Accessibility Resources

National Disability Institute

The National Disability Institute (NDI) collaborates with organizations nationwide to empower people with disabilities and their families to make informed financial decisions and build a better future. NDI offers a wide variety of webinars, tip sheets, information and resources to help people with disabilities achieve employment, financial stability and independence.

NDI resources include:

• The Financial Resilience Center (FRC)
• Guides on funding and selecting accessible transportation
• Financial wellness worksheets and quick reference guides
• Live and on-demand webinars and training

If you have questions, please email info@ndi-inc.org or call (202) 296-2040.

North West Housing Partnership (NWHP)

North West Housing Partnership (NWHP) programs cover a broad area of the suburban northwest, west and Chicagoland area. It offers a variety of housing and handyman programs for seniors 60 years and older and people with disabilities, 18 or over, in need of simple repairs in the communities of:

• Arlington Heights
• Buffalo Grove
• Mount Prospect
• Palatine
• Rolling Meadows
• Des Plaines
• All of Palatine and Wheeling Townships
• Oak Park Township (including Oak Park and River Forest).

NWHP also offers:

• Housing workshops and seminars
• Handyman and CAPABLE (Community Aging in Place Advancing Better Living for Elders) programs for people with disabilities ages 18 and up
• The Home Repair Accessibility Program (HRAP) in Cook, Kane and DuPage counties, funded by the Illinois Housing Development Authority (IHDA), to help homeowners address home accessibility issues that affect the health or safety of their families

Northern Illinois Foodbank

The Northern Illinois Food Bank delivers food and healthy eating services across 13 counties (Boone, DeKalb, DuPage, Grundy, Kane, Kankakee, Kendall, Lake, McHenry, Ogle, Stephenson, Will and Winnebago counties). The Northern Illinois Food Bank provides weekly drive-thru Mobile Markets with free and fresh groceries, an online food pantry, a recipes and nutrition hub, and free economic mobility learning resources.

Opportunities for Access – A Center for Independent Living

Opportunities for Access – A Center for Independent Living (OFACIL) is a member of the Illinois Network of Centers for Independent Living serving residents of Clay, Clinton, Edwards, Effingham, Fayette, Hamilton, Jasper, Jefferson, Marion, Wabash, Washington, Wayne and White counties. Offices are located in Mt. Vernon, Carmi and Effingham.

Programs include:

• Skills and employment training
• Support groups and advocacy
• Housing referral and community reintegration
• Youth transition and parent training program
• Adaptive equipment

Over the Rainbow (OTR) – Housing for Individuals with Physical Disabilities

Over the Rainbow (OTR) is an Illinois non-profit organization providing independent living solutions for individuals with physical disabilities that are:

• Affordable
• Accessible
• Barrier-free
• Person-centered

OTR’s apartments are located throughout the Chicago region and Northern Illinois. Applicants must be at least 18 years of age and meet OTR apartment communities eligibility requirements.

Parent Institute Lectures for Families of Children With Hearing Loss

The Institute for Parents of Preschool Children Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing is a program for parents of young children who have a significant hearing loss. It takes place on the campus of the Illinois School for the Deaf in Jacksonville each June.

Participating parents attend daily lectures by experts in the field to learn about raising a child with hearing loss. Lecture topics include the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), advocacy, communication options, language, assistive listening devices, literacy and amplification.

UIC’s Division of Specialized Care for Children (DSCC), a supporter of the Institute, has made these presentations available online so they can benefit more families of children with hearing loss. Visit the 2019 Parent Infant Institute Video Recordings page on the Illinois Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) Program website.

Project LEAP – Launching Equity in Access to Preschool

Equip for Equality’s Project LEAP (Launching Equity in Access to Preschool) helps children with disabilities from birth to 6 get Early Intervention and early childhood special education services so that they’re ready to succeed in school. Project LEAP can help your child:

• Move from Early Intervention to early childhood education
• Receive the tests needed for special education services
• Access behavior supports and assistive technology

Project LEAP can also go to your child’s Individual Education Program (IEP) meetings, mediation and due process hearings in select cases.

For more information or to schedule a time to talk, please contact Equip for Equality at EFEProjectLEAP@equipforequality.org or call the Equip for Equality Special Education hotline at 1-866-KIDS-046 or (866) 543-7046.  You can also complete an online intake form at www.equipforequality.org/get-legal-help-from-efe/.

Project Mobility

Project Mobility is a nonprofit organization that offers recreational events using specialized bicycles for people with disabilities. Its professional staff works with families, rehabilitative professionals and organizations to promote better health, independence, and most of all the freedom of mobility for people with physical disabilities.

Project Mobility also does an Adaptive Bike Giveaway.

QCA Adaptive Sports Association in Moline

QCA Adaptive Sports Association is a non-profit, volunteer-led organization in the Quad City area offering a safe, accessible and accepting environment for people with physical disabilities to enjoy adaptive sports and recreational opportunities. Sports programs include:

• Wheelchair basketball
• Tennis
• Rowing
• Softball and more

RAMP Disability Resources and Services – Center for Independent Living (CIL)