Resources

Youth related web sites

www.mbta.com- Official website of the MBTA -- schedules, maps, and fare information for Greater Boston's public transportation system, including subway, commuter rail

http://www.cityofboston.gov/ - the official web site of the city of Boston Massachusetts. The web site also has a calendar of events in the city.

http://www.ssa.gov/disability - Social Security Administration

www.mass.gov/rmv - the Massachusetts registry of motor vehicles

www.masshome.com/univ.html - A complete listing of Massachusetts colleges and college related resources 

http://www.myspace.com/ - A networking site for teens and young adults. You can meet new people as well as keep in contact with old friends.

http://www.facebook.com/ A networking site for teens and young adults. You can meet new people as well as keep in contact with old friends.

www.craigslist.org A web site with community listings such as community groups, job listings, serves and personal ads

www.livenation.com/venue/getVenue/venueId/479 - the official web site for the Comcast center, an outdoor concert venue in Mansfield Massachusetts also on the site you can find out about seating and accessibility as well as ticket sales

http://www.metacritic.com/ this site offers music and movie reviews as well as tv show and video game reviews as well.

http://www.espn.com/ the official web site of ESPN. On this site you can find news from the NFL, NBA, MLB and all other major sports.

Phones for People with Disabilities

There’s new freedom for people with disabilities. The Massachusetts Equipment Distribution Program, MassEDP for short, offers specialized telephones to residents of the state who have mobility disabilities, cognitive and speech impairments, and vision or hearing loss. Phone equipment is provided at no charge or at a reduced cost to those who qualify.

MassEDP wants everyone to become independent. We have several phones and many types of equipment that offer specific benefits. The program matches people to equipment based on their personal communication styles. Just to give a few examples, there is a completely hands-free speakerphone that operates via a remote, and a large-button telephone that speaks each number when pressed. Chances are we have a phone that’s perfect for the way you communicate.

The idea is that if people can communicate freely over the phone, they can enjoy everything life has to offer more conversation, better relationships, and bigger opportunities. Imagine making your own doctor appointments, or reconnecting with a friend or family member, or even having a job interview over the phone. The possibilities are endless!

If you can benefit personally from our phone equipment, or if you want to communicate more or better with someone who has a disability, contact MassEDP today.  You or someone you care about can enjoy a greater sense of confidence with every phone call.  Visit us at http://www.massedp.com/ or call 1-800-300-5658 (V/TTY).

Public Policy Resources for People with Disabilities
Massachusetts
Statewide Independent Living Council

Health Care for All provides consumer advocacy and public policy advocacy for health care users in Massachusetts, including people with disabilities. Health Care for All can be very helpful in answering questions about both private and public health insurance programs. They are at the forefront of legislative efforts to preserve and expand access to health insurance for all Massachusetts residents.

Citizen’s Housing and Planning Association

Organizations and Agencies That Enforce The Laws Affecting People With Disabilities

These lists were prepared by Tim Kunzier, Easter Seals Massachusetts Public Affairs Intern

• American Association of People with Disabilities http://www.aapd.com/
  The largest national nonprofit cross-disability member organization in the United States, dedicated to ensuring economic self-sufficiency and political empowerment for the more than 56 million Americans with disabilities. AAPD works in coalition with other disability organizations for the full implementation and enforcement of disability nondiscrimination laws, particularly the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.
  
• ADAPT http://www.adapt.org/
  We are fighting so people with disabilities can live in the community with real supports instead of being locked away in nursing homes and other institutions.
  
• American Foundation for the Blind http://www.afb.org/
  Expanding possibilities for people with vision loss through: Accessibility, Advocacy, Events, Publishing, Research, Consulting, Audio Production
  
• Autism Network International http://ani.autistics.org/
  An autistic-run self-help and advocacy organization for autistic people.
  
• Boston Center for Independent Living http://bostoncil.org/

The Boston Center for Independent Living is a frontline civil rights organization led by people with disabilities that advocates to eliminate discrimination, isolation and segregation by providing advocacy, information and referral, peer support, skills training, and PCA services in order to enhance the independence of people with disabilities. 

• Center for Public Representation http://www.centerforpublicrep.org/

The Center seeks to improve the quality of lives of people with mental illness and other disabilities through the systemic enforcement of their legal rights while promoting improvements in services for citizens with disabilities. 

• Council for Disability Rights http://www.disabilityrights.org/index.htm

Advancing rights and enhancing lives of people with disabilities. 

• COPAA           http://www.copaa.org/index.html

The Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates, Inc. (COPAA) is an independent, nonprofit, 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization of attorneys, advocates and parents. Our primary mission is to secure high quality educational services for children with disabilities. 

• D.E.A.F. Inc. http://www.deafinconline.org/

D.E.A.F., Inc. encourages and empowers Deaf and Hard of Hearing individuals to lead independent and productive lives. We offer a comprehensive package of programs and services in a supportive community environment that is linguistically and culturally accessible for Deaf and Hard of Hearing individuals from diverse ethnic and cultural populations. 

• Disability Law Center               http://www.dlc-ma.org/

A private, non-profit public interest law firm providing free legal assistance and information to people with disabilities throughout Massachusetts. 

• Disabled in Action        http://www.disabledinaction.org/

We are a civil rights organization committed to ending discrimination against people with disabilities — all disabilities. We fight to eliminate the barriers that prevent us from enjoying full equality in American society. Founded in 1970, DIA is a democratic, not-for-profit, tax-exempt, membership organization. DIA consists primarily of and is directed by people with disabilities. We believe in the motto, "Nothing about us without us!" 

• Federation for Children with Special Needs       http://www.fcsn.org/

The Federation is a center for parents and parent organizations to work together on behalf of children with special needs and their families. 

• Easter Seals      http://www.easterseals.com

Easter Seals provides exceptional services to ensure that all people with disabilities have equal opportunity to live, learn, work and play. 

• Equal Employment Opportunity Commission     http://www.eeoc.gov/
   
• Massachusetts Attorney General's Disability Rights Project  http://www.ago.state.ma.us/sp.cfm?pageid=1195

A special office within the state Attorney General’s office, DRP provides a centralized authority to enforce both federal and state laws applicable to individuals with disabilities. DRP's focus has included enforcement of Titles II and III of the ADA and the elimination of all varieties of discriminatory barriers to services, programs and accommodations for individuals with physical and mental disabilities. 

• Massachusetts Office on Disability (MOD) http://www.mass.gov/mod

A state agency providing advocacy and information services to individuals with disabilities who have experienced or are experiencing violations of their civil rights. As the Commonwealth's Americans with Disabilities Act Coordinating Agency, it provides guidance on public private responsibilities with regard to the ADA.  

• MassRelay  http://www.massrelay.com/

MassRelay is a 24/7 service enabling hearing people or people who do not use a text telephone (TTY) to communicate over regular telephone lines with people who are deaf, hard-of-hearing, late deafened, or speech disabled. 

• National Council on Disability http://www.ncd.gov/

The National Council on Disability (NCD) is an independent federal agency making recommendations to the President and Congress to enhance the quality of life for all Americans with disabilities and their families 

• National Council on Independent Living http://www.ncil.org/

As a membership organization, NCIL advances independent living and the rights of people with disabilities through consumer-driven advocacy. NCIL envisions a world in which people with disabilities are valued equally and participate fully. 

• National Disability Rights Networkhttp://www.napas.org/

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

• NICHCY http://www.nichcy.org/index.html

NICHCY stands for the National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities. We serve the nation as a central source of information on: disabilities in infants, toddlers, children, and youth, IDEA, which is the law authorizing special education, No Child Left Behind (as it relates to children with disabilities), and research-based information on effective educational practices. 

• National Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center  http://www.nectac.org/

A national technical assistance effort that supports programs for young children with disabilities and their families under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Connecting people and knowledge. 

• National Federation of the Blindhttp://www.nfb.org/

Founded in 1940, the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) is the nation's largest and most influential membership organization of blind persons. With fifty thousand members, the NFB has affiliates in all fifty states plus Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico, and over seven hundred local chapters. As a consumer and advocacy organization, the NFB is considered the leading force in the blindness field today. 

• Not Dead Yet http://www.notdeadyet.org/

Not Dead Yet was founded on April 27,1996, shortly after Jack Kevorkian was acquitted in the assisted suicides of two women with non-terminal disabilities. In a 1997 Supreme Court rally, the outcry of 500 people with disabilities chanting "Not Dead Yet" was heard around the world. Since then, eleven other national disability rights groups have joined NDY in opposing legalized assisted suicide and euthanasia, chapters have taken action in over 30 states, and we helped put Jack Kevorkian behind bars in 1999. 

• PeopleWhohttp://www.peoplewho.org/

People Who is accredited to the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) and to the Ad Hoc Committee for the Comprehensive and Integral International Convention to Promote and Protect the Rights and Dignity of Persons with Disabilities. 

• The Disabled Persons Protection Commission   http://www.mass.gov/dppc

DPPC is the independent state agency responsible for protecting the health and safety of adults with disabilities from abusive acts and omissions of their caregivers. Telephone (800) 426-9009 V/TTY seven days a week to report suspected instances of abuse. 

• The Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination http://www.mass.gov/mcad

The state agency mandated with enforcing Massachusetts’ Anti-discrimination laws. Investigates complaints of discrimination based upon race, color, national origin, national ancestry, creed, sex, sexual orientation, age, disability, and criminal records. 

• United Cerebral Palsy http://www.ucp.org/main.cfm/1

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.  

• World Institute on Disability http://www.wid.org/

The World Institute on Disability is a nonprofit research, training and public policy center promoting the civil rights and the full societal inclusion of people with disabilities. 

• World T.E.A.M Sport                  http://www.worldteamsports.org/