Resources

Below are additional resources some of our Ohio families have found helpful. This is by no means an exhaustive list and if you have a web site or organization that might be of interest to other families across Ohio, please let us know.

Check out the Sibling Stories- a blog featuring essays about siblings by people with disabilities http://siblingstories.blogspot.com

Sibling Leadership Network
www.siblingleadership.org The Sibling Leadership Network is an organization of siblings dedicated to the promotion of family support and empowerment for people with disabilities across the lifespan.

Ohio Self Determination Association (OSDA)
www.ohiosda.org OSDA believes that individuals with disabilities should have the freedom to plan their own lives and to pursue things that are important to them with the support of independent planning and support coordination.

Ohio Provider Resource Association (OPRA)
www.opra.org As a statewide association of service providers, OPRA is a leader in efforts to collaboratively build a statewide service system to meet the needs of our ultimate customers – Ohioans with mental retardation and developmental disabilities.

Ohio Association of County Boards (OACB)
www.oacbdd.org The Ohio Association of County Boards Serving People with Developmental Disabilities (OACB) is a non-profit organization specializing in providing information, continuing education, and legislative liaison to Ohio’s 88County Boards of Developmental Disabilities since January of 1984.

Ohio Association of Adult Services (OAAS)
www.oaas.org The Ohio Association of Adult Services (OAAS) is a not-for-profit organization that represents member county boards of developmental disabilities in the State of Ohio. The Association provides a network of resources and technical assistance for the management and operation of adult services programs. OAAS provides opportunities for professional growth and development and coordinates and disseminates valuable information to member organizations to keep them up-to- date on the latest practices in the adult services field.

The Arc
www.thearc.org The Arc promotes and protects the human rights of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and actively supports their full inclusion and participation in the community throughout their lifetimes.

DisabilityInfo.gov
www.disabilityinfo.gov DisabilityInfo.gov is a comprehensive Federal website of disability-related government resources. All of our citizens deserve to live and work with dignity and freedom. This website is an important step in our work to build an America where all individuals are celebrated for their abilities and encouraged to achieve their dreams.

Autism Society of America
www.autism-society.org The Autism Society, the nation’s leading grassroots autism organization, exists to improve the lives of all affected by autism. We do this by increasing public awareness about the day-to-day issues faced by people on the spectrum, advocating for appropriate services for individuals across the lifespan, and providing the latest information regarding treatment, education, research and advocacy.

Best Buddies
www.bestbuddies.org/best-buddies Best Buddies is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to establishing a global volunteer movement that creates opportunities for one-to-one friendships, integrated employment and leadership development for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Disability Lawyers
www.disabilitylawyers.com Information about Disability Law and local Disability Lawyers

Disability Scoop

www.disabilityscoop.com Founded in 2008, Disability Scoop is the nation’s premier source for developmental disability news. With daily coverage of autism, intellectual disability, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome and more, no other news source offers a more timely and comprehensive take on the issues that matter to the developmental disability community.

Disaboom

www.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.

Family Village
www.familyvillage.wisc.edu Family Village is a global community that integrates information, resources, and communication opportunities on the Internet for persons with cognitive and other disabilities, for their families, and for those that provide services and support.  The community includes informational resources on specific diagnoses, communication connections, adaptive products and technology, adaptive recreational activities, education, worship, health issues, disability-related media and literature, and much, much more! Developed by families of children with special needs, this site emphasizes advocacy by providing up-to-date information on law and policy changes affecting children with disabilities and their families.

National Down Syndrome Society
www.ndss.org The mission of the National Down Syndrome Society is to be the national advocate for the value, acceptance and inclusion of people with Down syndrome.

The Next Chapter Book Club
www.nextchapterbookclub.org The NCBC model promotes social connectedness, literacy learning, and community inclusion. The premise is simple. A group of 5 to 8 people with intellectual disabilities and a wide range of reading skills gather with two trained volunteer facilitators in a local bookstore or café to read aloud and discuss a book for one hour a week.

Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities
www.dodd.ohio.gov This website has been designed as part of a commitment to people with developmental disabilities, their families, the professional staff who support them, their neighbors, their friends, and anyone committed to supporting and advocating for individuals with special needs. This website provides news and commentary about pertinent disability issues drawn from news organizations around the United States and elsewhere.

Ohio Developmental Disabilities Council
www.ddc.ohio.gov The Ohio Developmental Disabilities Council (ODDC) is a planning and advocacy body committed to community inclusion for people with developmental disabilities

Rehabilitation Research and Training Center (RRTC) on Aging with Developmental Disabilities
www.rrtcadd.org/Resource/Interest/Info.html The resources on this page include a variety of topics related to RRTCADD’s research and training projects on aging with developmental and intellectual disabilities.

The Sibling Leadership Network: Recommendations for Research, Advocacy, and Supports
http://www.rrtcadd.org/assets/SLN_White_Paper.pdf The series of white papers reported here provide recommendations for research, advocacy, and supports relating to siblings of persons with developmental disabilities.

Think Beyond the Label

www.thinkbeyondthelabel.com Think Beyond the Label is committed to making the business case for employing people with disabilities. We are a partnership of health and human service and employment agencies with federal grants, coming together to build a uniform national infrastructure and approach that connects businesses to qualified candidates with disabilities.