National Disability Resources

The National Organization on Disability (NOD)

Founded in 1982, NOD is the oldest cross-disability organization in the country.  It continues to be one of the few organizations committed to representing all 54 million Americans with disabilities, regardless of condition or circumstances, in all aspects of life.  Their focus since 2006 has been on increasing employment opportunities for the 33 million working-age Americans with disabilities.  Their vision and various national resources are included in their website.  Chief among those national resources (and listed first) is disability.gov which features a comprehensive listing of the federal government’s various disability-related resources.  To access disability.gov, click on Disability Resources on the NOD site.  NOD has also sponsorsed NOD/Harris Surveys of Americans with Disabilities and in 2010 will release two new surveys documenting the status of Americans with disabilities 20 years after the Americans with Disabilities Act.  NOD’s Washington, D.C. phone is 202-293-5960, their New York City phone 646-505-1191 and their very comprehensive, descriptive website is www.nod.org.

Disability.gov

This online connection to the federal government’s disability-related information and resources is the place to go “to find a job, learn about disability benefits, learn about disability laws, apply for scholarships, learn about transition services for youth, find housing, get help starting a small business, learn about assistive technology, find health care, or find federal government grants.”  You will also find information on benefits, civil rights, community life, education, emergency preparedness, employment, health, housing, technology, and transportation.  There is also extensive coverage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).  This is a very user-friendly site with information of interest to people with disabilities, their families, employers, service providers and other community members.  You can subscribe to their newsletter, receive e-mail updates and follow them on Facebook and Twitter.

Episcopal Disability Network (EDN)

The Episcopal Disability Network, www.disability99.org, is an organization of the Episcopal Church working for the inclusion of people with disabilities into the life of the church and society.  They provide consultative assistance to congregations wishing to make their buildings accessible and offer  multi-media resources on disability awareness and other disability issues.  EDN lists the “More Than 50 Ways to Make Your Parish Accessible” and maintain a free lending library of over 450 taped books, available to people who are print-handicapped. They advocate with church and secular organizations on behalf of persons with disabilities and have videotapes available for free loan, Episcopal resources for the visually impaired, information on how to plan and celebrate Access Sunday and ten ways to build a disability ministry, including links to other religious organizations and their disability concerns.  There is a listing of all diocesan contact people for disability and the other services EDN offers.  The Rev. Barbara Ramnaire (1-888-738-3636) is coordinator and her e-mail is disability99@earthlink.net 

American Association for People with Disabilities (AAPD)

AAPD is the largest national nonprofit cross-disability member organization in the United States. It is dedicated to ensuring economic self-sufficiency and political empowerment for people with disabilities.  AAPD works in coalition with other disability organizations for the full implementation and enforcement of disability nondiscrimination laws.  Their website is www.aapd.com, and their toll-free phone number is (800)840-8844(V/TTY) or (202)457-0046 (V/TTY).  You can also find them on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, MySpace and LinkedIn.

Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund (DREDF)

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 disabilites through legislation, litugation, advocacy, technical assistance, and education and training of attorneys, advocates, persons with disabilities, and parents of children with disabilities.  Their website, www.dredf.org, lists specific programs, has a comprehensive search engine and gives current information.  E-mail is info@dredf.org and they are also on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.  Their phone is (510)644-2555 (V/TTY).

The National Council on Disability (NCD)

NCD has been an independent federal agency for over 30 years promoting policies, programs, practices, and procedures that guarantee equal opportunity for all individuals with disabilities, regardless of the nature or severity of the disability; and to empower individuals with disabilities to achieve economic self-sufficiency, independent living, and inclusion and integration into all aspects of society.  Their current summit theme is Living, Learning & Earning and their website, www.ncd.gov, has a comprehensive search engine.  NCD’s phone is (202)272-2004, TTY is (202)272-2074. 

Program Development Associates (PDA)

PDA’s website, www.disabilitytraining.com, lists many service providers who distribute multimedia training and educational resources on many up-to-date disability topics, including diversity training information about diffusing workplace bullying and harassment (one of numerous blog topics).  PDA supplies disability professionals in social service agencies, k-12 special education teachers in public and private schools, Human Resource trainers in business, and instructors in college classrooms with program content that has been developed by disability experts as well as supplying diversity products.  Their disability resource collection includes videos, and DVDs, ranging from disability awareness, inclusion, professional development, advocacy and assistive technology, to physical, developmental, learning disabilities and vocational rehab.  PDA has an excellent “search” section.  Their toll-free phone is (800)543-2119, with an e-mail of info@disability.com

Alldisabilities.net

This is another excellent federal government website.  It features numerous subjects a person can search for, including disability, social security, disability pension, compensation insurance, disability discrimination, income, disability insurance benefits, insurance policies, living, social security disability benefits, quotes, and disability assistance.  There is also information about home, compensation insurance, disability discrimination, income, disability, social security and disability pension in separate listings.