Special Topics: Disability Access & Inclusion: Community Resources

The Accessibility Division assists clients in finding more permanent solutions to meet their needs by referring clients to a variety of social service agencies and programs.

Easterseals Massachusetts provides essential programs and services to children and adults with disabilities throughout the state. Their mission is to ensure that children and adults with disabilities have equal opportunities to live, learn, work and play.

Provides individuals who are legally blind with access to employment opportunities and social rehabilitation with the goal of increasing independence and full community participation.

Offers grants to college-school partnerships to support eligible public high school students with intellectual disabilities, ages 18–22, to increase their academic and career success by being included in a college or university community of learners

The Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission (MRC) provides services that break down barriers and empower people with disabilities to live life in their own terms. Programs focus on training and employment, community living, and disability determination for federal benefit programs.

One of the ten regional ADA Centers that provides information, guidance, and training on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), serving Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island.

The official website of the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division. Provides answers to common questions and official legal documents related to the Americans with Disabilities Act.

OCR’s mission is to ensure equal access to education and to promote educational excellence through vigorous enforcement of civil rights in our nation’s schools.

The ADA National Network provides information, 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.”

The American Association of People with Disabilities works to increase the political and economic power of people with disabilities.

A professional organization for individuals committed to equity for persons with disabilities in higher education.

CAST's mission is to transform education design and practice until learning has no limits. CAST is a nonprofit education research and development organization that created the Universal Design for Learning framework and UDL Guidelines to make learning more inclusive.

CEC is an international professional organization dedicated to improving the success of children and youth with disabilities and/or gifts and talents. CEC advocates for appropriate governmental policies, sets professional standards, provides professional development, and helps professionals obtain conditions and resources necessary for effective professional practice.

The DO-IT (Disabilities, Opportunities, Internetworking, and Technology) Center is dedicated to empowering people with disabilities through technology and education. It promotes awareness and accessibility—in both the classroom and the workplace—to maximize the potential of individuals with disabilities and make our communities more vibrant, diverse, and inclusive.

The ultimate mission of DAIS is to facilitate equal access to opportunity for students with disabilities in higher education. That mission is best served by providing education, support, and counsel to postsecondary disability service providers who are on the front line with disabled students at the college level and can make the dream a reality.

FARE enhances the lives of individuals with food allergies empowering them to lead safe, productive lives with the respect of others through education and advocacy initiatives and improved awareness around healthcare options and treatment.

NASPA is the professional home for the field of student affairs.

The NCCSD is the only federally-funded national center in the U.S. with information and resources for future and current college students with disabilities, including those in part-time programs and graduate students.

Decoding Dyslexia is a network of parent-led grassroots movements across the country concerned with the limited access to educational interventions for dyslexia within the public education system. Decoding Dyslexia aims to raise dyslexia awareness, empower families to support their children and inform policy-makers on best practices to identify, remediate and support students with dyslexia.

Eye to Eye is run by and for people who learn differently. They focus on helping students develop strong social-emotional skills, building supportive environments, and growing advocacy and leadership skills.

The National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD) is a non-profit organization focused on building community, sharing resources, and shaping policy to help individuals with learning and attention issues.

Understood is a nonprofit dedicated to shaping the world for difference. They provide resources and support so people who learn and think differently can thrive — in school, at work, and throughout life.

Founded in 2002, by two families of children with hearing loss, the mission of the Decibels Foundation is to help children with hearing loss and their families.

The National Association of the Deaf (NAD) is the nation’s premier civil rights organization of, by and for deaf and hard of hearing individuals in the United States of America. The advocacy scope of the NAD is broad, covering a lifetime and impacting future generations in the areas of early intervention, education, employment, health care, technology, telecommunications, youth leadership, and more – improving the lives of millions of deaf and hard of hearing Americans.

The resources are developed by experts, covering a variety of topics to support evidence-based practices in postsecondary outcomes for deaf individuals.

From SAMHSA

By Sarah E. Schoper and Amy E. French

By Caitlyn Chaparro, Alexander L. James, and Erin Mayo

A Clifton Strengths Webcast

An Open Doors special report.

The AAPD Summer Internship Program is a professional and career development opportunity for disabled students and recent graduates to access meaningful employment, gain leadership skills, and connect to the broader disability community.

BroadFutures is a paid internship program for young people with learning disabilities and/or autism.

Disability:IN is the leading nonprofit resource for business disability inclusion worldwide.

Entry Point! is a program of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) offering outstanding internship and co-op opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students with apparent and non-apparent disabilities in science, engineering, mathematics, computer science, and some fields of business.

The Employer Assistance and Resource Network on Disability Inclusion (EARN) offers information and resources to help organizations of all sizes recruit, hire, retain, and advance people with disabilities; build inclusive workplace cultures; and meet diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) goals.

The Job Accommodation Network (JAN) provides free, expert, and confidential guidance on job accommodations and disability employment issues. JAN provides free one-on-one practical guidance and technical assistance on job accommodation solutions, Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and related legislation, and self-employment and entrepreneurship options for people with disabilities.

Free career coaching for individuals with disabilities. They connect high-achieving students and professionals with disabilities to a broader network of corporate and university partners.

The National Leadership Program trains leaders who are committed to disability issues and plan to go into careers in public policy, advocacy, communications, diversity, equity and inclusion, fundraising, nonprofit management or faith-based inclusion. The program enables participants to gain skills and contacts while making a positive difference for people with disabilities.

Managed by the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy and the U.S. Department of Defense. The Workforce Recruitment Program (WRP) is a recruitment and referral program that connects federal and private-sector employers nationwide with highly motivated college students and recent graduates with disabilities who are eager to demonstrate their abilities in the workplace through summer or permanent jobs.

Work Without Limits is a network of employers, educational institutions, employment service providers, state and federal agencies, individuals with disabilities, and their family members. Through collaboration and partnership, our goal is to increase the employment of people with disabilities until it is equal to those without disabilities. Work Without Limits programs and services are geared to meet the needs of employers that actively recruit people with disabilities as employees and in their supply chains, individuals with disabilities who are seeking jobs, and the employment service providers that serve them.

Annual scholarships and awards that celebrate the work and achievements of students and leaders working to create more equitable futures for those with learning disabilities and attention issues.

Research focuses on social justice in higher education with an emphasis on students with disabilities transitioning out of college, LGBTQ students in STEM fields, and teaching and learning praxis for graduate students.

Research interests include disability identity development and disabled student success.

Researches the experiences of minoritized social groups in higher education with a focus on disability, sexuality, and gender, and the intersection of these identities.