The Association of People Supporting Employment First (APSE) is devoted to meaningful employment and career advancement for people with disabilities. Our movement is the Employment First movement, and we’ve been working for decades to secure fully-integrated roles in the workplace for people with disabilities.
Best Buddies Friendship programs represent one of our organization’s three key mission pillars. These programs build one-to-one friendships between people with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), offering social mentoring while improving the quality of life and level of inclusion for a population that is often isolated and excluded. Through their participation, people with IDD form meaningful connections with their peers, gain self-confidence and self-esteem, and share interests, experiences and activities that many other individuals enjoy.
THE ADVOCACY NETWORK ON DISABILITIES champions the rights of individuals with intellectual, developmental, and other disabilities by promoting inclusion, providing services, and advancing systems change.
To fulfill its mission, The Advocacy Network on Disabilities is committed to:
• Providing quality supports and services based on your personal preferences and needs;
• Helping you learn how the system works so you can become better able to get your own needs met;
• Making sure decision makers are aware of your needs for additional services – and for money to fund them;
• Bringing together and coordinating activities between and among organizations in our community working with people with disabilities;
• Sponsoring and conducting workshops, seminars, public education, and professional development activities; and
• Increasing the participation of individuals with disabilities and their families in all aspects of community life through capacity building, advocacy, and promoting best practices.
United State of America Department of Labor – Disability Employment Initiative
The Premier Source for Developmental Disability News
Online Resource for U.S. Disability Statistics
The Job Accommodation Network (JAN) is the leading source of free, expert, and confidential guidance on workplace accommodations and disability employment issues. Working toward practical solutions that benefit both employer and employee, JAN helps people with disabilities enhance their employability, and shows employers how to capitalize on the value and talent that people with disabilities add to the workplace.
JAN’s trusted consultants offer one-on-one guidance on workplace accommodations, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and related legislation, and self-employment and entrepreneurship options for people with disabilities. Assistance is available both over the phone and online. Those who can benefit from JAN’s services include private employers of all sizes, government agencies, employee representatives, and service providers, as well as people with disabilities and their families.
Parent to Parent of Miami is a Community Parent Resource Center serving parents of children with disabilities in Miami-Dade and Monroe counties. We help parents become better prepared to meet the needs of their children.
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is a Federal income supplement program funded by general tax revenues (not Social Security taxes):
• It is designed to help aged, blind, and disabled people, who have little or no income; and
• It provides cash to meet basic needs for food, clothing, and shelter.
Special Compass helps children and families with disabilities navigate life through education, sports, and housing, independently through inclusion.
Businesses accommodating people with disabilities may qualify for some of the following tax credits and deductions. More detailed information may be found in the IRS publications referenced.
Most parents care deeply for their children. But many families need help, and they deserve to receive that help in respectful partnerships. The Children’s Trust advocates and develops programs to meet the needs of all children and families. Different communities have different needs, and some communities need more attention. The involvement of parents and the community in planning, implementing and evaluating programs is crucial.
CARD stands for the Center for Autism & Related Disabilities. Our center, based at the University of Miami and Nova Southeastern University, is one of seven state-funded, university-based outreach and support centers in Florida dedicated to optimizing the potential of people with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), dual sensory impairment, sensory impairments with other disabling conditions, and related disabilities. In addition to ASD, CARD also serves a variety of related disabilities including deaf-blindness, sensory impairments with other disabling conditions, developmental delays in children under 5 who also present with autistic-like behaviors, and genetic disorders that may co-exist with autism symptoms (e.g., Fragile X Syndrome, Rett Syndrome, Tuberous Sclerosis, Angelman Syndrome, among others).
CARD services are designed to build on the capacities of state and local resources, not to duplicate or replace them. CARD provides families with resources specific to their needs. Some of the services that CARD provides include:
• Individualized Client and Family Support
• Family and Professional Training
• Public Education and Awareness and Community Outreach
• Programmatic Consultation and Technical Assistance
We Coach Foundation supports special need families on a quest to provide a better, more wholesome life for their loved ones. We Coach programs provide education and training to individuals with developmental/cognitive/mental conditions and their families, social outings, community integration, and other necessary tools for developmental growth.
Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) is a federal-state program that helps people who have physical or mental disabilities get or keep a job. VR is committed to helping people with disabilities find meaningful careers.
Our Mission is “to help people with disabilities find and maintain employment and enhance their independence.” Our Vision is “to become the first place people with disabilities turn when seeking employment and a top resource for employers in need of qualified employees.”
