National Resources

Included below is a listing of various websites for the federal government, national agencies and organizations across the country that have information and resources relating to developmental disabilities.

  • Americans with Disabilities(ADA)-the United States Department of Justice home site for information, publications, resources and technical assistance on the federal legislation Americans with Disabilities Act. http://www.justice.gov/crt/about/drs


  • The Arc-The Arc of the United States advocates for the rights and full participation of all children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Together with a network of members and affiliated chapters, the Arc focuses on improving systems of supports and services; connecting families; inspiring communities and influencing public policy. http://www.thearc.org


  • Autism Resource Center -This comprehensive Resource Center was created through a grant from the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry's Campaign for America's Kids (CFAK). https://www.aacap.org/aacap/families_and_youth/resource_centers/autism_resource_center/home.aspx


  • Autism Society of America-was founded in 1965. Over the last 40 years, the Society has grown from a handful of parents, into the leading source of information, research, and reference on autism. ASA is the oldest and largest grassroots organization within the autism community. Today, more than 120,000 members and supporters are connected through a working network of nearly 200 chapters nationwide. http://www.autism-society.org


  • Best Buddies Rhode Island-The mission of Best Buddies is to establish a global volunteer movement that creates opportunities for one-to-one friendships, integrated employment and leadership development for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. MA & RI - Best Buddies International


  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC)-is one of the 13 major operating components of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which is the principal agency in the United States government for protecting the health and safety of all Americans and for providing essential human services, especially for those people who are least able to help themselves. http://www.cdc.gov/


  • Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services(CMS)-This is the federal agency of the US government that provides funding for Home and Community Based Waiver (HCBW) Services for adults with developmental disabilities. The website includes topics of interest relating to Medicaid and Medicare.http://www.cms.hhs.gov/


  • Council on Quality and Leadership(CQL)-is a national organization that has been at the forefront of the movement to improve the quality of services and supports for people with intellectual disabilities and people with mental illness. The Council began with the fundamental belief that everyone has a right to a life of dignity, opportunity and community inclusion. The journey continues today with the daily work of establishing real connections between disabilities theory and practice. http://www.thecouncil.org/


  • Disability Information-this user-friendly website contains links to information of interest to people with disabilities, their families, employers, service providers and many others. President George W. Bush's New Freedom Initiative directed federal agencies to create DisabilityInfo.gov in order to connect people with disabilities to the information and resources they need to pursue their personal and professional ambitions - delivering on America's promise of equal access to opportunity for all.


  • Disability Resources on the Internet-thousands of the best disability resources on the Internet, personally selected and annotated by the staff of Disability Resources Monthly and alphabetically arranged by subject or by individual states for easy access.
  • Disability Travel and Recreation Resources-a website offering assistance for persons with disabilities to locate accessible travel information including planning, companions, destinations, transportation, etc.http://www.makoa.org/travel.htm


  • Human Services Research Institute(HSRI)-is an organization established in 1976 to assist states and the federal government to enhance services and supports to people with mental illness and people with mental retardation, and to support the development of alternatives to congregate care facilities. Today the Institute's mission continues to focus on improving the lives of people with disabilities. Through the National Core Indicators (NCI) project, staff are exploring the application of national performance standards. As a center for technical assistance in family support, the Institute is assisting in the dissemination of best practices. As a continuing technical assistance center for evaluation of system's change in mental health, the Institute is leading the way in the application of practical strategies to assess and improve services and supports to persons with mental illness. http://www.hsri.org/


  • Institute for Community Inclusion( ICI )-is an organization in Massachusetts that offers training, clinical, and employment services, conducts research, and provides assistance to organizations to promote inclusion of people with disabilities in school, work, and community activities. http://www.communityinclusion.org/


  • National Association of Direct Support Professionals (NASDSP)-is a coalition of organizations and individuals committed to strengthening the quality of human service support by strengthening the direct support workforce. The group has representatives from the fields of mental health, developmental disabilities, child welfare, education, and many others in the human services community. http://www.nadsp.org


  • National Association of State Directors of Developmental Disabilities Services(NASDDDS)-is a nonprofit organization, established in 1964, to improve and expand public services to people with mental retardation and other developmental disabilities. The Association's goal is to promote and assist state agencies in developing effective, efficient service delivery systems that furnish high-quality supports to people with developmental disabilities. http://www.nasddds.org


  • National Center for Dissemination of Disability Research(NCDDR)-The Southwest Educational Development Laboratory (SEDL) operates the National Center for the Dissemination of Disability Research (NCDDR) through funding from the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR). The NCDDR scope of work responds directly to NIDRR's concern for increasing the effective use of NIDRR-sponsored research results in shaping new technologies, improving service delivery, and expanding decision-making options for people with disabilities and their families.


  • National Center on Workforce Disability/Adult-provides training, technical assistance, policy analysis, and information to improve access for all in the workforce development system. The website includes information on states' implementation of One-Stop Career Centers to provide seamless and quality employment services for people with significant disabilities. 


  • National Core Indicators(NCI)-is a project of collaboration among participating National Association of State Directors of Developmental Disabilities Services (NASDDDS) member state agencies and the Human Services Research Institute (HSRI), with the goal of developing a systematic approach to performance and outcome measurement. Through the collaboration, participating states pool their resources and knowledge to create performance monitoring systems, identify common performance indicators, work out comparable data collection strategies, and share results. The website includes information on reports and outcome data collected by various participating states. http://www.hsri.org/nci/


  • National Down Syndrome Society(NDSS)-is a national organization that envisions a world in which all people with Down syndrome have the opportunity to realize their life aspirations. NDSS is committed to being the national leader in enhancing the quality of life, and realizing the potential of all people with Down syndrome. The website provides information to benefit people with Down syndrome and their families through national leadership in education, research and advocacy http://www.ndss.org/


  • People First-websites for various People First organizations and other Self Advocacy links in the United States and other countries. http://www.peoplefirst.org


  • Quality Mall-is a resource website where you can find lots of free information about person-centered supports for people with developmental disabilities. Each of the Mall stores has departments you can look through to learn about positive practices that help people with developmental disabilities live, work and participate in our communities and improve the quality of their supports. http://www.qualitymall.org/main/


  • Research and Training Center on Community Living-provides research, evaluation, training, technical assistance and dissemination to support the aspirations of persons with developmental disabilities to live full, productive and integrated lives in their communities. http://rtc.umn.edu/main/


  • The Riot!...is a national E-Newsletter published quarterly for "self-advocates" developed by the Self-Advocate Leadership Network at Human Services Research Institute. A self-advocate is somebody who has a disability and speaks up for themselves. Are you a self-advocate? If you are, then The Riot! is for YOU! Other people, like parents, staff and policy makers will also enjoy it too. But these pages are written mostly for our main audience- self-advocates! http://www.theriotrocks.org/


  • Rhode Island Parent Information Network (RIPIN)Founded in 1991, the Rhode Island Parent Information Network (RIPIN) is a statewide, 501(c)(3), charitable, nonprofit organization with a collective programmatic reach that extends to every Rhode Island community, the state's major family-serving systems, schools, associations, and agencies. Our goal is to inform, support, and empower parents, families, individuals, and family-serving professionals who seek to become effective advocates for their families, children, themselves, and their communities. We serve more than 65,000 Rhode Islanders each year. http://www.ripin.org/


  • Self Advocates Becoming Empowered(SABE)-is an organization for people with disabilities that ensures that people are treated as equals and that they are given the same decisions, choices, rights, responsibilities, and chances to speak up to empower themselves; opportunities to make new friends; and to learn from their mistakes. http://www.sabeusa.org/


  • Self Advocate Leadership Network-is an organization established in 1998, that is a collaboration between self-advocates from across the country and the Human Services Research Institute (HSRI). We offer training directly to self-advocates and others - including family members, direct support staff and board members. E-newsletter for self-advocates, The Riot, is also available. http://www.hsri.org/topics/self-advocacy


  • Self-Directed Supports (SDS)-SDS allows you to have more choice and control over the services and supports you need to live a full life at home and in the community. An excellent resource for SDS can be found on the Paul V. Sherlock Center on Disabilities at RI College. http://www.ric.edu/sherlockcenter/sds/sds.html


  • Social Security-The Social Security and Supplemental Security Income disability programs are the largest of several Federal programs that provide assistance to people with disabilities. http://www.ssa.gov/disability/


  • Special Olympics Rhode Island-Special Olympics RI is a dynamic program, providing more than 1,600 year-round sports training and athletic competition opportunities children and adults with intellectual disabilities. Each year, Special Olympics Rhode Island hosts over 40 statewide tournaments and competitions in many different types of official and demonstration sports. For more information, please go to http://specialolympicsri.org/


  • United Cerebral Palsy(UCP)-is the leading source of information on cerebral palsy and is a pivotal advocate for the rights of persons with any disability. As one of the largest health charities in America, the UCP mission is to advance the independence, productivity and full citizenship of people with disabilities through an affiliate network http://www.ucp.org/