Maryland Resources

Advocates for Children and Youth in Maryland
Advocates for Children and Youth in Maryland focuses on issues related to all Maryland children. They provide researched-based solutions in the areas of child welfare, early childhood, education, health, juvenile justice, economic well being, and after school issues.

The Arc of Maryland
The Arc of Maryland advocates for people with developmental disabilities and their families, and empowers self-advocates. They offer a variety of programs throughout the state including advocacy and training programs for individuals with developmental disabilities and their families, and a governmental affairs and public policy program. They also publish a newsletter.

Family Voices of Maryland
The state chapter of this national organization is housed at the Parents' Place of Maryland. The purpose of the Maryland Family Voices project is to organize a statewide network of families of children with special health care needs and disabilities that will improve health care systems.

Maryland Association of Community Services for Persons with Developmental Disabilities, Inc. (MACS)
MACS is a nonprofit membership association of agencies throughout Maryland that support individuals with developmental disabilities in the community.

Maryland Coalition of Families for Children's Mental Health
The Maryland Coalition of Families for Children's Mental Health is a grassroots coalition of family and advocacy organizations dedicated to: improving services for children with mental health needs and their families and building a network of information and support for families across Maryland.

Maryland Coalition for Inclusive Education (MCIE)
MCIE provides: individual advocacy for families seeking less restrictive and more inclusive placements for their child; administrative advocacy regarding the policies, procedures, and practices of the federal, state, and local governments; training and support to families seeking strategies for working through their Individual Education Program process or for working with their school system or with other parents to make a difference in the education of their child and others in their local jurisdiction.

Maryland Committee for Children
The Maryland Committee for Children works to improve the quality of early educational opportunities, increase availability of childcare, help parents find childcare, assist employers in the development of family friendly work policies, and advocates on matters of public policy regarding young children.

Maryland Department of Disabilities Technology Assistance Program (TAP)
The mission of the Governor's Office for Individuals with Disabilities is to provide information, referral, education and advocacy which helps to increase the independence and quality of life for citizens of Maryland with disabilities; identify and remove barriers which may negatively impact the quality of life for people with disabilities; advocate for and demonstrate the use of universal design and access in construction and technology; and create a climate in which meaningful employment opportunities exist for people with disabilities.

Maryland Developmental Disabilities Council Legislative Advocacy Support Fund
The Legislative Advocacy Support Fund will reimburse costs directly related to participation in legislative activities for which there are no other sources of support.  The Fund is not intended to replace other sources of assistance. 

Maryland Disability Law Center
Protects and advocates for the rights of people with disabilities. Publishes an excellent free handbook, Special Education Rights and Wrongs.

Maryland Partners in Policymaking
Interested in becoming a leader in your community? Partners in Policymaking is for you. Partners in Policymaking is a leadership-training program designed for parents of young children with developmental disabilities and adults with disabilities. The program teaches leadership skills, and the process of developing positive partnerships with elected officials, school personnel and other individuals who make the policy decisions about services that you or your family use.

Parents' Place of Maryland
The Parents' Place of Maryland offers parent education classes, resource help, organizational referrals, and has parent educators to support and assist families concerning issues in special education. The Parents' Place also maintains a library, a database of support groups, and publishes a quarterly newsletter.

People on the Go
People on the Go is a statewide self-advocacy group supported by the Arc of Maryland. The group works to free all people from institutions, increase employment, improve transportation, eliminate discrimination, train direct care staff and protect the rights of individuals with disabilities. Individual membership is free.


National Resources

ADAPT (American Disabled for Attendant Programs Today)
Fighting so people with disabilities can live in the community with real supports instead of being locked away in nursing homes and other institutions. Join us and let's FREE OUR PEOPLE.

Advocates Across America, Inc.
Advocates Across America is dedicated to assisting and training families, educators, providers, and other professionals to effectively coordinate resources and services for children with special needs. Special needs include any physical, mental or emotional disability.

The American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AAIDD)
AAIDD is the professional association run by and for professionals who support people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD)
Unity, leadership, and impact are the hopes and convictions of people with disabilities and are necessary to ensure the future of inclusion promised by the Americans with Disabilities Act. AAPD aims to be a positive private-sector force to achieve the goal of full inclusion in American society.

The Arc of the United States
The Arc is one of the leading organizations on mental retardation, which supplies information on a variety of advocacy issues as well as general information for families and individuals with developmental disabilities. The Arc is organized into various departments that provide services in the areas of: programming, research, legislation, communication, organization and other services. You can visit the website and contact key staff at national headquarters who can connect you to the local chapter, or to the correct department. Membership information is provided on the website.

Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law
Bazelon Center is a non-profit, legal advocacy organization based on the principle that every individual is entitled to choice and dignity, and working for the civil rights and human dignity of people with mental disabilities.

Center for IT Accommodations (CITA) - Section 508
Office of Governmentwide Policy, U.S. General Services Administration
A website offering Federal employees and the public the ability to access resources for understanding and implementing Section 508 which requires that Federal agencies' electronic and information technology is accessible to individuals with disabilities.

Center for Self-Determination
The Center for Self-Determination is not a place. It is a highly interactive working collaborative of individuals and organizations committed to the principles of self-determination. The purpose of the collaborative is to change the nature of the support and service system for individuals with disabilities, using the principles of self-determination to help all persons create the lives they want, connected to and with their communities.

Disability History Museum
This online museum promotes understanding about the historical experiences of people with disabilities by recovering, chronicling, and interpreting their stories. This is a newly established website that plans to include the museum, a library and educational resoures.

Disability Resources
This nonprofit organization was established to promote and improve awareness, availability and accessibility of information that can help people with disabilities live, learn, love and play independently. Disseminates information about books, pamphlets, magazines, newsletters, videos and more as well as reports on worthwhile materials in the Disabilities Resources Monthly newsletter.

Disability Rights Education and Defense fund, Inc. (DREDF)
The Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund, Inc. (DREDF) is a national law and policy center dedicated to protecting and advancing the civil rights of people with disabilities through legislation, litigation, advocacy, technical assistance, and education and training of attorneys, advocates, persons with disabilities, and parents of children with disabilities.

Epilepsy Foundation of Amercia
Provides information and resources to people with epilepsy, their families, researchers, educators, and caregivers in order to enhance quality of life.

Fair Housing Rights and Complaints
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development offers online information on regarding the rights of residents who are disabled, directions on how to file a fair housing complaint, the ability to file a complaint on-line and more.

Family Voices
Family Voices is a national organization of families from throughout the United States who have children with special health needs. They provide information about current issues, strategies for advocacy, and education regarding children with special health care needs and their families.

The Learning Disabilities Policy Roundtable
This group of ten educational and advocacy organizations represent children served through the federal Individuals with Disabilities Act and submits recommendations to the Office of Special Education Programs of the U.S. Department of Education.

National Center on Outcome Resources
Provides data and information on outcome priorities of persons with disabilities. Publishes a "Speaking Out" series of booklets the reflect the views and opinions of people concerning the quality of services they receive.

National Council on Independent Living
The National Council on Independent Living (NCIL) is a membership organization that advances the independent living philosophy and advocates for the human rights of, and services for, people with disabilities to further their full integration and participation in society. This site has information about membership, NCIL projects, and training opportunities.

National Parent Network on Disabilities (NPND)
The mission of the National Parent Network on Disabilities (NPND) is to provide a presence and national voice for ALL families of children, youth and adults with disabilities.

National Program Office on Self-Determination
The National Program Office on Self-Determination is program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The program offers discussion forums, a newsletter, publications and information regarding self-determination for individuals with disabilities.

National Senior Citizens Law Center (NSCLC)
The National Senior Citizens Law Center has helped older individuals to live in dignity and freedom from poverty. NSCLC staff works with legal services offices and senior organizations throughout the U.S. to provide quality advice and service. NSCLC staff attorneys serve as counsel in litigation, provide expert analysis on federal policy, train advocates to better represent their clients and educate through our publications.

National Stroke Association
NSA serves the public and professional communities -people at risk, patients and their health care providers, stroke survivors, and their families and caregivers. NSA has a variety of innovative and high impact programs, including Advocacy in Action.

No Child Left Behind
This web site provides answers to your most frequently asked questions about the No Child Left Behind Act signed in to law in January of 2002. Provides facts about supplemental services, provides guides for parents and information on policy and legislation.

PACER Center
The mission of the PACER Center is to expand opportunities and enhance the quality of life of children and young adults with disabilities and their families, based on the concept of parents helping parents.

Parents Helping Parents
The purpose of this site is to help children with special needs receive the resources, love, hope, respect, heath care, education and other services they need to achieve their full potential by providing them with strong families and dedicated professionals to serve them.

Rehabilitation Services Administration
The Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) oversees formula and discretionary grant programs that help individuals with physical or mental disabilities to obtain employment and live more independently. RSA acts as an advocate to assure the rights of individuals with disabilities and serves as a resource and clearinghouse of information for service providers at national, regional, state and local levels in the development of national programs to reduce or eliminate social and environmental barriers experienced by persons with disabilities.

Self-Advocates Becoming Empowered (SABE)
SABE is a national group of people with disabilities who are advocating for the rights of all people with disabilities. SABE offers a variety of information regarding self-advocacy, including resources and a newsletter.

Special Needs Advocate for Parents (SNAP)
SNAP Provides information, education, advocacy and referrals to families of children with special needs of all ages.

TASH: Disability Advocacy Worldwide
TASH is a member organization comprised of parents, people with disabilities, researchers, advocates, educators, and others who are interested in issues affecting people with disabilities. The organization's focus is on inclusion, civil rights, dignity, education and independence for all individuals with disabilities, including people who have labels of "severe" cognitive or other disabilities. TASH provides information and linkage with resources, assistance toward fighting inequities, and targeted advocacy. TASH publishes a newsletter and a quarterly research journal. TASH has 35 chapters nationwide.

United Cerebral Palsy
United Cerebral Palsy's national office provides information and legislative advocacy, as well as program development and technology and research initiatives.

United People with Dis"abilities"
This organization is dedicated to serving people with disabilities and their families by providing a united voice for the 54 plus Americans with disabilities. Offers a wide range of information on resources on its website.

WrightsLaw
Accurate, up-to-date information about effective advocacy for children with disabilities for parents, advocates, educators, and attorneys. Site includes hundreds of articles, cases, newsletters, and other information about special education law and advocacy in the Wrightslaw Advocacy and Law Libraries. This website also provides the latest news, hearing schedules, and other information about the reauthorization of The Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA).

www.disAbility.gov
July 26, 2000, marked the 10th anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act. In celebration of this milestone, the Presidential Task Force on Employment of Adults with Disabilities created this site to provide one-stop online access to resources, services, and information available throughout the Federal government.


Publications

ADA Technical Assistance CD Rom
The U.S. Department of Justice has made available a free CD ROM on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Providing a complete collection of the Department of Justice's ADA materials. It includes the Department's regulations, architectural design standards, and technical assistance publications.

The Americans with Disabilities Act ADA Information Center
The Center has an extensive library of ADA and disability-related publications, provided free or at minimal cost to the public. These include full regulations, technical assistance manuals, architectural guidelines, fact sheets on different aspects of the law, guidelines on implementing employment provisions, and other federally-approved publications. All materials are available in large print, Braille, audio cassette or computer disk.

No Child Left Behind
Find out the latest information and data regarding No Child Left Behind.

Self-Determination Pocket Guides
"Understanding the Core Principles of Self-Determination" this pocket guide covers the key elements of self-determination, and the planning principles, tools, and resources available to make it work. It promotes the tools needed for people with disabilities to control their own lives. Tom Nerney wrote this guide from the Center for Self-Determination, one of the founders of the self-determination movement. Some topics of the guide include: What is Self Determination; What Are the Problems Facing People with Disabilities Today; and Emerging Best Practices In Self-Determination. The guide is very readable for families and people with disabilities.

"So You Want to Be a Public Speaker: A Guide for Self Advocates"
Published by the American Association on Mental Retardation and the Missouri Planning Council for Developmental Disabilities.

Today's Caregiver Magazine
Caregiver Media Group is a leading provider of information, support and guidance for family and professional caregivers. Web site features topic specific newsletters, online discussion lists, back issue articles of Today's Caregiver Magazine, chat rooms and an online store which is currently in development. Caregiver Media Group and all of its products are developed for caregivers, about caregivers and by caregivers.