Links to non-PAI resources
Disability rights, Federal and State laws, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
- ADA Basics - www.adabasics.org This site links to a free self-paced web course that explores the legal requirements and the spirit of the ADA and is a project of ADA & IT Assistance Centers.
- Accessibility Development Associates, Inc. - www.adaconsults.com
- ADA Watch Coalition - www.adawatch.org - A coalition of national, state and local organizations united to protect the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
- AAPD - American Association of People with Disabilities - www.aapd-dc.org - a nonprofit, non-partisan, cross-disability organization whose goals are unity, leadership and impact.
- Access America for People with Disabilities - www.disAbility.gov - is a comprehensive government site launched to mark the 10th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. It is searchable and includes sections on Children and Youth; Choice and Self-Determination; Civil Rights and Protections; College and Adult Education; Disability Statistics; Emergency Preparedness; Employment; Health; Housing; Income Support; Recreation and Travel; Self-Employment; Tax Credits an Deductions; Technology; Transportation; and current events and information. (1.)
- ADA Portal - www.adaportal.org A web portal on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and offers visitors approximately 3,400 documents in 10 subject categories on the ADA . The web portal was launched by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) at the Department of Education.
- ADA Watch Coalition - www.adawatch.org - A coalition of national, state and local organizations united to protect the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). (1.)
- Aging with a Disability - The Rehabilitation Research and Training Center (RRTC) - www.usc.edu/go/awd/RTC.html - is funded by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR), a part of the U.S. Department of Education. RRTC conducts rehabilitation research, trains others about findings, and provides information to consumers and professionals. See also the American Society on Aging - www.asaging.org web site for more information on aging with a disability.
- The Arc - www.thearc.org/ - links to state and local Arc chapters; mental retardation and developmental disability sites; discussion board; legislative alerts; publications; training materials; fact sheets.
- The Arc of California - www.arccalifornia.org - advocates for persons with developmental disabilities and their families; site includes legislative updates, and a tool kit on parental co-pay regulations, and a Monday Morning Memo.
- Area Boards on Developmental Disabilities - http://www.scdd.ca.gov/area_board_roster.htm - has a directory of area boards, information on legislation that affects people with disabilities, California and national information for people with developmental disabilities, families, providers, advocates, and others.
- Audio conferences on ADA & other disability issues - www.ada-audio.org/Schedule/ - all sessions are in three formats - teleconference, streaming audio via the Internet, real-time captioning via the Internet; all sessions will have a written transcript as well as an archived digital recording of the session; education credits/certificates available for many sessions.
- Calendar of Events in Disability,
Rehabilitation and Assistive Technology - www.starlingweb.com/adp/current.htm - updated regularly with information gathered from many public sources - California Counties - www.csac.counties.org/ - list of (and links to) county web sites
- CAL-TASH - California chapter of the Association for Persons with Severe Handicaps - http://www.tash.org/chapters/caltash/ - stretching the boundaries of what is possible.
- CAMHPRA - California Association of Mental Health Patients Rights Advocates - www.camhpra.org - the Internet door to patients' rights. CAMHPRA supports county patients' rights advocates and promotes public policy that protects the rights and well being of mental health consumers.
- CFILC - California Foundation of Independent Living Centers - www.cfilc.org/ - focuses on networking and support for positive change; has a directory of addresses and contacts for independent living centers; links to related organizations.
- Children Now - www.childrennow.org/ - is a nonpartisan, independent voice for children, working to translate the nation's commitment to children and families into action with particular concern for those who are poor or at risk using communication strategies to reach parents, lawmakers, citizens, business, media and community leaders generating positive change on behalf of children.
- Children's Defense Fund - www.childrensdefense.org/ - The Children's Defense Fund (CDF) is a private, nonprofit organization established to provide an effective voice for all the children of America who cannot vote, lobby or speak for themselves, paying particular attention to the needs of poor and minority children and those with disabilities.
- California State Independent Living Council (SILC) - www.calsilc.org/ - links to California's Independent Living Center (ILC) Network, phone numbers for local ILCs, other Web sites of interest, reports and documents on independent living.
- Community Links Monterey County - www.communitylinks.net - links to volunteer and service organizations.
- Civil Rights Litigation Clearinghouse - http://clearinghouse.wustl.edu - is a web-based collection of documents and data relating to civil rights cases about prisons, jails, juvenile institutions, police practices, immigration, child welfare, public housing, nursing homes, mental retardation and mental health facilities; and more.
- CCD - Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities - www.c-c-d.org - advocates on behalf of people with physical and mental disabilities and their families - to ensure self-determination, independence, empowerment, integration, inclusion; enhance civil rights and quality of life; reflect the values of the ADA. Lots of links to other disability organizations.
- DAWWN - Disability Advocacy Work With Networking - home.earthlink.net/~dawwn - information on disabilities and advocacy. Links to other disability sites.
- ADATA - www.adata.org - The ADA & IT Technical Assistance Centers that are comprehensive resources for information on the Americans with Disabilities Act and accessible information technology. Also toll free at 1-800-949-4232 (V/TTY).
- DBTAC - National Network of ADA Centers' ADA Training Resource Center - www.adacourse.org - Your One-Stop for Courses, Events & Tools.
- Designing Accessible Communities - www.designingaccessiblecommunities.org/ - information to help you provide solutions to concerns and questions about access.
- Disability Blogger - http://disabilityblogger.blogspot.com - questions and answers about disabilities, with links to more information and help with Social Security claims
- DisabilityInfo Connection - www.disabilityinfo.gov/digov-public/public/DisplayPage.do?parentFolderId=5762
- Disability is Natural - www.disabilityisnatural.com - thought-provoking articles, products to promote new ways of thinking, and more.
- Disability Resource - www.disabilityresource.com - hosts a Parent Chat on Thursday nights (9 p.m. EST); click on their "Chat" link to join. Discussions range from writing goals and objectives for an IEP, to IDEA changes, to parents' rights and responsibilities.
- Disability Rights Commission - www.drc.org.uk/whatwedo - has set a goal of "a society where all disabled people can participate fully as equal citizens." - has a help line, action groups for learning disabilities and mental health.
- Disability Secrets - www.disabilitysecrets.com - applying for social security disability and SSI benefits, with or without an advocate can be difficult due to how long a claim may take and the high chance of being denied. But those who are denied disability can win benefits by utilizing the appeals process. To increase the chances of winning, applicants should learn about the system and file an appeal when a claim is denied.
- Disability Studies Quarterly - www.cds.hawaii.edu - a journal of disability studies.
- Disability Watch - www.disabilitywatch.org - disability information from all over the world in French, German, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish. Gripes, successes, government contacts, professional links, schools, legal aid, civil rights, disability media, ADA laws, advocacy sites, deaf culture, disability politics, health resources, recreation, religion, and much more.
- Disability World - www.disabilityworld.org - bimonthly web-zine of international disability news and views.
- Dream Team Network - www.dreamteamnetwork.org - education consultants, attorneys, parents and other professionals offer representation during IEP process to help make sure each child has the best educational opportunity; there is a fee.
- DREDF - Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund, Inc. - www.dredf.org/ - 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.
- DREES - Disability Rights, Enforcement, Education, Services - www.dizbiz.com - disability resources, disABILITY Forum, disability rights enforcement, education, services, links to disability organizations, universal design, action alerts, ways to get involved.
- Enabled Online - www.enabledonline.com - news, links, editorials, jobs, and human interest articles that are about disability issues.
- Hearing Loss Association of America - www.shhh.org - the nation's voice for people with hearing loss.
- ICDRI - International Center for Disability Resources on the Internet - Accessibility, technology, activities, calendar, products and services, books
- Impact: Feature Issue on Disaster Preparedness and People with Disabilities - from the Institute on Community Integration - strategies, stories and resources to help ensure that when the next disaster or emergency occurs, no one is left behind.
- Indian Country Today - http://www.indiancountry.com - current events, voting, calendar, editorials and cartoons.
- Indian Traders Newspaper - http://www.indianvillage.com - Native American culture, history, arts and crafts.
- Indianz.com - http://www.indianz.com - internet resource for Native American youth, features news, arts and entertainment, education, health and wellness, humor, gaming, jobs, law, relationships.
- Job Accommodation Network (JAN) - www.jan.wvu.edu - A service of the Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) of the U.S. Department of Labor. In addition to providing information on job accommodations, self-employment and small business opportunities, JAN provides information on the Americans with Disabilities Act.
- Juvenile Justice Coalition - www.juvjustice.org - national resource on delinquency prevention and juvenile justice issues.
- Leadership for a Changing World - leadershipforchange.org - seeks to recognize, strengthen and support leaders. Each year awards grants to 20 outstanding leaders or leadership groups that are not well known outside their community. The site has information on how you can nominate a leader or organization.
- L. I. Autism - www.liautism.com - forums, events, resources, articles
- Let Everyone Participate - www.lep.gov - has information about language access to federal programs and activities.
- Make Them Go Away - www.makethemgoaway.com - "Make Them Go Away: Clint Eastwood, Christopher Reeve and the Case Against Disability Rights," by Mary Johnson, a long-time disability social issues reporter, examines the arguments against disability rights, presents the other side, and explains the disability rights vision that underpins the ADA.
- NADC - National Arts and Disability Center - nadc.ucla.edu - the national information dissemination, technical assistance and referral center specializing in the field of arts and disability. NADC promotes full inclusion of children and adults with disabilities in the visual-, performing-, media, and literary-arts communities. This rich and deep site features resource directories, annotated bibliographies, related links, conferences on accessibility to the arts, and much, much more.
- NDRN - National Disability Rights Network - www.ndrn.org/ - Links to disability organizations; government agencies and departments; publications; policy updates; resources for people with disabilities.
- Native America Calling - http://www.nativecalling.org - weekly radio talk show is part of Native American Public Telecommunications.
- Native American Public Telecommunications - http://www.nativetelecom.org - empowering, educating, entertaining through native media.
- Native American Times - http://www.nativetimes.com - news, opinion, sports, business, entertainment and more.
- Navajo-Hopi Observer - http://www.navajohopiobserver.com - news, opinion, sports, entertainment and more.
- Navajo Times - http://www.thenavajotimes.com - The Navajo Times - news, opinion, sports, entertainment.
- NOD - National Organization on Disability - www.nod.org - national organization promotes the full and equal participation of America's 40 million men, women and children with disabilities in all aspects of life. Site has information on disabilities, answers to frequently asked questions, publications, press releases, employment, links to other related sites.
- Nonprofit advocacy - www.npaction.org - information on types of advocacy, training and workshop calendar, rules and regulations. budget, advocacy polls, links to leverage outreach capacity.
- Preparing for a Disability Hearing: A Resource List - essay on how to decide whether you need representation and how to prepare for a hearing
- Ragged Edge Online - www.disabilityrag.org - News by and for people with disabilities; information on do-it-yourself activism.
- Road to Freedom - roadtofreedom.wordpress.com The web site for The Road To Freedom bus tour, a national awareness campaign inspired by the historic journey of Justin and Yoshiko Dart to mobilize support for passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), launched its year-long, cross-country bus journey launched from Washington , DC on November 15th, 2006 .
- RRTC - Rehabilitation Research & Training Center on Aging with a Disability - www.usc.edu/dept/gero/RRTConAging/index.html - has information about aging with a disability and links to similar sites.
- SCI - Spinal Cord Injury Information Pages - www.sci-info-pages.com - nonprofit for people with spinal cord injury and other disabling injuries or diseases of the spine.
- Steve Gold's Treasured Nuggets of Information - www.stevegoldada.com - Tools on how to enforce the Americans with Disabilities Act in the areas of Housing, Medical Assistance/Medicaid, Nursing Homes, Education, Miscellaneous ADA Information.
- TASH - The Association for People with Severe Handicaps - www.tash.org - works in partnership with disability advocates worldwide. TASH is a civil rights organization for, and of, people with mental retardation, autism, cerebral palsy, physical disabilities and other conditions that make full integration a challenge.
- Universal Designers and Consultants - www.universaldesign.com - Links to valuable websites, free access to Universal Design Newsletter and free downloads of technical documents.
- Voices of Civil Rights - www.voicesofcivilrights.org - the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, the Library of Congress, and AARP want stories about your experiences with the Civil Rights Movement, including stories from people with disabilities. The project will eventually be housed at the Smithsonian Institution. If you want to share your memories, visit Voices of Civil Rights.
Federal Disability Law Links
- Disability Related Information - www.disabilityinfo.gov - federal web portal site to access disability-related information
- U.S. Department of Justice - www.usdoj.gov - crime fighters
- U.S. Department of Justice - Civil Rights Division - www.usdoj.gov/crt/ - committed to upholding the civil and constitutional rights of all Americans, including some of the most vulnerable members of our society
- U.S. Department of Justice - ADA Home Page - www.usdoj.gov/crt/ada/adahom1.htm - information and technical assistance on the Americans with Disabilities Act
- U.S. Department of Justice - ADA Information and Publications - www.usdoj.gov/crt/ada/ - information and technical assistance on the Americans with Disabilities Act
- U.S. Congress - thomas.loc.gov/home/thomas2.html - this Library of Congress site helps you find out what is going on in Congress, track legislation by bill number or bill name, and get the full text, status, authors, sponsors, etc.
- U.S. Government Printing Office - Searchable Database includes the Federal Register (1994 to current), the Congressional Record, and more - http://www.gpoaccess.gov/fr/index.html
California State Law Links
- California Department of General Services – Office of Administrative Hearings (OAH) – http://www.oah.dgs.ca.gov - Mission Statement: “We provide a neutral forum for fair and independent resolution of matters in a professional, efficient and innovative way, ensuring due process and respecting the dignity of all.”
- California State Legislation – www.sen.ca.gov – information on pending bills, legislation and statutes – search by bill number, author, subject.
- California State Phone Directory – www.cold.ca.gov – state phone directories are searchable by employee or agency, and there is an organizational chart.
- California State Regulations - www.oal.ca.gov
Legal Services Links
- Bet Tzedek Legal Services - www.bettzedek.org - offers legal services for seniors; online publications cover Social Security, Medicare, nursing home law, California board-and-care homes, advance directives for health care in California, and apartment repair.
- Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law - www.bazelon.org/ - Site is constantly updated and has links to U.S. and California mental health advocacy organizations; publications; government agencies; other resources. Very user friendly.
- California Courts - www.courtinfo.ca.gov/selfhelp/ - Information on legal topics such as landlord/tenant, special education, domestic violence, conservatorship, and many more. Also has links to free and low-cost legal help.
- CANHR - California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform - www.canhr.org - lawyer referral service for abuse, neglect, estate planning and trust cases - 1-800-474-1116 - also has information about nursing facilities (including IMDs); lists of nursing facility citations; publication lists; recent articles from CANHR newsletters; legislative updates.
- CASE - California Alliance for Special Education - www.caseadvocacy.org - non-profit organization provides legal support and educational services to families of special-needs children and their community; based in San Francisco, California.
- Court Information - English: www.courtinfo.ca.gov/selfhelp/; Spanish: www.courtinfo.ca.gov/selfhelp/espanol/ - information on free and low-cost legal services, small claims, elderly, families and children, home violence, traffic
- CLRP - Connecticut Legal Rights Project has a new Community Advocacy Education Division - www.mindlink.org/ - with advocacy tips, links to other sites, information.
- FindLaw California - california.findlaw.com/ - California legal resources; laws, statutes, codes; case law and opinions; links to other legal sites; California and U.S. Government sites; California legal forms; attorneys by name and specialty; California law schools and law libraries.
- Healthlaw - NHeLP - National Health Law Program, Inc. - www.healthlaw.org/ a national public interest law firm that seeks to improve health care for America's working and unemployed poor, minorities, the elderly and people with disabilities. NHeLP serves legal services programs, community-based organizations, the private bar, providers and individuals who work to preserve a health care safety net for the millions of uninsured or under insured low-income people. Publications on Medicaid, Medi-Cal, managed care, EPSDT
- JFA - Justice for All E-Mail Network - www.jfanow.org - Defends and advances disability rights and programs. One goal is to work with national and state organizations or people with disabilities to get the work from Washington D.C. out to the grassroots. Log on for information about how to get JFA alerts
- LawHelpCalifornia.org - www.LawHelpCalifornia.org - legal resource for law-and middle-income Californians. Provides free online access to legal referrals and self-help information - a service of Public Interest Clearinghouse.
- Legal Aid Society of Santa Clara County - www.legalaidsociety.org/ - offers free or low cost legal services for people with low income.
- Legal Engine Search Index - www.legalengine.com - A one-stop site for links to federal, state, city, county, and international laws and courts; plus case law, law dictionary, legal news, and much more.
- Legal Services of Northern California - www.lsnc.net/ - includes both California and national legal resources; state and federal courts, decisions, and rules; state and federal laws and legislative resources; state and local government web sites; law school web sites; public policy web sites; and other resources. Also features All County Letters from the Department of Social Services explain welfare changes and how to administer CalWORKS.
- Legal Spanish - Los Defensores Magazine - http://www.ednewsenespanol.com - Written in easy-to-read Spanish, legal Spanish vocabulary for people who work with the Hispanic community, bilingual Spanish-English Glossary included with each article, plus grammar and spoken law idioms section. Samples available, but material is not free.
- NILC - National Immigration Law Center - www.nilc.org/ciwc/ciwc_ce/index.htm - community education link at NILC - www.nilc.org
- PIC - Public Interest Clearinghouse - pic.org - maintains comprehensive links to legal services in its efforts to promote social justice and make the legal system accessible. In addition to its resource exchange, PIC has a directory of legal services - pic.org/resx/direclsp.htm on line.
- Special Needs Alliance - www.specialneedsalliance.com - independent attorneys who specialize in disability and public benefits.
- The State Bar of California - http://www.calbar.ca.gov/state/calbar/calbar_home.jsp - get publications online about buying or renting a home, wills, estate planning, divorce, domestic violence, hate crimes, and many other legal issues. Many publications available in Spanish.
- Tribal Law and Policy Institute - http://www.tribal-institute.org - information for people working in Native American courts.
- U.S. Department of Justice - www.usdoj.gov - research, publications, juvenile and criminal justice trends, conferences, statistics, and more.
- U.S. Department of Justice Disability Rights Homepage - www.usdoj.gov/crt/drs/drshome.htm - promotes and enforces compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, and related statutes.
- Western Center on Law and Poverty - www.wclp.org - a non-profit legal services program devoted to high-impact poverty law litigation and legislative advocacy in the state of California. WCLP focuses its work in the areas of welfare, housing and health care.