Categories
Employment and Education
These programs are dedicated to ensuring that people with disabilities have the opportunity to work and go to school. Here you'll find job search engines geared toward finding employers who comply with the American’s with Disabilities Act, as well as sites with advice and guidance for college-bound individuals.
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ABILITYJobs.com
This Site Features: Publications
ABILITY Jobs provides a resource for people with disabilities to find employment online. Here you can upload resumes and search job postings by employers who support and engage in "affirmative disability action."
Where to Start:
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Click Job Seeker and follow the directions for free registration. You can write a cover letter, upload your resume or build one online by filling in the requested information. Once you have your resume, you're ready to search available positions according to job function, industry and location. -
AbilityLinks.org
The AbilityLinks mission is to increase employment of qualified persons with disabilities. By joining the AbilityLinks Consortium, non-profits, businesses and government agencies gain access to disability employment networking opportunities. Organizations can find qualified candidates with disabilities; job seekers can post resumes and apply for jobs online.
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On the homepage select the For Job Seekers icon. Here you will be able to post your resume, apply for jobs and get information about employment opportunities in your area. -
American Association of People with Disabilities
This Site Features: Publications
The AAPD is a national nonprofit member organization focused on advocacy and on making the voice of the disability community heard. This group sponsors career and leadership programs for disabled individuals and promotes legislative action to create a more accessible world. Here you can learn about the latest in advocacy news and find job postings from companies that support equal employment practices.
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Look through the options in the drop-down menu under the Programs tab to learn about current AAPD projects such as the Disability Vote Project and the Technology Initiative. -
American Association of Retired Persons Grandparent Foundation Information Center
This Site Features: Español Forums Publications
This section of the AARP website provides articles and information for grandparents who play an active role in their grandchildren's lives. The website offers extensive information on finding government aid programs, legal advice, tips on grandparenthood, and caregiving. There are a variety of resources including "Grandparenting a Child with Special Needs."
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Under More Information, select the GrandCare Support link. Click on Search Form, and fill in your information. This will direct you to programs in your area that specifically apply to your needs as a grandparent. -
Center for Assistive Technology
The Center for Assistive Technology (CAT) was established within the School of Health Related Professions in 1988. CAT conducts research, education and service programs in assistive technology for persons with disabilities and the elderly, in four related areas: research, development, and commercialization, education programs, client assessment and training services and dissemination.
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Disaboom
This Site Features: Forums Publications
This website provides extensive disability-related resources through a network of individuals with disabilities, families, caregivers and advocates. This site covers health topics for a variety of conditions and offers excellent articles and videos about living with disabilities, including such subjects as education, travel and advocacy. Here you'll find a site with a strong personality and a positive tone that encourages disability rights and community involvement.
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To find information on spinal cord injury, go to the Health tab and select Conditions on the menu bar. Scroll through the options and select Spinal Cord Injury. This page offers a summary of issues related to SCI, such as sex, fertility, and secondary conditions like pressure sores, as well as suggested articles on subjects like exercise and rehabilitation. -
Family Village
This Site Features: Forums
This website is a family-focused resource for parents and children with disabilities sponsored by the Waisman Center at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Though not spinal cord injury specific, this site gives you some good places to start looking for support and information. Here you'll find links to other websites that cover education, legal issues, research and even recreation, like summer camps and sports.
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Selecting Family Resources from the bottom-right set of icons leads to a list of useful sites. Also, going to the Information page offers a Google-powered search engine where you can type your specific query and find all the resources offered by Family Village on that topic. -
HEATH Resource Center
This Site Features: Publications
Sponsored by the George Washington University Graduate School of Education and Human Development, this website has excellent resources geared designed to help individuals with disabilities decide on and prepare for post-secondary education. The Modules tab on the home page features detailed articles, information and advice about making decisions and overall preparation for entering college with a disability. There are also modules for parents whose children are making this transition. In addition, there are announcements about educational grants as well as informational teleconferences that can be attended online.
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If a transition to college is on the horizon, then looking through the Modules, found at the top of the home page, is a great place to begin researching the available options. -
Job Accommodation Network (JAN)
This Site Features: Español Publications
Provided by the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy, JAN is a service intended to help employees and employers create a more accessible environment by providing information about job accommodations and legal information for people with disabilities. JAN provides consulting services to decide the best course of action in making a business accessible as well as ideas for accommodating disabilities in the work place.
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Click through the Frequently Asked Questions on the lower menu to get acquainted with the program. Then, select the category that best defines your situation under the For Individuals tab. This displays the accommodations that can be made. -
Marianjoy Scholarship Program
The Marianjoy Scholarship Program was established in 1994, and to date over $500,000 in scholarship money has been awarded. Each year, scholarships for post-high school education are awarded to students with disabilities to enable them to pursue educational programs at accredited four-year colleges and universities, two-year colleges, or vocational-technical schools in the United States. The Marianjoy Scholarship is intended for individuals with permanent physical disabilities, like those served through Marianjoy programs, but it is not necessary to have been a Marianjoy patient to apply.
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Scroll down the MarianJoy Scholarship Program homepage learn more about qualifications and the application process. -
"Mayo Clinic Guide to Living with a Spinal Cord Injury: Moving Ahead with Your Life," The Mayo Clinic (Demos Health, 2009)
Traumatic spinal cord injuries have become increasingly common, with nearly a quarter of a million Americans dealing with the condition and another 10,000 new cases each year. The need for a simple, authoritative guide to this disability has never been greater. The "Mayo Clinic Guide to Living with a Spinal Cord Injury" addresses that need. With all the information written, vetted, and endorsed by the world's most prestigious medical clinic, the book enables sufferers to return to an active and productive life within the limits of their disability. Here the Clinic's leading experts offer advice on everything from emotional adjustments to skin care to modifying homes and cars. This independence-granting book encourages readers to resume their favorite hobbies, participate in athletic activities, and return to the workplace quickly and safely.
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National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities (NICHCY)
This Site Features: Español Publications
NICHY offers a broad range of childhood disability resources, most of which are also available in Spanish. It serves as a national information resource on disabilities in infants, toddlers, children and youth.
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Select State Specific Information and then enter your state of residence. This will direct you to state agencies, disability specific categories, and organizations for disability and for parents. -
National Organization on Disability
This Site Features: Publications
NOD strives to make the nation more accessible to the millions of Americans with disabilities. It sponsors programs and initiatives that encourage employment of individuals with disabilities, and dialogue on current accountability issues across the nation. Here you will learn about the advocacy programs that are in progress as well as what's been accomplished so far to create a nation that encourages and creates opportunities for participation from disabled individuals.
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The NOD Programs page, accessed from the left menu, provides a list of programs that have been established, such as the "Start on Success Student Internship Program," or the "Accessible America Award" that recognizes cities and towns that facilitate comprehensive involvement of citizens with disabilities in community life. The Information & Resources link on the right, under Quick Links provides many more organizations and useful fact sheets and articles. -
Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services (OSERS)
This Site Features: Medical Research Reports Publications
OSERS is part of the U.S. Department of Education committed to improving opportunities in education and employment for people with disabilities by supporting programs that facilitate equal access to disabled individuals. Here you'll find research, policies and programs dedicated to this initiative. The website offers detailed information on understanding and implementing important legislation as well as publications and tools for making education and employment more accessible.
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Within the index in the center of the home page, select Reports & Resources. This page offers publications and fact sheets about employment and educational opportunities, and disability rights. -
ServiceSource
ServiceSource is a not-for-profit corporation with regional offices and programs located in nine states and the District of Columbia. ServiceSource's regional offices share a mission to provide exceptional services to individuals with disabilities through innovative and valued employment, training, habilitation, housing and support services. Nationwide, ServiceSource serves more than 13,000 people with disabilities annually of whom nearly 2,000 individuals are directly employed on both government and commercial affirmative employment contracts. Others receive assistance in habilitation programs, benefits planning, job placement, evaluation and counseling and housing.
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Whether you are an individual with a disability, a government contracting officer or a local business owner, ServiceSource and their local regional offices are committed to meeting or exceeding needs and expectations. Find a location near you to learn more about our innovative programs and services
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"Spinal Network: The Total Resource Book" (Leonard Media Group, 2009)
"Spinal Network" is the essential resource for making important life choices after a spinal cord injury, multiple sclerosis, post-polio syndrome, amputation, ALS and other conditions. Through the eyes of survivors who have paved the way, this information-packed book explores options in health, technology, attendant services, employment, travel, sports, relationships, sexuality and parenting. It explains--in clear language--the intricacies of legal rights, government benefits and cure research. It covers the arts and media that affect how society views people with disabilities--and how we view ourselves. Sometimes humorous, always honest, "Spinal Network" is the one book you need to not only survive disability, but maybe even enjoy the ride.
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We Connect Now
We Connect Now is dedicated to uniting people interested in rights and issues affecting people with disabilities, with particular emphasis on college students and access to higher education and employment issues. We Connect Now aims to help college students with disabilities to succeed in their studies by getting the information and support they need, both through resources, links, blogs latest news, studying existing laws and regulation and through personal contacts. Through this website people can also share and read other people’s stories as a source of support and comfort.
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Select Chapters to find information on We Connect Now in your area. Also, be sure to check out Stories, to hear more about other people's education and employment experiences.
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Wounded Warrior Project
The Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) began when several veterans and friends, moved by stories of the first wounded service members returning home from Afghanistan and Iraq, took action to help others in need. What started as a program to provide comfort items to wounded service members has grown into a complete rehabilitative effort to assist warriors as they recover and transition back to civilian life.
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If you are a veteran injured after 9/11/01, select Programs. Here you can learn about WWPO’s programs, which are uniquely structured and designed to nurture the mind and body, and encourage economic empowerment and engagement. Under each of these program areas, Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) offers a variety of programs to meet a range of needs.
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Yellow Pages for Kids with Disabilities
This Site Features: Español Medical Research Reports Publications
The Yellow Pages for Kids with Disabilities is database of professional contacts for people looking for support or information on any type of childhood disability. Search by state for resources on your child's disability on topics such as legal advice, healthcare and educational resources, government aid, doctors and specialists.
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Click you location under Select a State. This will lead you to a list of professionals, programs and resources in your state. -
"Yes, You Can!: Guide to Self-Care for Persons with Spinal Cord Injury, 4th ed.," Ed. Burns, Stephen P., M.D and Margaret C., M.D. Hammond. (Paralyzed Veterans of America, 2009)
Published by the Paralyzed Veterans of America, 'Yes, You Can!," is designed for both the newly injured patient, and their family members. Written by experts in the field of spinal-cord injury, it is an extremely popular guide to subjects such as: self-care, sexuality, pain management, substance abuse, exercise, alternative medicine, adaptive equipment, and staying healthy.
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