The Disability Advocacy Support Hub (DASH) lists these links to help you in your advocacy work. These links are only a few of the many sites out there. If there are other sites that have helped in your advocacy work, or if you have a problem with any of the links, please contact us ([email protected] or 1-800-692-7448 ext. 312) and let us know. The DASH project is made possible by a grant from the Pennsylvania Developmental Disabilities Council.
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
Advocacy (General)
Benefits
Education
Employment
Housing
Media and Communication
State and Federal Government
Transportation
Voting
State Advocacy Organizations
National Advocacy Organizations
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
- ADA.Gov has information on ADA statute, ADA title II and III regulations, technical assistance materials, enforcement information and general ADA information.
- Disability.gov is the federal government’s one-stop website for people with disabilities, their families, employers, veterans, service members, workforce professionals and others. The website connects people with disabilities to the information and resources they need to actively participate in the workforce and in their communities. The site has a wealth of information on employment, education, housing, transportation, health, benefits, technology, community life and civil rights.
- National Council on Disability website’s purpose is to promote policies and programs that guarantee equal opportunity for individuals with disabilities and empower individuals with disabilities to achieve economic self-sufficiency, independent living, and inclusion and integration into all aspects of society. The site offers progress reports, publications, policy briefs, and many more resources.
- The Arc provides information on public policy activities at the national level and how to get involved.
- PACER Center offers help to parents and professionals on local, state, and national levels through workshops, publications and other resources to help families make decisions about education and services for children and young adults.
- Benefit Eligibility Screening Tool (BEST) is a tool which can be used to screen for eligibility for Medicare, Social Security Disability, Social Security Retirement, Social Security Survivors, Special Veterans and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits.
- Benefits.gov is the official benefits website of the U.S. government, with information on federal benefit and assistance programs, eligibility for programs, how to apply for benefits and facts about free money and grants.
- Official Social Security Website
- Social Security Program Rules for current laws, regulations and commissioner rulings as it relates to the program.
- Wrightslaw Advocacy Libraries has information about educational advocacy for children with disabilities. The site includes advocacy tips and articles, laws and regulations, information about No Child Left Behind and much more.
- A Guide to the Individualized Education Program has information to assist parents develop IEPs that meet the requirements of Part B of the Individual with Disabilities Act (IDEA) statute and regulations.
- PACER Center offers help to parents and professionals on local, state, and national levels through workshops, publications and other resources to help families make decisions about education and services for children and young adults.
List of upcoming workshops some are available for streaming over the internet.
Publications Catalog
- The United States Department of Justice Housing and Civil Enforcement is the agency to handle housing discrimination complaints. You can find contact information on how to report an incident of housing discrimination along with Fair Housing Act, Equal Credit Opportunity Act, and many other relevant acts.
- HUD.GOV has information for filing your housing discrimination complaint online. It also has information on:
Housing Rights for People with Disabilities
Information for Building Design Professionals
Information for Housing Providers
Section 504
Section 504 Regulations
Fair Housing Accessibility First Webcast Seminar
Fair Housing Accessibility Guidelines
Fair Housing Guidelines
Supplemental to Notice of Fair Housing Accessibility Guidelines
- The Self Determination Housing Project (SDHP) provides information and resources that empower people with disabilities in Pennsylvania to have control over their housing choices.
- Pennsylvania Roots Project maintains newspaper contact information including guidelines for letters to the editor.
- CSPAN is a cable network that covers congress.
- PCN TV covers the PA General Assembly.
- W3C created standards for web design that is accessible for all because they believe that the web enables human communication, commerce, and opportunities to share knowledge. Their primary goal is to make these benefits available to all people, whatever their hardware, software, network infrastructure, native language, culture, geographical location, or physical or mental ability.
Easy Checks-First Review of Accessibility
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines
- Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center has information and analysis on the state budget in general.
- For information and analysis on disability programs in the state budget, contact the Policy Information Exchange (PIE) at PIE, c/o The Arc of Pennsylvania, 101 South Second Street, Suite 8, Harrisburg, PA 17101, by email at [email protected] or by phone at 800-692-7258.
- The Commonwealth has published an article, ” The Budget Process in Pennsylvania,” that describes the budget process and defines budget related terms.
- University of Pittsburgh has developed a shorter description of the state budget process.
- PA General Assembly website tracks state bills. At the top of the page is a box labeled, “Legislation Quick Search,” enter the bill number and click on “Search”. The site contains lots of useful information. On the site, you can also find your state legislators, and link to the state house and state senate sites, get committee schedules, information about votes and other information.
- Only some of the state laws are “consolidated.” Many of the state’s unconsolidated laws, such as the Public School Code of 1949, are not clearly organized. To research the consolidated and unconsolidated laws.
- The Disability Voting Coalition of PA has information about voting in Pennsylvania includes an Election Day Survival Kit for people with disabilities.
- The Pennsylvania Department of State official site has voting information.
- PCN TV covers the PA General Assembly.
- The PA League of Women Voters has information and links about state and federal government. It includes a number of brochures in pdf format, including:
Face to Face (PDF) The basics of effective lobbying are explained in Face to Face.
How to Judge the Judges (PDF) Judicial information for voters.
Legislative Lingo (PDF) Need to know the difference between a resolution and an act? Some of the unique language of the legislature is defined in this publication.
Who’s Who In the Party (PDF) Information about party officials and structure.
Who’s Who At the Polls (PDF) Includes information about all aspects of your polling place including a list of officials and their responsibilities.
- THOMAS was launched in January of 1995 and is being replaced by Congress.gov. It’s maintained by the Library of Congress to make federal legislative information freely available to the public. It includes information on federal bills and resolutions, gives information on Congressional activity and from the Congressional Record, including schedules, calendars and committee information among other things. THOMAS (soon to be Congress.gov) can be used to see if your member of Congress has sponsored a bill or the status of a bill or the status of a bill or even to see the language of the bill itself.
- Project Vote Smart has non-partisan information on voting records for current and past members of Congress and links to political parties. The site also includes information on candidates for office and on campaign finance.
- The official web site for the U.S. House.
- The official web site for the U.S. Senate.
- Regulations.gov allows you to search for federal regulations, review original documents or offer comments to proposed regulations.
- The US Government Printing Office maintains the official directory of Congress including all past Congressional Directories.
- CSPAN is a cable network that covers congress.
- Federal Transit Administration (FTA) offers information on how to file an ADA discrimination complaint, grants and funding, eligibility requirements for paratransit services and a toll-free assistance line (1-888-446-4511) to get answers to questions about accessibility requirements for public transportation for people with disabilities.
ADA and Transportation
- The Disability Voting Coalition of PA has information about voting in Pennsylvania includes an Election Day Survival Kit for people with disabilities.
- The Pennsylvania Department of State official site has voting information.
- Project Vote Smart has non-partisan information on voting records for current and past members of Congress and links to political parties. The site also includes information on candidates for office and on campaign finance.
The Institute on Disabilities at Temple University
Pennsylvania Client Assistance Program
Pennsylvania Council of the Blind
Pennsylvania Developmental Disabilities Council
Pennsylvania Health Law Project
Pennsylvania Mental Health Consumers Association
Pennsylvania Statewide Independent Living Council
National Advocacy Organizations*
The Arc
American Association of People with Disabilities
ADAPT
ADA Watch-Protecting the Rights of People with Disabilities
Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD)
Disability Rights and Education Defense Fund, Inc.
Justice for All E-mail Network
National Council on Disability
National Organization on Disability
TASH (The Action Starts Here)
United Cerebral Palsy (UCP)
*These lists are incomplete. They do not include all of the state and national advocacy organizations.
