SPECIAL NEEDS RESOURCES
Legal, Educational, and Support Organizations & Information
DISABILITY RIGHTS FLORIDA
Offers free and confidential services to Floridians with disabilities. The page also provides links to additional resources.
SOUTHERN POVERTY LAW CENTER
Focuses its litigation resources on “impact litigation” – cases which will have the greatest impact in, among other practice areas.
DREDF (DISABILITY RIGHTS EDUCATION AND DEFENSE FUND)
The Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund (DREDF), founded in 1979, is a leading national civil rights law and policy center directed by individuals with disabilities and parents who have children with disabilities.
COPAA (COUNCIL OF PARENT ATTORNEYS AND ADVOCATES)
COPAA’s mission is to protect and enforce the legal and civil rights of students with disabilities and their families. COPAA's primary goal is to secure high quality educational services and to promote excellence in advocacy.
YO! DISABLED AND PROUD
YO! connects, organizes and educates youth with disabilities! YO! gives youth leadership opportunities, social networks, resources and more. YO! is for youth with disabilities to be PROUD of who we are and what we can achieve!
DRA (DISABILITY RIGHTS ADVOCATES)
DRA's mission is to advance equal rights for people with all types of disabilities nationwide.
HEARD (HELPING EDUCATE TO ADVANCE THE RIGHTS OF DEAF COMMUNITIES)
HEARD is an all-volunteer nonprofit organziation that was incorporated in the District of Columbia on February 18, 2011. HEARD has volunteers nationwide who conduct deaf prisoner/defendant research, assist deaf incarcerated individuals with access issues, investigate possible wrongful conviction cases, and educate the Deaf community about the law and current legal issues, and educate attorneys, among other things.
ASAN (AUTISTIC SELF ADVOCACY NETWORK)
The Autistic Self Advocacy Network seeks to advance the principles of the disability rights movement with regard to autism. ASAN believes that the goal of autism advocacy should be a world in which autistic people enjoy equal access, rights, and opportunities.
THE NYLE DIMARCO FOUNDATION
Language Equality & Acquisition for Deaf Kids (LEAD-K) endorses the Nyle DiMarco Foundation. Nyle is the LEAD-K celebrity spokesperson, helping to further the initiative promoting language equality and acquisition to ensure that Deaf Kids are Kindergarten-Ready. The Nyle DiMarco Foundation’s mission is to empower positive Deaf Identities in all aspect of life, and we wholeheartedly support its goal for accurate resources to share with families, professionals and communities.
SDA (SENIOR & DISABILITY ACTION)
SDA mobilizes and educates seniors and people with disabilities to fight for individual rights and social justice. Through individual support and collective action, SDA works together to create a city and world in which seniors and people with disabilities can live well and safely.
BOOKSHARE
Bookshare makes reading easier. People with dyslexia, blindness, cerebral palsy, and other reading barriers can customize their experience to suit their learning style and find virtually any book they need for school, work, or the joy of reading.
LEARNING ALLY
Learning Ally is a leading nonprofit education solutions organization that transforms the lives of struggling learners by delivering proven solutions that help students reach their potential.
NFB (NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND)
Through NFB's network of blind members, NFB coordinates many programs, services, and resources to defend the rights of blind Americans, provide information and support to blind children and adults, and build a community that creates a future full of opportunities.
WID (WORLD INSTITUTE ON DISABILITY)
Based in Berkeley, California, the World Institute on Disability (WID) is a nonprofit that works to fully integrate people with disabilities into the communities around them via research, policy, and consulting efforts.
THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS
Through the Looking Glass (TLG) is a nationally recognized center that has pioneered research, training, and services for families in which a child, parent or grandparent has a disability or medical issue. TLG is a disability community based nonprofit organization, which emerged from the independent living movement, and was founded in 1982 in Berkeley, California.
COMMUNICATION FIRST
CommunicationFIRST is the only nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting and advancing the civil rights of the more than 5 million people of all ages in the United States who, due to disability or other condition, are unable to rely on speech alone to communicate.
CENTER FOR PARENT INFORMATION & RESOURCES
This organization serves families of children with disabilities in every US state and territory.
NATIONAL COUNCIL ON INDEPENDENT LIVING
NCIL advances independent living and the rights of people with disabilities. NCIL envisions a worldl in which people with disabilities are valued equally and participate fully. NICL is the longest-running national cross-disability, grassroots organization run by and for people with disabilities.