Differently-Abled People

The Americans with Disabilities Act, which makes discrimination on the basis of disability illegal, defines a person with a disability “as a person who has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activity.” In the 2010 Census, over 56 million Americans, 19% of the population, identified as having a disability.

Resources:

National Center for Cultural Competence

Click here for site accessibility guide

Description: This page provides several suggestions for accessible website design that meets with Section 508 of the Americans with Disabilities act.

Assessment for Providers Working with Children with Disabilities and their Families

Description: This resource provides practitioners, supervisors and organizers the opportunity assess their own cultural competence and areas for growth when working with children with disabilities and special healthcare needs and their families. Material is tailored towards medical and mental health practitioners.

Community Action Network

Travis County Disability Resource Guide

Identifying the Scope of Services

Description: These comprehensive lists are a collaboration between CAN and The University of Texas at Austin. These guides provide resources for intellectual and developmental disorders, mobility impairment, vision impairment, hearing impairment, and early childhood interventions. The second PDF evaluates the scope of disability services in Travis County.

List of Interpreter Services

Access Here

Description: This is a list of interpreter services developed by The New York State Office of Mental Health. These services are specialized for medical organizations, people with disabilities, people who are deaf and generalist providers.

Cultural Competency Manual from Virginia Department of Education

Access manual here

Description: This 200-page manual encompasses all the major components of cultural competency. This is the ideal material for gaining expertise in the field and developing your own training course on cultural competency as an organizer. The manual contains specific subsections on working with students with disabilities who are culturally and linguistically diverse.

Community Toolbox

Increasing Access for People with Disabilities

Description: This Community Toolbox is a free resource developed at Kansas University. This chapter outlines specific strategies for organizations to improve accessibility for people with physical disabilities. Strategies include modifying physical structures, organizational attitudes, and modes of communication in the workplace.

ADA National Network

ADA Fact Sheet Page

Description: The ADA National Network offers free resources outlining ADA compliance. This fact sheet page has resources in both Spanish and English and covers topics like effective communication, education, as well as parking.

Disabilities, Opportunities, Internetworking, and Technology

Strategies for Working With People who have Disabilities

Description: This page outlines strategies for integrating technological accommodations in the workplace for people with disabilities. Topics are divided into categories such as accommodating hearing impairments, mobility impairments and speech impairments.

Services:

Integral Care

Integral Care IDD Services Main Page

Description: Integral Care offers a variety of services for individuals with IDD, including but not limited to employment support, medication management, social and daily living skills, and IQ testing. The Texas Home Living program allows individuals with IDD to live with family or on their own through home health support.

Texas Health and Human Services

Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services

Blind and Visually Impaired Services

IDD Long Term Care Services

Early Childhood Intervention Services

Description: This site provides a comprehensive overview of services made available to people with a wide range of disabilities from the state of Texas.

Austin Resource Center for Independent Living

ARCIL Home Page

Description: ARCIL provides services to promote independent living for individuals with disabilities and their families. Programs include Transition Services, which provides classes and transportation to empower individuals to become more autonomous. ARCIL also offers the Home By Choice Program, which provides in-home health care, case management, and home accommodations to allow individuals with disabilities to live independently or with family.