Resources for LGBTQ+ Youth With Disabilities and Their Families
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DSCC aims to help families strengthen their support to promote young people’s health, safety and wellbeing.
The University of Illinois Chicago’s Division of Specialized Care for Children (DSCC) wants to help Illinois families strengthen their support for LGBTQ+ youth with special healthcare needs and disabilities.
June is Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ+) Pride Month. There are approximately 5 million LGBTQ+ individuals with disabilities in the United States, according to the nonprofit RespectAbility.
Our DSCC team can provide resources to help our participant families, healthcare providers and community partners understand and support LGBTQ+ youth and their needs.
Research shows that family involvement in an LGBTQ+ youth’s life, particularly in the first two years of coming out, improves their overall safety, health and long-term well-being.
Teaching children about self-awareness and self-care at a young age can lead to better health and safety as a teenager. Helping a child establish boundaries is also linked to better teen health and safety.
Former DSCC Quality Specialist Diane Becker has studied research in these areas. Diane is a nationally certified juvenile treatment specialist and a licensed clinical social worker. She has worked with families and professionals in the social work and counseling fields for 30-plus years.
Diane appeared on the “Just Breathe: Parenting Your LGBTQ Teen” podcast last year to talk about mental health, boundaries and self-care for both LGBTQ+ young adults and parents.
She shared the latest research and discussed the importance of connectedness, family and health and safety.
You can listen to Diane’s two-part interview at the links below –
What Are These Boundaries You Speak Of? An Interview with Diane Becker Part One
What Are These Boundaries You Speak Of? An Interview with Diane Becker Part Two
We also encourage Illinois families of LGBTQ+ youth with special healthcare needs to contact us with their questions and concerns. You can call us at (800) 322-3722 or email us at dscc@uic.edu to learn more about available resources and support.
You can also visit our online Resource Directory.
Featured resources that can help support LGBTQ+ youth and their family/caregivers include:
National and Statewide Crisis Hotlines
Find a Helpline
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
National Domestic Violence Hotline
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) National Helpline
Illinois Crisis and Referral Entry Services (CARES) Line
Illinois Warm Line
National Runaway Safeline
Connections
The Trevor Project
Central Illinois LGBTQ+ Organizations
Chicago and Illinois Mental Health Agencies and Organizations
Strong Family Alliance
PFLAG Parent Support and Resources
“Expressing, Coping, Reframing: Addressing the Mental Health of ‘Quaranteens’ in the Time of COVID-19”
It Gets Better Project
Find a Healthcare Provider
University of Illinois Hospital & Clinics’ Inclusive Healthcare and Policies
Gender Development Program at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago
GLMA
OutCare Provider Directory
Education
Illinois State Board of Education LGBTQ Student and Family Resources
Advocating for LGBTQ Students With Disabilities
Know Your Rights: Students and LGBTQ Rights at School
Information
Sexuality Resources for Individuals With Disabilities
Mental Health Resources for LGBTQI Individuals
Coming Out: Information for Parents of LGBTQ Teens
RespectAbility’s Resources for LGBTQ+ Individuals With Disabilities