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Resource Directory

Find resource information for families and children with special healthcare needs.

Some of these resources are specific for families and children enrolled in our programs. Others may be of interest to any family or child with special healthcare needs.

You can use the search box below to narrow your view. For example, you can search for support groups, respite, grant programs, a specific topic or by condition.

You can also browse by category or by region using the links on the right side of this page.

Here is a quick video showing how to use the search and display features for our resources and events.

Check back often for updates. If you don’t find what you need, please call us at (800) 322-3722 or send us an email.

Education Resources

  • Cued Speech Program for Families of Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Children

    Cue College’s Cue Family Program provides a free, online Cued Speech class to families of deaf and hard-of-hearing children.

    Cued Speech combines a small number of simple hand cues with the natural mouth movements of speech to make the sounds or “phonemes” of spoken language clear through vision alone.

    The Cue Family Program includes free access for one year to the online Cue College course, “CS100 – Introduction to Cued American English – Self Study”, for parents, guardians, additional family members and caregivers of a child with hearing loss or other communication challenges.

  • Helping Hand

    Helping Hand is a nonprofit organization empowering children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities across Chicagoland through person-centered education, therapy, residential and employment programs.

    Helping Hand programs and services, include:

    • An outpatient clinic
    • School
    • Community day services
    • Residential living services
    • Employment program

    For more information, call (708) 352-3580 or email info@helpinghand-il.org.

  • The Early Years Project

    The Early Years Project is a free online toolkit from the Illinois Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Program featuring easy-to-follow videos, activities and resources. Parents, caregivers, and educators can use these materials to help foster sensory development in young children, from birth to 6 years old.

    The Early Years Project toolkit aims to supplement home visiting and early education programs. It includes information on developmental milestones, activities, resources and more in four areas:

    • Hearing
    • Vision
    • Communication
    • Language
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Family Resources

  • Special Father's Network

    Special Father’s Network is a dad-to-dad mentoring program for fathers raising children with special needs.

    The program connects new fathers with special needs children to another father (a Mentor Father) who has experienced a similar situation. The program matches Mentor Fathers as closely as possible based on the child’s special needs, gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic group and relationship to the child e.g., .father, stepfather, grandfather).

    The Special Father’s Network is available through the 21st Century Dads Foundation, which raises awareness and resources for greater father involvement and seeks to inspire dads to be present, caring and nurturing.

  • Illinois Respite Coalition

    The Illinois Respite Coalition (IRC) is a not-for-profit organization of caregivers and respite providers dedicated to supporting families and ensuring access to quality respite services for the residents of Illinois. The IRC assists caregivers by connecting them to resources in their area, providing training on respite topics and having funding available for emergency respite. The IRC helps caregivers of individuals across the lifespan with any disability.

    The Emergency Respite Care Program offers funding and resources to support caregivers who are not receiving any respite services and have an urgent need for respite care in the absence of any other funding source.  Emergency respite care may be for an unplanned or planned event for reasons including:

    • Caregiver illness (physical, mental or emotional)
    • Caregiver hospitalization
    • Work-related situation
    • Reduction of stress level

    The website gives examples of qualifying circumstances and information on how to apply. See the emergency care flyer for more details. (The flyer is also available in Spanish.)

    For more information, contact:

  • Almost Home Kids

    Almost Home Kids provides a bridge from hospital to home through an innovative community-based care system for children with medical complexities. It responds to the needs of families, trains caregivers, offers respite care, advocates for accessibility and inclusion and educates healthcare professionals.

    Almost Home Kids offers transitional, respite and respite transportation care. It has locations in Chicago, Naperville and Peoria.

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Medical/Health Resources

  • Get Covered Illinois - The Official Health Insurance Marketplace Resource

    Get Covered Illinois is the health insurance Marketplace resource for the state of Illinois. Get Covered Illinois provides information about health insurance coverage provided under the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

    Get Covered Illinois provides:

    • Information and support to help Illinois residents understand insurance and the importance of health insurance coverage
    • Access to health plans through Healthcare.gov
    • Free enrollment help from Get Covered Illinois Navigators by phone or in person in multiple languages and in your community

    Get Covered Illinois is a division of the Illinois Department of Insurance (IDOI).

  • Aunt Martha's Health and Wellness

    Aunt Martha’s Health and Wellness is based in Olympia Fields, Ill., and offers community support services that promote healthy lifestyles and help people and families overcome challenges. Its community support services for youth include crisis services and Reporting Centers for Justice-Involved Youth in Cook County.

    Aunt Marth’s also provides support for new parents (first-time moms and dads) as well as any parent or family feeling the stress of having a new baby or infant at home. Its support services include home visits and coaching to help parents feel more confident, keep their home safe and get other care and services in their community.

    For more details, call (877) 692-8686 or fill out Aunt Martha’s Contact Us form.

  • Autism Timely Toolkits for Uncertain Times

    The Autism Focused Intervention Resources and Modules (AFIRM) Timely Toolkits are designed to support autistic individuals, their caregivers, and related professionals as they navigate through specific global and/or local events that may disrupt or impact routines.

    The Timely Toolkits include:

    • Supporting Individuals With Autism Through Uncertain Times
    • Supporting Adults With Autism Through  Uncertain Times Companion Guide
    • Supporting Online Learning for Students With Autism
    • Resources for Autistic Individuals and Their Families Impacted by War and Displacement
    • Talking About Gun Violence With Autistic Individuals
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