Disability Organizations
Reprinted from AccessBoard.gov
Go To Organizations Beginning With: |A| |D| |E| |H| |I| |N| |P| |R| |T| |U| |W|Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
http://www.agbell.org/
The association is a nonprofit membership organization that was established in 1890 to empower people who are deaf or hard of hearing to function independently by promoting universal rights and optimal opportunities to learn to use, maintain, and improve all aspects of their verbal communications, including their abilities to speak, speech read, use residual hearing, and process both spoken and written language.
American Association of People with Disabilities
http://www.aapd-dc.org/
The American Association of People with Disabilities is the largest nonprofit, nonpartisan, cross-disability organization in the United States.
American Council of the Blind
http://www.acb.org/
ACB is a national organization advocating on behalf of persons who are blind or have low vision; ACB also publishes "A Guide to Making Documents Accessible to People Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired."
American Foundation for the Blind
http://www.afb.org/
The mission of the American Foundation for the Blind is to enable people who are blind or visually impaired to achieve equality of access and opportunity that will ensure freedom of choice in their lives.
Association of Tech Act Projects Section 508 page
http://www.ataporg.org/atap/index.php
Their mission is to collaborate with persons with disabilities and others at the national level to increase the availability and utilization of assistive technology devices and services for all individuals with disabilities in the United States and territories.
Deaf Initiative in Information Technology (DIIT)
http://www.rit.edu/~diit/
The Deaf Initiative in Information Technology (DIIT) is a project of the Applied Computer Technology Department (ACT), of the National Technical Institute for the Deaf at the Rochester Institute of Technology.; This project provides retraining workshops to deaf and hard-of-hearing adults already in the national workforce or preparing for employment in the information technology field, clusters these workshops into a certificate program, and modifies the workshops into undergraduate courses.
Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund
http://www.dredf.org/
Founded in 1979 by people with disabilities and parents of children with disabilities, the Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund, Inc. (DREDF) is a national law and policy center dedicated to protecting and advancing the civil rights of people with disabilities through legislation, litigation, advocacy, technical assistance, and education and training of attorneys, advocates, persons with disabilities, and parents of children with disabilities.
Disability Statistics Center
http://dsc.ucsf.edu/
The Disability Statistics Center produces and disseminates statistical information on disability and the status of people with disabilities in American society and establishes and monitors indicators of how conditions are changing over time to meet their health, housing, economic and social needs.
Disability Studies Quarterly
http://www.dsq-sds.org/
Disability Studies Quarterly (DSQ) is the journal of the Society for Disability Studies (SDS). It is a multidisciplinary and international journal of interest to social scientists, scholars in the humanities, disability rights advocates, creative writers, and others concerned with the issues of people with disabilities.
DisabilityResources, Inc.
http://www.disabilityresources.org/
Disability Resources, Inc. is a national nonprofit organization that provides information about resources for independent living.
Disabled American Veterans
http://www.dav.org/
DAV is a national organization advocating on behalf of veterans with disabilities.
Easter Seals
http://www.easter-seals.org/
Easter Seals creates serves children and adults with disabilities, their families and communities through early intervention and child development services, vocational training and employment services, and physical medicine and rehabilitation. Easter Seals has more than 400 service sites across the country, including Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico.
Environmental Health Network
http://users.lmi.net/wilworks/
EHN’s focus is on issues of access and developments relating to the health and welfare of the environmentally sensitive and to promote public awareness of environmental sensitivities and causative factors.
Hearing Loss Association of America (formerly Self Help for Hard of Hearing People (SHHH))
http://www.hearingloss.org/
The Hearing Loss Association of America is a national consumer organization representing people who are hard of hearing and provides technical assistance for selecting Assistive Listening systems.
Independent Living Centers
http://www.ilusa.com/links/ilcenters.htm
ILCs are typically non-residential, private, non-profit, consumer-controlled, community-based organizations providing services and advocacy by and for persons with all types of disabilities. There are nearly 500 ILC’s in the USA. Many are state supported. Their goal is to assist individuals with disabilities to achieve their maximum potential within their families and communities. Also, Independent Living Centers serve as a strong advocacy voice on a wide range of national, state and local issues. They work to assure physical and programmatic access to housing, employment, transportation, communities, recreational facilities, and health and social services. This site provides a list, arranged by State.
Institute on Independent Living
http://www.independentliving.org/
The Institute serves self-help organizations of disabled people who work for self-determination and equal opportunities; provides information, training materials and technical assistance on accessibility, personal assistance, advocacy, legislation and peer support; publishes articles, reports, manuals or comments and other materials related to Independent Living.
International Commission on Technology & Accessibility
http://www.ictaglobal.org/
ICTA initiates, facilitates and provides information regarding technology and accessibility through the World Wide Web. This information is available to people with disabilities, advocates and professionals in the field of disability, researchers, legislative bodies, and the general community.
National Disability Rights Network
http://www.napas.org/
The National Disability Rights Network (NDRN) is a voluntary national membership association of protection and advocacy systems and client assistance programs. It assumes leadership in promoting and strengthening the role and performance of its members in providing quality legally based advocacy services.
National Federation of the Blind
http://www.nfb.org/
NFB is a national organization advocating on behalf of persons who are blind or have low vision.
National Information Center for Children and Youth with Disabilities
http://www.nichcy.org/
The Center is a clearinghouse for information on disabilities and disability-related issues concerning children and youth (birth to age 22).
National Organization on Disability
http://www.nod.org/
The National Organization on Disability promotes the full and equal participation and contribution of America’s 54 million men, women and children with disabilities in all aspects of life.
Paralyzed Veterans of America
http://www.pva.org/
PVA is a national advocacy organization representing veterans.
Rehabilitative Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America (RESNA) Section 508
http://www.resna.org/taproject/policy/initiatives/508.html
This web site provides a frequently updated resource on Section 508, including news and events.
TASH
http://www.tash.org/
TASH (formerly the Association for the Severely Handicapped) is an international advocacy association of people with disabilities, their family members, other advocates, and people who work in the disability field.
TDI
http://www.tdi-online.org/
TDI’s (formerly known as Telecommunications for the Deaf, Inc.) mission is to promote equal access in telecommunications and media for people who are deaf, hard of hearing, late deafened, or deaf blind.
The Arc
http://www.thearc.org/
The Arc (formerly Association for Retarded Citizens of the United States) is the country’s largest voluntary organization committed to the welfare of all children and adults with mental retardation and their families.
The Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board (Access Board)
http://www.access-board.gov/
issued final guidelines for accessibility, usability and compatibility of telecommunications equipment and customer premises equipment covered BY Section 255 of the Telecommunication Act of 1996.
The Canadian Council on Rehabilitation and Work
http://www.ccrw.org/
The Canadian Council on Rehabilitation and Work is a Canada-wide network of organizations and individuals that promotes and supports meaningful and equitable employment of people with disabilities.
The Institute for Human Centered Design (formerly Adaptive Environments)
http://www.adaptenv.org/
Founded in 1978 to address the environmental issues that confront people with disabilities and elderly people, the Institute for Human Centered Design (formerly Adaptive Environments) promotes accessibility as well as universal design through education programs, technical assistance, training, consulting, publications and design advocacy. Its mission is to promote, facilitate, and advocate for international adoption of policies and designs that enable every individual, regardless of disability or age, to participate fully in all aspects of society.
The International Center for Disability Resources (ICDRI).
http://www.icdri.org/
Web resource for internet disability resources.
Through the Looking Glass
http://www.lookingglass.org/
Through the Looking Glass (TLG) is a nationally recognized non-profit agency that provides direct services, training, materials and research concerning families in which a child, parent or grandparent has a disability or medical issue.
United Cerebral Palsy Association
http://www.ucpa.org/
UCP’s mission is to advance the independence, productivity and full citizenship of people with cerebral palsy and other disabilities, through our commitment to the principles of independence, inclusion and self-determination.
United Spinal Association
http://www.unitedspinal.org/
United Spinal Association is a membership organization serving individuals with spinal cord injuries or disease. Formerly known as the Eastern Paralyzed Veterans Association, the organization expanded its mission to serve people with spinal cord injuries or disease regardless of their age, gender, or veteran status.
World Institute on Disability
http://www.wid.org/
WID is an international public policy center dedicated to carrying out research on disability issues and overcoming obstacles to independent living.
