Web+Resources

[|Adapt] “ADAPT has a long history of organizing in the disability community and using civil disobedience and similar non- violent direct action tactics to achieve its goals. ADAPT played a major role in gaining passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act, ADA, particularly in ADA's stringent requirements relating to accessible transit, and its being seen as a civil rights law. Nationally ADAPT focuses on promoting services in the community instead of warehousing people with disabilities in institutions and nursing homes. Attendant services (help with things like eating, dressing, toileting, moving from wheelchair to bed, etc.) are the cornerstone to community based services for people with severe disabilities. ADAPT is working to get 25% of the Medicaid long term care funds redirected to pay for a national, mandated attendant services program.”

[|ADA: Americans with Disabilities Act] Information and technical assistance on the Americans with Disabilities Act. Contains a wide variety of online publication (some in PDF format) as well as a few videos, including the ADA Signing Ceremony in 1990 with George Bush.

[|ADA Text] When we say, "It's in the ADA" - this is THE document.

[|ADA Business Connection] “The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in everyday activities, such as buying an item at the store, going to the movies, enjoying a meal at a local restaurant, exercising at the health club, or having the car serviced at a local garage. To meet the goals of the ADA, the law established requirements for businesses of all sizes. These requirements went into effect on January 26, 1992. Businesses that serve the public must modify policies and practices that discriminate against people with disabilities; comply with accessible design standards when constructing or altering facilities; remove barriers in existing facilities where readily achievable; and provide auxiliary aids and services when needed to ensure effective communication with people who have hearing, vision, or speech impairments. All businesses, even those that do not serve the public, must comply with accessible design standards when constructing or altering facilities.”

This site page has numerous resources, including an extensive, online course for business owners entitled, “Reaching Out to Customers with Disabilities,” and a 13-minute video entitled “Ten Small Business Mistakes.” There are also several ADA Business Briefs on such topics as: Communicating with People Who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing in Hospital Settings; Communicating with Guests Who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing in Hotels, Motels, and Other Places of Transient Lodging; Assistance at Gas Stations; Service Animals; and Restriping Parking Lots.

Further resources include: ADATA : Readily Achievable Barrier Removal and Van-Accessible Parking; ADA Guide for Small Businesses; ADA Tax Incentives Packet for Businesses; ADA Standards for Accessible Design; ADA Regulations for Businesses; and Readily Achievable Checklist for Existing Business Facilities.

[|ADA: Information for Law Enforcement] Of interest is the Police Response to People with Disabilities, Eight-Part Series - designed for use in roll-call training, this videotape addresses law enforcement situations involving people who have mobility disabilities, mental illnesses, mental retardation, epilepsy or seizure disorders, speech disabilities, deafness or hard of hearing, and blindness or low vision. The eight segments range from 5 ½ to 10 ½ minutes in length. Some of the language in these seems outdated, in terms of the general terminology (mental retardation has been on its way out for several years now, but is used here), but the videos are otherwise very good. They use police officers responding to calls and interacting with persons with disabilities, but there is a more general information about the disabilities in each video that makes these more like disability primers than about the actual police response.

[|ADA: Project Civic Access - Cities and Counties: First Steps Toward Solving Common ADA Problems] This is a great basic resource stemming from an ongoing project, providing a checklist of areas to be considered for accessibility and common problem areas, including: New Construction and Alterations; Protruding Objects; Signs; Parking; Routes to Building Entrances; Entrances and Doors; Toilet Rooms; Courtrooms; Access to Programs, Generally; Emergency Planning; Voting; Sidewalks; Websites; and Communication. Through its Project Civic Access initiative, the Department has worked with over 100 State and local governments to bring them into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and, in doing so, has observed certain common problems. This publication describes how those problems affect people with disabilities and offers some suggestions for how to solve them. Reproduction of this document is encouraged.

[|Beyond Affliction: The Disability History Project] Description: A four-hour documentary radio series about the shared experience of people with disabilities and their families since the beginning of the 19th century. This web site includes excerpts from the shows as well as many of the primary source documents – extended interviews, images, and texts – from which the on-air programs were developed. Not all radio series content is available here, only selections.

[|Center for Disease Control] Description: An area of the CDC dedicated to "Disability and Health" with a focus on Universal Design. A great starting point for further resouces and research on Universal Design and evaluation.

[|CROWD: Center for Research on Women with Disabilities] “The mission of the Center for Research on Women with Disabilities is to promote, develop, and disseminate information to improve the health and expand the life choices of women with disabilities.”

[|Center on Human Policy: Disability Studies for Teachers] “A web-based resource for teachers who want to introduce students in social studies, history, literature, and related subjects in grades 6-12 to disability studies and disability history. Resources on this site also can be adapted for use in postsecondary education. The project prepares lesson plans, essays, and teaching materials. It also draws on and contains links to other materials found on public educational, disability, and history websites.

“The project is based on a disability studies perspective. Disability studies refers generally to the examination of disability as a social, cultural, and political phenomenon. In contrast to clinical, medical, or educational approaches to disability, disability studies focuses on how disability is defined and represented in society. From this perspective, disability is not a characteristic that exists in the person so defined, but a construct that finds its meaning in social and cultural context.”

[|Deaf Queer Resource Center] “Deaf Queer Resource Center (DQRC) is a national nonprofit resource and information center for, by and about the Deaf Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Transsexual, Intersex and Questioning communities (hereafter referred to as the ‘Deaf Queer community’). This is ‘the place’ to find the most comprehensive and accurate information about this unique community. DQRC was founded by Deaf Queer / Trans activist Dragonsani (‘Drago’) Renteria and launched on the web on September 1, 1995. A multi-award winning website, DQRC averages more than 15,000 visits per month. DQRC is run entirely by volunteers.”

[|Delta College Diversity Web Site]

[|Directgov: UK Government Services] It’s worth looking at their section on “Disabled People” (though I don’t like the nomenclature here). The site is an expansive and user-friendly resource. Not at all as sterile and not user-friendly as the US .gov sites.

[|Disability Social History Project] “The Disability History Project is a community history project and we welcome your participation. This is an opportunity for disabled people to reclaim our history and determine how we want to define ourselves and our struggles. People with disabilities have an exciting and rich history that should be shared with the world.”

Note: Many links to helpful and informative sites. Includes a fully annotated disability history timeline with hot links (page link to the San Fran Disability Rights Movement Timeline), Exhibits which focus on Freak Show, Nazi Germany, Disability Campaigns, and Women and Disability as well as information about influential people in disability rights issues. Lots of additional links, including blogs.

[|Disability History Museum] “The Disability History Museum's mission is to promote understanding about the historical experience of people with disabilities by recovering, chronicling, and interpreting their stories. Our goal is to help foster a deeper understanding of disability and to dispel lingering myths, assumptions, and stereotypes by examining these cultural legacies.”

Note: The site currently contains the Library section, which has hundreds of documents and images, searchable and browsable. Other sections which show as “coming soon…” are Education and Museum. The copyright is 2001-2006, so I wonder if the site is actually going to continue after this year.

[|Disabling Imagery? A teaching guide to disability and moving image media] “This website provides a wealth of information on how disability has been represented in moving image from the earliest days. The approach is from a disability equality and human rights perspective, which draws on the collective thinking of the Disabled People's Movement.”

Includes the following main sections, each with its own subsections of study with information and lesson plan suggestions: 1. Introduction: Why study moving image media? Distorted images?; 2. Ways of thinking about disability: History of attitudes to disabled people, “Medical model” v. “social model,” Stereotypes, Disability and diversity, Equal Opportunities; 3. Teaching with moving image media: About teaching with moving image media, Teaching techniques 1-8, Stills analysis; 4. Treatment of disabled people in moving image media: Disability in moving image media: a history, Commercial films, TV representations, Bollywood and disability, DVD short films and film clips; 5. Activities and lesson plans: Introducing disability in class, Suggested activities, Detailed lesson plans & Student handouts; 6. Further resources: Further reading, Useful organizations, Statistics.

[|Disability Nation: Blog and Podcast] Note: Worthy of separate recognition here, though probably listed on resource lists on other sites. “By and for” people with disabilities, this show is all-inclusive and professionally organized. "Disability Nation will highlight people working, participating in the sport or recreation of their choice, married couples, singles, children and adults, politicians and couch potatoes who happen to be people with disabilities. You will hear conversations about life, not necessarily about the disability. Finally, a Podcast highlighting the people behind the D word."

[|Disability Resources] “Disability Resources, inc. is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization established to promote and improve awareness, availability and accessibility of information that can help people with disabilities live, learn, love, work and play independently. Services and publications are targeted to libraries, disability organizations, independent living centers, rehabilitation facilities, educational institutions, and health and social service providers. DR disseminates information about books, pamphlets, magazines, newsletters, videos, databases, government agencies, nonprofit organizations, telephone hotlines and on-line services that provide free, inexpensive or hard-to-find information to help people with disabilities live independently. DR monitors hundreds of publications, audiovisual materials, on line services, and other information resources every month and reviews and report on worthwhile materials in the newsletter, Disability Resources Monthly (DRM), and other publications. DR also maintains an extensive database of disability-related resources in order to perform customized searches, and an on-line guide to disability resources on the Web.”

Note: The resource index list nearly 400 topics, each of which has its own page of links. Many of the links, unfortunately, are out of date or no longer working. It is, still, however, a great basic research resource.

[|The Disability Rights Commission: Citizenship and Disability] Based in the UK, this organization has created a 12-minute video (available in segments online; I have ordered a copy and will see if they will ship to U.S. – it’s offered as a free service) on which eight separate lessons have been fully developed with activities suggestions and printable handouts online. The eight lesson areas are: Lesson 1 - A Disabling World; Lesson 2 - Citizenship and Disability; Lesson 3 - Understanding disability; Lesson 4 - Overcoming barriers; Lesson 5 - My rights and responsibilities; Lesson 6 - Schools and disability; Lesson 7 - The local community and disability; Lesson 8 - The global community and disability.

[|Disability Statistics Center] “The Disability Statistics Center produces and disseminates policy-relevant statistical information on the demographics and status of people with disabilities in American society. The Center's work focuses on how that status is changing over time with regard to employment, access to technology, health care, community-based services, and other aspects of independent living and participation in society.”

Note: Helpful for student research for support/evidence when writing position papers and letters for change.

[|Disability Studies for Teachers: Center on Human Policy] “Disability Studies for Teachers is a web-based resource for teachers who want to introduce students in social studies, history, literature, and related subjects in grades 6-12 to disability studies and disability history. Resources on this site also can be adapted for use in postsecondary education. The project prepares lesson plans, essays, and teaching materials. It also draws on and contains links to other materials found on public educational, disability, and history websites.”

Note: Wow. An overwhelmingly incredible resource. Complete lesson plans with links to supporting materials as well as essays for instructors to support the inclusion of these materials in their classes. Does not include science and math, which it would be nice if it did. Lesson topics include: Introducing Disability; Deaf Education; A Woman’s Crusade: Dorothea Dix; “Freak Shows”; “Out of Sight, Out of Mind”: Conscientious Objectors in WWII; Deaf Culture and Diversity; Intelligence Testing; Eugenics; Social Model of Disability.

Under the “About Us” link is another link: “Disability Studies: Information and Resources.” This is a 120-page PDF (also available HTML) document of resources, including books, movies, college programs in disability studies, periodicals, organizations and web links. Best viewed online because of the hot links.

[|Disability World] Description: “Disability World was web-zine dedicated to advancing an exchange of information and research about the international independent living movement of people with disabilities. The web-zine was the heart of a larger project, IDEAS for the New Millennium, funded in 1999 by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research as a five-year project.”

Note: The publication ended in January 2006, but for the time being, there are still numerous relevant links on the site that would be helpful in researching global issues.

[|DPI: Disabled Peoples’ International] “Disabled Peoples' International is a network of national organizations or assemblies of disabled people, established to promote human rights of disabled people through full participation, equalization of opportunity and development. The Goals of DPI are to: Promote the human rights of disabled persons; Promote economic and social integration of disabled persons; Develop and support organizations of disabled persons.”

[|Disabled Women on the Web: Disability Social History Project] Note: A sister site of Disability Social History Project (see following entry), focusing specifically on women’s issues. With so few resources aimed at and even including women, this is a boon. Though it hasn’t been updated since 2004, a few links not working, it is a full-on history of the issues relevant to women and provides numerous resources.

[|Disaboom.com] "Disaboom.com was founded by Dr. J. Glen House, a physician specializing in physical medicine and rehabilitation who is also a quadriplegic. His firsthand knowledge of the challenges faced by individuals with disabilities and those whose lives they touch has driven the Disaboom.com mission: to create the first comprehensive, evolving source of information, insight, and personal engagement for the disability community." This is a very professional and highly organized site for information and community building for all people interested in disability issues.

[|EDGE: Education on Disability and Gender Equity] "The website introduces students to core high school curriculum concepts using examples that educate and inform then about disability and gender. Through readings, activities, resources, and analysis, students learn new ways of understanding disability and gender constructs and their impact on society." Includes specific lessons for Physics, Biology, Government, and Culture, with extensive additional resources for each lesson as well as post-reading self tests and activities that can be used in the classroom or as major projects.

[|Eugenics Archive] Note: Image archives on the American Eugenics Movement, separated into Social Origins, Scientific Origins, Traits Studied, Research Methods, Research Flaws, Eugenics Popularization, Marriage Laws, Immigration Restrictions, and Sterilization Laws. Each section fully documented along with imagery.

[|Gallaudet University]

[|Handicap International] Handicap International is an international solidarity organisation specialised in the field of disability. Non-governmental, non-religious, non-political and non-profit making, it works alongside people with disabilities, whatever the context, offering them assistance and supporting them in their efforts to become self-reliant.

[|IOD: Images of Disability] “Images of Disability (IOD) is a cross-government initiative lead by the DWP to 'mainstream' images of disabled people into Government advertising and publicity. And we want to influence the private sector too. An image of disability is a fair, creative and stimulating portrayal of disability. It can be anything from a photo, graphic or character in a storyline, to a visual or aural cue. The possibilities are endless.”

[|IDEA: Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004] “The U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs’ (OSEP’s) IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004) website. This site was created to provide a ‘one-stop shop’ for resources related to IDEA and its implementing regulations, released on August 3, 2006. It is a ‘living’ website and will change and grow as resources and information become available. When fully implemented, the site will provide searchable versions of IDEA and the regulations, access to cross-referenced content from other laws (e.g., the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), etc.), video clips on selected topics, topic briefs on selected regulations, links to OSEP's Technical Assistance and Dissemination (TA&D) Network and a Q&A Corner where you can submit questions, and a variety of other information sources.”

[|ICF: International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health] “As a new member of WHO [World Health Organization] Family of International Classifications, ICF describes how people live with their health condition. ICF is a classification of health and health related domains that describe body functions and structures, activities and participation. The domains are classified from body, individual and societal perspectives. Since an individual's functioning and disability occurs in a context, ICF also includes a list of environmental factors.”

[|Minnesota Governor's Council on Developmental Disabilities] Description: "The mission of the Minnesota Governor's Council on Developmental Disabilities is to provide information, education, and training to build knowledge, develop skills, and change attitudes that will lead to increased independence, productivity, self determination, integration and inclusion (IPSII) for people with developmental disabilities and their families."

Incredible educational resources available here, including the history of disability (from ancient to modern times) and advocacy educational programs. Invaluable resource for activists.

[|National Institute of Mental Health] “Reducing the burden of mental illness and behavioral disorders through research on mind, brain, and behavior.” Health information for a variety of mental disabilities, including Anxiety Disorders (Obsessive Compulsive, Panic, Post Traumatic Stress, Social Phobia);Attention-Deficit; Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD, ADD); Autism Spectrum Disorders (Pervasive Developmental Disorders); Bipolar Disorder, Manic Depressive Illness; Borderline Personality Disorder; Depression; Eating Disorders; Schizophrenia. Also has a “Press Room” with press releases and scientific updates and statistics throughout the site on each topic page.

[|NOD: National Organization on Disability] "The mission of the National Organization on Disability (N.O.D.) is to expand the participation and contribution of America’s 54 million men, women and children with disabilities in all aspects of life. By raising disability awareness through programs and information, together we can work toward closing the participation gaps."

Note: Not a great site. Some useful information that could be used as basic understanding handouts, but many of the links are not working. Some of the news and events may be of interest for current issues writing.

[|Ouch! …it’s a disability thing] Description: “Ouch is a website from the BBC. Its aim is to reflect the lives of disabled people right here and now in the third millennium. It's not a help and support site. If we were to give it a label, it would probably be closest to lifestyle. We pride ourselves on not being a resource for useful information, though I'm sure you'll find most things you're looking for here. There are many help and support sites out there that do a fantastic job, far better than we could, so we in the BBC's Learning & Interacitve department felt it would be good to do something completely different. We're about personal stuff, minutiae of everyday life and that fantastic dark sense of humour and inevitable cynicism that we disabled people tend to have. Oh, and we don't shy away from subjects that other people might be a bit wary of.”

[|Program Development Associates] A company that distributes videos, books, and training materials on a VAST array of disability issues. This page is their links resource, which could be extremely useful for research in any area of disability.

[|A Ragged Edge Magazine Online] A blog with hard-hitting commentary on daily news stories focused on disability rights and awareness. Contains a long list of other blogs of interest as well as an archive of news stories in an easily searchable links list: abuse, access, activism, assisted suicide/right to die, communication, de-institutionalization, discrimination, education, employment, housing, image/identity, lawsuits, legislation, medicare/Medicaid, murder, nursing homes/institutions, personal assistance services, transportation, voting.

[|WebAIM: Web Accessibility in Mind] “WebAIM's mission is to expand the potential of the Web for people with disabilities by providing the knowledge, technical skills, tools, organizational leadership strategies, and vision that empower organizations to make their own content accessible to people with disabilities. Includes a user-friendly implementation checklist for section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended (29 U.S.C. 794d). ‘Section 508 requires that when Federal agencies develop, procure, maintain, or use electronic and information technology, Federal employees with disabilities have access to and use of information and data that is comparable to the access and use by Federal employees who are not individuals with disabilities, unless an undue burden would be imposed on the agency. Section 508 also requires that individuals with disabilities, who are members of the public seeking information or services from a Federal agency, have access to and use of information and data that is comparable to that provided to the public who are not individuals with disabilities, unless an undue burden would be imposed on the agency.’”

[|Wikipedia: Disability] Just be aware of the controversies surrounding wikis - the credibility and questionable source content - and use this information accordingly.

[|The World Bank] “The World Bank’s mission is to fight poverty with passion and professionalism for lasting results. In the area of disability, it is working to ensure full participation of people with disabilities in its development work, as well as within its own organization. The purpose of this site is to raise awareness of disability and development issues. A wide range of topics will be introduced as well as links to publications and additional resources on this matter. The focus of this site is on Disability and Development, but information and data on Disability in developing countries may not always be readily available. This site strives to cover as many aspects as possible which means that inspiration and best practice need to be sought from all over the world. Disability is a cross-cutting issue, all sectors and topics on the developing agenda need to be included in order to create inclusion for disabled people.”

Note: Includes ongoing updates on news and events at a global level and topics which include environment, pollution and disability, conflict and disability, poverty and disability, rural development, community based rehabilitation, children and youth, social protection and technology as well as data and statistics specific to issues of disability.

[|Yahoo News: Full Coverage: Disabilities and the Disabled]