There is nothing quite as valuable to a person with disabilities
as a good advocate. Whether people with disabilities function as their own advocates
or have other people fill that role, being able to clearly communicate needs
and pursue appropriate accommodations can literally mean the difference between
independence and dependence.
Even so, becoming a good advocate is a learning process. Navigating
through the sea of resources that are available to people with disabilities
can be an overwhelming task. Ramp Up to Access has collected the following Web sites
because of their strengths in providing advocacy information for people with
disabilities and their families
NPIN provides access to research-based information about the process of parenting.
The organization promotes the belief that well-informed families are likely
to make good child-rearing decisions.
ADAPT believes that people with disabilities should live in communities with
real supports instead of being forced to live in nursing homes or other institutions.
They are an advocacy organization whose battle cry is "FREE OUR PEOPLE."
NOD promotes full and equal participation of America's fifty-four million men,
women, and children with disabilities, in all aspects of life. Their motto is
"It's ability, not disability, that counts."
The National Information Center for Children and Youth with Disabilities is
a part of Clearinghouses in Collaboration (CIC), a consortium of five clearinghouses
funded by the Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs,
that provide information on disability-related issues. CIC members meet regularly
to discuss their work, their current projects, and their plans for future projects
to assure coordination, share resources, prevent duplication of effort, and
avoid gaps in information. Together, the Clearinghouses in Collaboration represent
a major focus on information collection, referral, and dissemination in disability-related
fields.
A service of The Learning Project at WETA, Washington, D.C., in association
with The Coordinated Campaign for Learning Disabilities. It provides a wealth
of resources and information related to learning disabilities for all ages.
This subsection of LD OnLine provides specific information regarding the facts
behind learning disabilities, what the common signs are of a learning disability,
parent support information, and a collection of support resources.
ERIC, the Educational Resources Information Center, has a section devoted to
disabilities and gifted education. This organization gathers and disseminates
professional literature, information, and resources on the education and development
of individuals of all ages who have disabilities and/or who are gifted.
This subsection of ERIC provides information leads to statistical resources
related to disability issues and populations. For example, it includes a link
to School District Data Book Profiles: 1989-1990 (from NCES).
The Interagency Committee on Disability Research (ICDR) coordinates and
promotes cooperation between Federal Agencies, and compiles statistics and
other information concerning disability and rehabilitation research.
The National Center for the Dissemination of Disability Research (NCDDR) is
a pilot project designed to help NIDDR-funded researchers publicize the results
of their research.
The purpose of the Disability Statistics Center is to "…produce and
disseminate statistical information on disability and the status of people with
disabilities in American Society and to establish and monitor indicators of
how conditions are changing over time to meet their health, housing, economic
and social needs." This site provides links to articles and other Internet
resources that offer current statistical data on disability issues.
A subsection of the Disability Statistics Center, this site provides links
to thirty-three articles on topics related to disabilities in education, health,
employment, and statistical incidence.
From Australia's office for the Information Economy; raises issues faced by
people with disabilities who want to use online services.
From the Benton Foundation, promoting public interest values and noncommercial
services for the national information infrastructure, this site concentrates
on research, policy analysis, outreach to nonprofits and foundations, and print,
video, and online publishing.
Connecticut has an enlightened state policy in place for accessibility,
with clear guidelines and suggestions for implementation.
MIT's accessibility policy; includes good resources.