Disability Organizations

IMPORTANT - PLEASE READ BEFORE USING THE LISTING

Neither the American Bar Association nor the Commission endorse any of the organizations found in this listing. 

Federal Agencies

United States Access Board 
Provides technical assistance on architectural, transportation, and communications accessibility issues. Issues specific ADA Accessibility Guidelines.

U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS)Committed to improving results and outcomes for people with disabilities.

U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP)
Provides national leadership by developing and influencing disability-related employment policies and practices that increase the number and quality of employment opportunities for people with disabilities.

U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)
Promulgates regulations and enforces ADA Title I provisions prohibiting discrimination in employment. Provides technical assistance to employers and persons with disabilities.

U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division, Disability Rights Section 
Promulgates regulations and enforces anti-discrimination provisions under Title II of the ADA involving public services and under Title III of the ADA involving public accommodations. It also enforces employment provisions under Title II affecting state and local government entities. Provides technical assistance on compliance with Titles II and III.

U.S. Department of Justice's ADA Information Line and Technical Assistance on the ADA  

The National Council on Disability (NCD)
Charged with advising the President, Congress, and other federal agencies regarding policies, programs, practices, and procedures that affect people with disabilities. 

National Organizations and Associations

ADA National Network
adata.org/contact-us (to find the ADA Center serving your region)
Provides information, guidance, and training on the ADA, tailored to meet the needs of business, government and individuals at local, regional and national levels. Consists of ten Regional ADA National Network Centers located throughout the United States that provide local assistance to ensure that the ADA is implemented wherever possible.

American Diabetes Association (ADA)
Mission is to prevent and cure diabetes and to improve the lives of all people affected by diabetes.

American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD)
Nation's largest cross-disability organization, promoting equal opportunity, economic power, independent living, and political participation for people with disabilities.

American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AAIDD)
AAIDD promotes progressive policies, sound research, effective practices, and universal human rights for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

American Psychological Association (APA)
The leading scientific and professional organization representing psychology in the United States, with more than 115,700 researchers, educators, clinicians, consultants and students as its members.

American Psychiatric Association
An organization of psychiatrists working together to ensure humane care and effective treatment for all persons with mental illness, including substance use disorders. It is the voice and conscience of modern psychiatry. Its vision is a society that has available, accessible quality psychiatric diagnosis and treatment.

AIDS Action 
Works on government policy formation.

The Arc 
Promotes and protects the human rights of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and actively supports their full inclusion and participation in the community throughout their lifetimes.

Judge David L. Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law
Mission is to protect and advance the rights of adults and children who have mental disabilities. Envisions an America where people who have mental illnesses or developmental disabilities exercise their own life choices and have access to the resources that enable them to participate fully in their communities.

Brain Injury Association of America (BIAA)
Through advocacy, education and research, brings help, hope and healing to millions of individuals living with brain injury, their families and the professionals who serve them.

Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (CHADD)
Nation’s leading non-profit organization serving individuals with ADHD and their families. 

Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates (COPAA) 
National nonprofit membership organization dedicated to enhancing availability and quality of legal representation for parents of children and youth with disabilities, particularly in the field of special education.

Disability: IN
A national non-profit, non-partisan business to business network promoting workplaces, marketplaces, and supply chains where people with disabilities are included.

Disability Rights Bar Association (DRBA)
An online network of attorneys who specialize in disability civil rights law. Disability rights attorneys share information and strategies, coordinate litigation and other legal representation strategies, and mentor lawyers and law students who are new to disability rights practice. Helps lawyers and individuals with disabilities pursue better cases, make more effective arguments, and understand developments in disability rights law and practice.

Disability Rights Education Defense Fund (DREDF)
National civil rights law and policy center directed by individuals with disabilities and parents who have children with disabilities, the mission of which is to advance the civil and human rights of people with disabilities through legal advocacy, training, education, and public policy and legislative development.

Disability Rights Legal Center (DRLC)
Provides legal assistance to people with all types of disabilities through high-impact litigation, special education advocacy, cancer legal resources, alternative dispute resolution, and ongoing public outreach.

Easter Seals (ES)
Annually assists 35,000 people with disabilities and other special needs overcome barriers to employment and continually is developing innovative ways to help individuals achieve greater economic self-sufficiency and be more active in their communities.  

Epilepsy Foundation (EF)
Agency dedicated solely to the welfare of the almost 3 million people with epilepsy in the U.S. and their families. Works to ensure that people with seizures are able to participate in all life experiences; to improve how people with epilepsy are perceived, accepted and valued in society; and to promote research for a cure. 

Job Accommodation Network (JAN)
Offers information networks and free telephone consulting resources. Maintains a database of successful accommodations. It helps employers and individuals with disabilities use public programs dealing with disabilities.

Learning Disabilities Association of America (LDA)
The largest non-profit volunteer organization advocating for individuals with learning disabilities and has over 200 state and local affiliates in 42 states and Puerto Rico. 

National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)
The nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to building better lives for the millions of Americans affected by mental illness. Advocates for access to services, treatment, supports, and research.

National Association of the Deaf (NAD)
A national organization of, by and for deaf and hard of hearing individuals in the United States.

National Association of States United for Aging and Disabilities (NASUAD)
Works to improve and sustain state systems delivering home and community-based services and supports for people who are older or have a disability, and their caregivers.

National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD)
Works to ensure that the nation's 15 million children, adolescents, and adults with learning disabilities have every opportunity to succeed in school, work, and life.

National Council on Independent Living 
Represents community-based independent living centers. Provides referral information on services offered by centers, and locates the center closest to an individual.

National Disability Institute (NDI)
Committed to building a better economic future for individuals with disabilities and their families.

National Disability Rights Network (NDRN)
Nonprofit membership organization for the federally mandated Protection and Advocacy (P&A) Systems and Client Assistance Programs (CAP). Collectively, the P&A/CAP network is the largest provider of legally based advocacy services to people with disabilities in the United States.

National Federation of the Blind (NFB)
The largest membership organization of blind people in the United States. 

National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS)
A collective of passionate individuals who want to do something about MS now—to move together toward a world free of multiple sclerosis. Helps each person address the challenges of living with MS through a 50-state network of chapters. Helps people affected by MS by funding cutting-edge research, driving change through advocacy, facilitating professional education, and providing programs and services that help people with MS and their families move their lives forward.

National Organization on Disability (NOD)
Mobilizes, supports and involves citizens and groups in working partnerships at local, state, and national levels. Publishes a list of liaisons employed by state organizations on disability. Has an information hotline.

National Organization of Social Security Claimants’ Representatives (NOSSCR)
An association of over 4,000 attorneys and other advocates who represent Social Security and Supplemental Security Income claimants.

National Tourette Syndrome Association, Inc. (TSA)
The mission is to identify the cause of, find the cure for and control the effects of Tourette Syndrome.  TSA offers resources and referrals to help people and their families cope with the problems that occur with TS.

Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA)
A congressionally chartered veterans’ service organization serving the special needs of veterans of the armed forces who have experienced spinal cord injury or dysfunction.  Advocates for quality health care for its members, research and education addressing spinal cord injury and dysfunction, military service benefits, and civil rights.

TASH
Advocates for human rights and inclusion for people with significant disabilities and support needs. Works to advance inclusive communities through advocacy, research, professional development, policy, and information and resources for parents, families, and self-advocates.

United Cerebral Palsy (UCP)
Educates, advocates and provides support services to ensure a life without limits for people with a spectrum of disabilities.

World Institute on Disability 
A cross-disability research, training, and policy development center specializing in telecommunications issues.