Disability Organizations

Organizations that represent a certain disability, cause or issue.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

TOPICS DISABILITIES

TOPIC AREAS

General Information

  • ADA National Network — Guidance and training on how to implement the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in order to support the mission of the ADA to “assure equality of opportunity, full participation, independent living, and economic self-sufficiency for individuals with disabilities.”
  • American Association of People with Disabilities — 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.
  • National Organization on Disability — Raises disability awareness through the dissemination of disability-related news, information and resources.
  • Different & Able — Supports people and their families affected with all different types of resources. Its an online platform where people can learn from other people through storytelling, providing resources and a community for people to interact with one another.

Education & Technology

  • Association of University Centers on Disabilities — A network of interdisciplinary centers advancing policy and practice for and with individuals with developmental and other disabilities, their families, and communities.
  • Center for Applied Special Technology — Advocates for educational products, classroom practices and products that are inclusive to all.
  • National Association of Special Education Teachers — National membership organization dedicated to rendering all possible support and assistance to those preparing for or teaching in the field of special education.
  • National Disabled Law Students Association — The National Disabled Law Student Association (“NDLSA”) is an organization run by law students and recent graduates to support the unique needs of disabled law students before, during, and after their legal education by creating a sense of community through advocacy, peer network facilitation, and disability diversity education.
  • Assistive Technology Industry Association — A not-for profit membership organization of manufacturers, sellers, and providers of technology-based assistive devices and services.
  • Microsoft Partners in Assistive Technology — Third-party manufacturers of screen readers, magnifiers, and specialty accessibility hardware that are compatibile with Microsoft technology.
  • The Policy Surveillance Program — The goal of this program is to increase the use of policy surveillance and legal mapping as tools for improving the nation’s health. More and more, researchers, policy-makers, public health practitioners and the media are recognizing the need for access to reliable information about laws and policies that influence the public’s health.
  • Trace Research & Development Center — Conducts research and advocates for accessibility to new and emerging technologies.

Employment & Business

  • Broad Futures — Works to empower young adults with learning disabilities through employment.
  • Incight — A non-profit that aims to eliminate stigma associated with disability and expand inclusion by helping students and jobseekers in particular.
  • Partnership on Employment and Accessible Technology — Multi-faceted initiative to foster collaboration and action around accessible technology in the workplace. Guided by a consortium of policy and technology leaders, PEAT works to help employers, IT companies, and others to understand why it pays to build and buy accessible technology, and how to do so.
  • Our Ability, Building the Business Case for Employment of People with Disabilities — Our Ability consults with businesses to leverage the successful employment of individuals with disabilities.
  • U.S. Business Leadership Network — A national non-profit that unites business around disability inclusion in the workplace, supply chain and marketplace. More than 130 corporate partners look to USBLN for guidance on disability inclusion, including recruitment and outreach, supplier diversity and accessibility.

Family & Social Services

  • American Association of Caregiving Youth — National resource for children who sacrifice their education, health, well-being and childhood to provide care for family members who are ill, injured, elderly or disabled.
  • Community Options — Supports people with disabilities through developing residential, employment, and other support services.
  • Easter Seals — Founded in 1919, offers therapy, early intervention services, camps and employment placement, helps children and adults with disabilities, caregivers, veterans and seniors be at their best as they live, learn, work and play.
  • Through the Looking Glass — Pioneers research, training, and services for families in which a child, parent or grandparent has a disability or medical issue. This nonprofit organization emerged from the independent living movement.

Harassment & Hate Crimes

Housing & Long-Term Care

  • Administration for Community Living — Advocates across the federal government for older adults, people with disabilities, families and caregivers. Funds and manages a variety of programs providing assistance on health and wellness, protecting rights and preventing abuse, supporting consumer control, strengthening the networks of community-based organizations and funding research.
  • American Disabled for Attendant Programs Today (ADAPT) — Advocates against placing people with disabilities in nursing homes and other institutions.
  • National Adult Day Services Association — Adult day services centers serve as an emerging provider of transitional care and short-term rehabilitation following hospital discharge. NADSA is a leading voice of the rapidly growing adult day services (ADS) sector and the national focal point for ADS providers.
  • Independent Living Research Utilization — Develops strategies for collecting and disseminating information related to the field of independent living. ILRU staff–a majority of whom are people with disabilities–serve independent living centers, statewide independent living councils, state and federal rehabilitation agencies, consumer organizations, educational institutions, medical facilities, and other organizations.
  • Center for Public Representation — CPR is a non-profit public interest law firm serving those with disabilities for over 40 years providing mental health law and disability law services.
  • Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund — Works to protect and advance the civil rights of people with disabilities through law and policy legislation and through the training of attorneys, advocates, persons with disabilities and parents of children with disabilities. DREDF was founded in 1979 by people with disabilities and parents of children with disabilities.
  • Disability Rights Advocates — Works for the protection and advancement of civil rights for people with disabilities through research, education, and legal advocacy.
  • Death with Dignity Center — Advocates for legislation that provides options for dying individuals and to stimulate nationwide improvements in end-of-life care.
  • Not Dead Yet — Advocates against assisted suicide or ending the life of people with disabilities who may not be able to speak for themselves.

Media & Writing

  • DART Center for Journalism & Trauma — Resource center and global network of journalists, journalism educators and health professionals dedicated to improving media coverage of trauma, conflict and tragedy.
  • Disability and Media Alliance Project — Brings together the disability community and the media industry to promote accurate representation of people with disabilities and to eliminate disability stereotypes and misinformation in news, television, films, and other media.
  • Disabled Writers — An online database for journalists seeking disability experts and for editors seeking journalists with disabilities for paid assignments.
  • Dopa — World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), accessibility alternative for topics related to writing, learning disabilities, and psychological disorders.
  • The Mighty — This online publication, launched by a group of journalists, features stories that attempt to dispel stigmas about disability.
  • Unabridged Press — Creates high-quality audio podcasts about topics, people, and places previously underrepresented.

    • Sports

    • Adaptive Sports Foundation — Provides instruction in both winter and summer sports to children and adults with cognitive and physical disabilities.
    • Disabled Sports USA — Offers nationwide sports rehabilitation programs to those with permanent disabilities, including winter skiing, water sports and summer and winter competitions.
    • International Paralympic Committee — Global governing body of the Paralympic Movement. Organizes the summer and winter Paralympic Games, and acts as the International Federation for ten sports, supervising and coordinating World Championships and other competitions.

    Travel & Transportation

SPECIFIC DISABILITIES

Addiction & Mental Health

  • American Psychiatric Association — The largest psychiatric organization in the world, the APA is an association for psychiatrists across the country where professionals share research and establish guidelines for practice.
  • Child Mind Institute — Provides information about treatment options for children with mental health issues.
  • National Alliance on Mental Illness — The nation’s largest grassroots organization for people with mental illness and their families. Good resource for descriptions of mental illness and medications for treatment.
  • National Institute of Mental Health — Part of the federal government’s National Institutes of Health (NIH). Aims to cure and prevent mental illness, through research and the spread of information.
  • Mental Health America — The oldest mental health organization in the U.S. for people with mental illness.
  • National Center for PTSD — Organization within the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs created to help survivors of PTSD through education and research.
  • American Society of Addiction Medicine — Professional society for doctors, clinicians, and other professionals. Link provides information on addiction, treatment, and more.
  • Center for Substance Abuse Treatment — Promotes community-centric substance abuse treatment and resources for anyone seeking treatment or information on treatment.
  • Project Know — Resource for alcohol and drug addiction counseling. Connects those seeking help with treatment centers.
  • Open Excellence — The Foundation for Excellence in Mental Health Care is a 501(c)3 charitable organization with a mission to sponsor research and programs that promote better mental health outcomes worldwide. They identify, help develop, and share knowledge with the public about mental health care that best helps people recover and live well in society.
  • Alcoholics Anonymous — Founded in 1935, the AA program focuses on 12 steps to help anyone recovering from alcoholism achieve sobriety.

Blindness & Vision Loss

  • American Council of the Blind — National organizations of blind, visually impaired and sighted individuals whose purpose is to work toward independence, security, equality of opportunity, and improved quality of life for all blind and visually impaired people.
  • American Foundation for the Blind — Provides resources, research, and advocacy on the visually impaired. One of the foundation’s most famous ambassadors was Helen Keller, who spent 40 years working for the organization.
  • National Eye Institute — Part of the federal government’s National Institutes of Health (NIH). Conducts and supports research, training, health information dissemination, and other programs with respect to blinding eye diseases, visual disorders, mechanisms of visual function, preservation of sight, and the special health problems and requirements of the blind.
  • National Federation of the Blind — Largest membership organization of blind people in the United States. The NFB’s focus is advocacy, education, research, technology, and programs encouraging independence and self-confidence.

Deafness & Hearing Loss

Dwarfism, Little People

  • Little People of America — With 70 chapters, the LPA supports people of short stature, which includes those affected by dwarfism. The organization also has helpful programs, resources, and medical support.
  • Dwarf Athletic Association of America — Hosts amateur athletic competitions in the U.S. usually during the week of July 4, in proximity to the LPA National Conference.

Intellectual & Development Disabilities

  • CHADD — CHADD serves as the source for evidence-based information for the 17 million people in the United States with ADHD, as well as parents, teachers, counselors, and physicians.
  • American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities — The AAIDD provides information and advocacy on people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
  • Autism Women and Nonbinary Network — Provides community, support and resources for Autistic women, girls, transfeminine and transmasculine nonbinary and genderqueer people, trans people of all genders, Two Spirit people, and all others of marginalized genders.
  • Autistic Self Advocacy Network — Works to empower autistic people across the world to take control of our own lives and the future of our common community, and seek to organize the autistic community to ensure our voices are heard in the national conversation about us.
  • National Autism Association — A parent-run nonprofit founded in 2003 and leading voice on severe autism, regressive autism, autism safety, autism abuse and crisis prevention.
  • National Autism Center — Disseminates evidence-based information about the treatment of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and promotes best practices.
  • The Arc — Promotes the human rights of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and actively supports their full inclusion and participation in the community throughout their lifetimes.
  • VOR — A national, nonprofit organization advocating for high quality care and human rights for persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The organization positions itself as the only national advocacy organization that supports service choice, from small to large, expressly supporting the expansion of community-based supports while also opposing forced deinstitutionalization. It champions individual choice based on need, supporting individuals and their families as primary decision-makers. VOR has state coordinators in many states and members in all states.
  • Down Syndrome Affiliates in Action — A nonprofit trade association serving Down syndrome associations. DSAIA represents more than 1,000 leaders representing more than 80 organizations in the Down syndrome community. Members range from new start-ups to 40-year veteran organizations in the United States and abroad.
  • Global Down Syndrome Foundation — Supports research and medical care for people with Down Syndrome. Foundation also runs programs and fundraisers to improve life for anyone with Down Syndrome and their families.
  • National Down Syndrome Congress — Founded in 1973, a national resource of support and information for anyone touched by or seeking to learn about Down syndrome.
  • National Down Syndrome Society — Advocacy organization provides a helpful language guide and other research and facts on Down Syndrome.

Learning Disabilities

  • Learning Disabilities Association of America — Aims to create opportunities for success for all individuals affected by learning disabilities and reduce the incidence of learning disabilities in future generations.
  • National Center for Learning Disabilities — Provides information to parents, professionals and individuals with learning disabilities, promotes research and programs to foster effective learning, and advocates for policies to protect and strengthen educational rights and opportunities.

Neurological Disorders

  • American Academy of Pain Medicine — Medical organization representing doctors with a focus in pain medicine. The AAPM educates and advocates research in the pain medication field.
  • Alzheimer’s Association — Advocacy organization promoting research on Alzheimer’s disease, working nationally and locally to raise awareness.
  • Cerebral Palsy Group — Offers resources and information on Cerebral Palsy for families and those diagnosed with cerebral palsy.
  • Epilepsy Foundation — Information on epilepsy, types of seizures and their triggers, and other useful facts and research. The foundation also provides support peopling living with epilepsy and seizures, as well as their family members.
  • National Multiple Sclerosis Society — Strives for “a world free of MS,” sharing up-to-date research and support for the those affected by the disease of the central nervous system.
  • National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke — The NINDS is under the U.S. National Institutes of Health. The Institute – which Congress formed in 1950 — manages and funds research on neurological disorders, with a mission to “reduce the burden of neurological disease.”
  • United Spinal Association — Dedicated to making life better for people with spinal cord injuries through advocacy and research.
  • Tourette Association of America — A nonprofit organization dedicated to the support of those who are living with Tourette Syndrome.