Resources on Disability

Access Board
http://www.access-board.gov

ADA Great Lakes: The DBTAC: Great Lakes ADA Center provides information, problem solving assistance and referrals for implementing the Americans with Disabilities Act ( ADA) and other related laws.

http://www.adagreatlakes.org/

Coalition of Citizens with Disabilities in Illinois
http://www.ccdionline.org/

Disability Resources
http://www.disabilityresources.org

Family Village

A Global Community of Disability-Related Issues

http://www.familyvillage.wisc.edu/Familyresources/Index.html

Illinois Assistive Technology Program
http://www.iltech.org

Illinois General Assembly & State Legislation
http://www.ilga.gov

Illinois Network of Centers for Independent Living
http://www.incil.org

National Organization on Disability

The mission of the National Organization on Disability (NOD) is to expand the participation and contribution of America’s 54 million men, women and children with disabilities in all aspects of life.

www.nod.org

New Mobility
http://www.newmobility.com

Thomas (Legislative information on the internet)
http://rs9.loc.gov/home/thomas.html

Aging

Western Illinois Area on Aging

WIAAA is a not-for-profit organization, dedicated to serving people 60 plus, helping them to remain in their own homes for as long as possible and to remain involved and active in their communities. 

http://www.wiaaa.org/

 

Alternatives for the Older Adult (serves Western Illinois)

Providing Senior Services to older adults and their family caregivers: Home care management, Advocacy, Eldercare, and Caregiver Support in Western Illinois

http://www.4olderadults.org/

 

Computer Recycling

Retro Tech Electronics: Computer Placement Program: Available to anyone who is low-income, has a disability or is a student, computers are made available for FREE however an application fee and modem fee is required.  We place about 2,400 computers statewide in a years time.  Click on the application type on the next row that “best” fits your situation. 

http://www.retro-tech.org/serv.htm

 

Children with Disabilities (see Youth Services for more links)

 

Education

The McNatt Learning Center

The McNatt Learning Center, Inc., provides assessment of and training for foundational learning skills—those skills that make learning quicker, easier, and more accurate.

www.mcnattlearningcenter.com

 

Food

Angel Food

Angel Food Ministries is a non-profit, non-denominational organization dedicated to providing grocery relief and financial support to communities throughout the United States. The program began in 1994 with 34 families in Monroe, Georgia (between Atlanta and Athens), and has grown to serve hundreds of thousands of families every month across 35 states. Angel Food Ministries crosses denominational lines and has spread the good news of the gospel of Christ through salvation tracts that are placed in each food order.

http://www.angelfoodministries.com/

 

Government

Illinois Department of Human Services

DHS can help you and your families meet your basic needs.  They offer a range of services to help you become healthy and self-sufficient.

http://www.dhs.state.il.us
 

Office of Disability Rights Bureau- Attorney General’s Office

People with disabilities are entitled, as a matter of law, to fair and equal opportunities in all aspects of life.  The Disability Rights Bureau enforces State and Federal laws that protect the rights of people with disabilities to equal access to buildings, housing, and services.  The Bureau resolves accessibility and discrimination violations impacting the people of the state of Illinois through negotiation and litigation.

http://www.ag.state.il.us/rights/disabilityrights.html

 

Healthcare Bureau of the Attorney General’s Office

As the business of medicine has become more complex, consumers have experienced more confusion and difficulty obtaining the care and benefits to which they are entitled. To assist the consumers of Illinois with these problems the Attorney General opened the Health Care Bureau in October 1998. Since then our staff has helped to clear up more than 8,000 complaints relating to health care issues.

http://www.illinoisattorneygeneral.gov/consumers/healthcare.html

 

Illinois Attorney General’s Office - Lisa Madigan

Offers many services and advice to Illinois’ citizens including information and safety tips on identity theft, consumer fraud, protecting women and citizens with disabilities and seniors, crime victims, etc.

http://www.illinoisattorneygeneral.gov/index.html

 

Illinois Department of Human Rights

 

The Department of Human Rights administers the Illinois Human Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination because of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status (with regard to employment), familial status (with regard to real estate transactions), age, marital status, physical or mental disability, military status, unfavorable military discharge, and sexual orientation.

http://www.state.il.us/dhr/

 

United States Department of Justice

Mission: To enforce the law and defend the interests of the United States according to the law; to ensure public safety against threats foreign and domestic; to provide federal leadership in preventing and controlling crime; to seek just punishment for those guilty of unlawful behavior; and to ensure fair and impartial administration of justice for all Americans.

http://www.usdoj.gov/

 

Healthcare

State/Public Benefits for Persons with Disabilities

http://health.illinois.gov/disability.html

AMA Physician Select

AMA Physician Select provides information on virtually every licensed physician in the United States and its possessions.

http://webapps.ama-assn.org/doctorfinder/home.html

 

Zenni Optical- offers cheaper eyewear but must be purchased online

http://zennioptical.com/cart/home.php

 

Eyeglass Recycling

http://www.lionsclubs.org/EN/content/vision_eyeglass_recycling.shtml

 

Sight First Program

SightFirst is Lions’ most ambitious and most successful initiative ever. Thanks to SightFirst, Lions have restored sight to 7.3 million people through cataract surgeries, prevented serious vision loss for 20 million people and improved eye care services for hundreds of millions.

http://www.lionsclubs.org/EN/content/lcif_gr_sightfirst_program.shtml

 

Center for Sight & Hearing

http://www.rockfordcenter.org/

 

Dentistry

Illinois Foundation of Dentistry for the Handicapped (IFDH)The Donated Dental Services (DDS) program is a collaborative, direct way that the dental profession reaches out to individuals with special needs.  Because of the extraordinary compassion of over 13,000 dentists and 3,000 dental laboratories across the country, DDS tends to the essential and comprehensive dental care needs of our nation’s most vulnerable people; disabled, elderly or medically-compromised individuals who cannot afford necessary treatment nor get public aid.  DDS patients have slipped through the cracks of Medicaid and Medicare programs with nowhere else to turn.

http://nfdh.org/joomla_nfdh/content/view/171/232/

 

 

Legal Assistance

Equip for Equality  (extremely helpful for disability-related legal issues)

Equip for Equality engages in five major programs including the Legal Advocacy Program, the Training Institute on Disability Rights, the Public Policy Program, the Abuse Investigation Unit, the Special Education Clinic/Helpline, and much more…

http://www.equipforequality.org/programs/

 

Prairie State Legal Services

Prairie State Legal Services offers free legal services for low income persons and those over 60 who have serious civil legal problems and need legal help to solve them.

http://www.pslegal.org/

 

American Bar Association Center for Pro Bono

Links to information on free legal assistance with the SSI appeal process and other related civil matters.

http://www.abanet.org/legalservices/probono/home.html

 

Recreation

Recreation Access Illinois

Launched by the Office of the Illinois Attorney General, in cooperation with the Illinois Association of Park Districts (IAPD), to have an impact on how people with disabilities look at their health, and how service providers look at the accessibility of their facilities.

www.RecreationAccessIllinois.org

 

Resources

Directory of Illinois Websites for People with Disabilities, Family Members, Service Providers, and Professionals http://www.equipforequality.org/resourcecenter/illinoiswebsites.php

Division of Specialized Care for Children Resources Link

A link to many, many other great links for persons with disabilities

http://www.uic.edu/hsc/dscc/index.htm

Family Village’s Family Resources

http://www.familyvillage.wisc.edu/Familyresources/Index.html

Spinal Cord Injury

Paraquad

http://www.paraquad.org

Transportation  

Links to Free & Low Cost Medical Transportation Services A-Z

http://www.bridges4kids.org/Disabilities/Transport.html

 

Architectural Barriers  

Universal Design

http://www.adaptenv.org/index.php?option=Content&Itemid=3

 

Wish Granting

Make-a-Wish Foundation of America
This organization which serves all 50 states, Guam, and Puerto Rico grants wishes to children in the United States with terminal illnesses or life-threatening medical conditions that create the probability the children will not survive beyond their 18th year.

http://www.wish.org/

 

Central Illinois Dream Factory
Grants dreams to children in the Central Illinois area (75 mile radius of Peoria, Illinois), who are between the ages of 3 and 18 years who have been diagnosed with critical or chronic illnesses.

http://www.dreamfactoryci.com/

Link to more Wish Granting Organizations

http://www.familyvillage.wisc.edu/general/wish-grant-orgs.html