Disability Advocacy Organizations and Resources
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Below is a list of different advocacy organizations that value and celebrate disabled people from a wide variety of perspectives. We believe these organizations have valuable resources that can support your understanding of diversity within the disability community. We start with our allies who are cross-disability organizations. are other websites and organizations which are either impairment/disability-specific or not controlled by disabled people but we appreciate their contribution. All are valuable and further our mission. Thank you.
Pennsylvania Developmental Disabilities Council
The Pennsylvania Developmental Disabilities Council is a group of people with disabilities, family members, advocates, and state department representatives who work to create favorable conditions for people with developmental disabilities and their families in the Commonwealth.
Disabled in Action of Pennsylvania founded in 1973 is one of the States and Country’s oldest and most successful cross disability advocacy organizations. DIA continues for all disabled people’s right to live in the community, to fight for accessible Taxicabs and accessible affordable integrated housing.
Liberty Resources Independent Living Center
Liberty Resources, Inc. is the Center for Independent Living for the Philadelphia area, which advocates for and works with Persons with Disabilities to ensure their civil rights and equal access to all aspects of life in our community.
Disability and Accessibility Action Group of H-CAN
The Disability and Accessibility Action Group is a cross-disability group that brings attention to obstacles facing the disability and d/Deaf communities and encourages changes that support the rights of these community members.
DEE now offers Disability Awareness/Acceptance assemblies for K-12 schools and in coordination with this H-CAN action group. Please contact DEE to book an assembly at your school!
Official site for Disability Pride celebration in PA. Disability Pride PA promotes more visibility and cultivates the pride felt within our community as we advocate for an inclusive world. Disability Pride PA imagines a world where every disabled person feels pride through self-awareness, their identity, and their community at large.
Autistic Self Advocacy Network
The Autistic Self Advocacy Network is run by and for autistic people and is a national grassroots disability rights organization for the autistic community. They fight for disability rights and work to make sure autistic people are included in policy-making, so that laws and policies meet their community’s needs. They work to support all forms of self-advocacy and to change the way people think about autism. Their members and supporters include autistic adults and youth, cross-disability advocates, and non-autistic family members, professionals, educators, and friends.
Autistic Women & Nonbinary Network (AWN)
Autistic Women & Nonbinary Network (AWN) provides community, support, and resources for Autistic women, girls, transfeminine and transmasculine nonbinary people, trans people of all genders, Two Spirit people, and all others of marginalized genders. Their goal is to dispel stereotypes and misinformation which perpetuate unnecessary fears surrounding an autism diagnosis. They seek to share information which works to build acceptance and understanding of disability.
Communication First is the only nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting and advancing the civil rights of the more than 5 million children and adults in the United States who, due to disability or other conditions, are unable to rely on speech alone to be understood. Their mission is to educate the public, advocate for policy change, and engage the justice system to protect and advance the human and civil rights of this historically marginalized community.
Disability Rights Washington Portrait of the Whole Person Curriculum
Portrait of the Whole Person is a curriculum for elementary school students designed to teach students how disability rights fit into the broader civil rights movement, to perceive disability as a reflection of societal views of differences, and to treat people with disabilities with respect and dignity. It contains four distinct lesson plans comprised of three in-class instruction lesson plans and one lesson plan governing the research and writing of a biographical sketch and creation of a portrait of a notable person with a disability. It is also complete with a graphic organizer, rubrics, a PowerPoint, and a list of references students can use for research.
Disability Social History Project
The Disability Social History Project (DSHP) is a community history project that welcomes community participation. Their content includes disabled heroes, important events in disability history, and resources.
DREAM: Disability Rights, Education, Activism, and Mentoring
DREAM (Disability Rights, Education Activism, and Mentoring) is a national organization for and by college students with disabilities. They strongly advocate for disability culture, community, and pride, and hope to serve as an online virtual disability cultural center for students who want to connect with other students. Their work is supported by the National Center for College Students with Disabilities (NCCSD), which is based at the Association on Higher Education And Disability (AHEAD).
The Inclusive Schools Network (ISN) is a web-based educational resource for families, schools and communities that promotes inclusive educational practices. This resource has grown out of Inclusive Schools Week™, an internationally-recognized annual event whose mission is “to encourage, embolden and empower people to design and implement effective inclusive schools, by sharing insights and best practices and by providing opportunities for connection.”
Invisible Disabilities Association
The IDA is passionate about providing awareness that invisible illness, pain and disabilities are very real. The frequently invisible nature of illness and pain may lead to disbelief about that illness or pain by those surrounding the person who lives daily with invisible disabilities. Their mission is to encourage, educate and connect people and organizations touched by illness, pain and disability around the globe.
ProjectLets builds peer-led communities of support, education & advocacy for folks with lived experience of mental illness, trauma, Disability, and/or neurodivergence. We believe that principles of Disability Justice are key components to supporting collective healing and our human rights.
Rooted in Rights tells authentic, accessible stories to challenge stigma and redefine narratives around disability, mental health, and chronic illness.
They exist to amplify the perspectives of the disability community. Their blog posts and storyteller videos as well as content they re-share on social media do not necessarily reflect their opinions or values nor indicate an endorsement of a program or service. They respect and aim to reflect the diversity of opinions and experiences of the disability community. Rooted in Rights seeks to highlight discussions, not direct them.
Sins Invalid is a disability justice-based performance project that incubates and celebrates artists with disabilities, centralizing artists of color and LGBTQ / gender-variant artists as communities who have been historically marginalized. Led by disabled people of color, Sins Invalid’s performance work explores the themes of sexuality, embodiment and the disabled body, developing provocative work where paradigms of “normal” and “sexy” are challenged, offering instead a vision of beauty and sexuality inclusive of all bodies and communities.
TASH advocates for human rights and inclusion for people with significant disabilities and support needs. TASH works to advance inclusive communities through advocacy, research, professional development, policy, and information and resources for parents, families and self-advocates.