customers include:
- Individuals with disabilities and their families
- Private employers and their employees
- Federal, state, and local government agencies
- Educational and training institutions Disability advocates Providers
of services and government employers
 The
Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) is
committed to improving results and outcomes for people with disabilities
of all ages. In supporting President Bush's No
Child Left Behind agenda and the New
Freedom Initiative, OSERS provides a wide array of supports to
parents and individuals, school districts and states in three main areas: special
education, vocational rehabilitation and research.
Legislature
 Individuals
with Disabilities Education Act: On August 28, 2002, President George
W. Bush issued an Executive Memorandum as part of
his New Freedom
Initiative
which
directed
federal
agencies
to work together to build a one-stop interagency web portal for people
with
disabilities, their families, employers, service providers, and other
community members.
 DisabilityInfo.gov, the result of this collaborative effort, is the Bush
Administration's latest step toward a citizen-centric Federal government.
It is a comprehensive online resource specifically designed to provide
people with disabilities with the information they need to know quickly.
With just a few clicks, the portal provides access to disability-related
information and programs available across the government on numerous subjects,
including civil rights, education, employment, housing, health, income
support, technology, transportation, and community life.
Policy Advocacy Skills Mentorship
Youth Development
 The Global
Youth ACTION Network is an incubator of global partnerships
among youth organizations.
The mission of the GYAN is to increase collaboration among youth organizations,
to provide resources and recognition for positive youth action and to facilitate
intergenerational partnership in global decision-making. GYAN also enables
communication and resource-sharing among youth organizations to maximize
the impact of their work for a better future.  The National
Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth (NCWD/Youth)
assists state and local workforce development systems to better serve
youth with disabilities. The NCWD/Youth, created in late 2001, is
composed of partners with expertise
in disability, education, employment, and workforce development issues.
Funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability
Employment Policy (ODEP), the NCWD/Youth is housed at the Institute for
Educational Leadership.
The Innovation Center for Community and Youth Development connects thinkers and leaders of all ages to develop fresh ideas, form new partnerships, and design strategies that connect young people and their communities. Our mission is to release the potential of youth, adults, organizations, and communities to work together to create a just and equitable society. We carry out this mission by offering a wide variety of products and services including technical assistance, trainings, nationally recognized tool kits, and publications.
Employment
 disABLEDperson,
Inc., on April 25th 2002
has become a 501 (c) (3) non-profit public foundation (charity) and tax
exempt organization
under section 509 (a) (1) and 170 (b) (1) (A) (vi). We have a mission
to reduce the extremely high unemployment rate amongst the disabled by
providing
to all, our online recruitment software known as "recruitABILITY ." Our
primary goal is to connect disabled individuals with employers who are
proactive in hiring them. We accomplish this goal through the "recruitABILITY" disABILITY
job matching system.
 At Bender
Consulting Services, our mission is to provide superior technology
consulting services to our customers while creating employment and career
opportunities, independence and freedom for people with disabilities.
 The purpose of Worksupport.com is to identify
factors that enhance or inhibit businesses from tapping into a pool
of potential
employees. Let us be your
gateway to information, resources, and services regarding the employment
of people with disabilities.
 JAN offers numerous publications for free. For example, learn how to approach
evacuation procedures, effective communication for individuals who are
deaf or hard of hearing, ergonomics, and disability etiquette. JAN consultants
distribute accommodation idea publications that address specific disabilities
 The goal of JobAccess is to enable people with disabilities to
enhance their professional lives by providing a dedicated system for finding
employment. By posting job opportunities with JobAccess, employers
not only exhibit an open door policy but also demonstrate their responsiveness
to affirmative action by genuinely recruiting qualified persons with disabilities.
 The
National Business & Disability
Council is the leading resource for employers seeking to integrate people
with disabilities into the workplace
and companies seeking to reach them in the consumer marketplace.
News
 Disability
World is a new web-zine dedicated to advancing an exchange
of information and research about the international independent living
movement of people with disabilities. The web-zine is the heart of a larger
project, IDEAS for the New Millennium, funded in 1999 by the National Institute
on Disability and Rehabilitation Research as a five-year project.
Impact! The newsletter of the World Institute on Disability.
 On
A Roll is cutting edge talk radio about
life from the perspective of America's largest minority group, people
with disabilities. 6-8 p.m. ET Sundays on radio stations nationwide
and the Internet
 Newmobility.com is the Web site for New Mobility Magazine and the leading online
resource for disability culture and lifestyle. Newmobility.com
is a tremendous research and communication tool for anyone with an interest
in disability issues. And note that almost all our site is accessible
without having to log in
 The
Mouth Magazine is a bi-monthly magazine usually only
in print. Here's an online sample text only version
(soon)
 Ragged
Edge Magazine is successor
to the award-winning periodical, The Disability Rag. In Ragged Edge,
you'll find the best in today's writing about society's "ragged
edge" issues:
medical rationing, genetic discrimination, assisted suicide, long-term
care, attendant services. We cover the disability experience in America
-- what it means to be a crip living at the start of the 21st century.
The
Capitol Insider: Weekly news and
information from our Nation's Capitol
 Ability
Magazine
Multicultural
 Proyecto
Visión is the first national
initiative to connect disabled Latinos living in the U.S. to employment
and career advancement. Funded in 2001
by the rehabilitation Services Administration, the project is operated
by the World Institute on Disability in collaboration with several partners.
A full description of project goals and activities can be found in our
press release.
The National
Indian Youth Leadership Project (NIYLP): To
engage Native youth in challenging activities and meaningful experiences
in the community and the natural world, as well as through academic, artistic
and athletic performance.
To honor our youth by preparing them for whole and healthy lives as capable,
contributing and caring members of their family, community, tribe, and nation
through traditional teachings and values.
 The Office
of Minority Health (OMH) was created by the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in 1985 as a result of
the Report of the Secretary's Task Force on Black and Minority Health. Under
the direction of the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Minority Health, OMH
advises the Secretary and the Office of Public Health and Science (OPHS) on public health issues affecting American Indians
and Alaska Natives, Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Other Pacific Islanders,
Blacks/African Americans, and Hispanics/Latinos.
Listservs
 Disabled
Student Services in Higher Education archives at the University
at Buffalo SUNY.
 Justice
For All and our JFA E-mail Network were formed to defend and advance
disability rights and programs in the 104th Congress. One JFA goal is to work
with national and state organizations of people with disabilities to get the
word from Washington D.C. out to the grassroots.
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