Links
GENERAL
AAIDD: American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
501 3rd Street, NW, Suite 200
Washington, DC 20001
“AAIDD promotes progressive policies, sound research, effective practices, and universal human rights for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.”
Global Down Syndrome Foundation
3300 East First Ave., Suite 390
Denver, CO 80206
http://www.globaldownsyndrome.org/
“The Global Down Syndrome Foundation is a public non-profit 501(c)(3) dedicated to significantly improving the lives of people with Down syndrome through Research, Medical care, Education and Advocacy. Formally established in 2009, the Foundation’s primary focus is to support the Linda Crnic Institute for Down Syndrome, the first academic home in the United States committed solely to research and medical care for people with Down syndrome. Since Down syndrome is the least-funded genetic condition in the United States, fundraising and government advocacy to correct the alarming disparity of national funding for people with Down syndrome is a major goal.”
National Down Syndrome Congress
30 Mansell Court, Suite 108
Roswell, GA 30076
“Founded in 1973, the National Down Syndrome Congress is the country’s oldest
national organization for people with Down syndrome, their families, and the
professionals who work with them. [They] provide information, advocacy, and support concerning all aspects of life for individuals with Down syndrome, and work to create a national climate in which all people will recognize and embrace the value and dignity of people with Down syndrome.”
National Down Syndrome Society
666 Broadway, 8th Floor
New York, New York, 10012
“The mission of the National Down Syndrome Society is to be the national advocate for the value, acceptance, and inclusion of people with Down syndrome.”
MEDICAL
Denver Adult Down Syndrome Clinic
The Medical Center of Aurora (TMCA)
MCPN Clinic
700 Potomac Street, Suite A
Aurora, CO 80011
http://www.denverdsclinic.org/
“The mission of the Denver Adult Down Syndrome Clinic is to provide quality health care to adolescents and adults with Down syndrome, education for the families and care givers, and consultative services for their health providers.”
Linda Crnic Institute for Down Syndrome
Research Complex 2
Room P15-4014
Mail Stop 8608
12700 E 19th Ave.
Aurora, CO 80045
Click to go to:Linda Crnic Institute for Down Syndrome
“Mission: Significantly improve the lives of all people with Down syndrome: Eradicate the ill effects associated with Down syndrome (having an extra chromosome 21)
Vision: Provide the world’s first “cradle-to-cradle,” fully integrated institute for Down syndrome with the highest quality basic, translational and clinical research, clinical trials, therapeutic development, medical care, education and advocacy in the pursuit of the mission: Change the paradigm of how people with Down syndrome are perceived by society: Serve as the Anschutz Medical Campus gold standard for translational research for Colorado and the gold standard worldwide.”
EDUCATION AND COMMUNITY ACTION
The Arc
1825 K Street NW, Suite 1200
Washington, DC 20006
“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.”
Best Buddies
Global Headquarters
100 Southeast Second Street, Suite 2200
Miami, FL 33131
“Best Buddies® is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to establishing a global volunteer movement that creates opportunities for one-to-one friendships, integrated employment and leadership development for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).
Human Animal Bond in Colorado
1586 Campus Delivery
Colorado State University
Fort Collins, CO 80523-1586
http://www.habic.cahs.colostate.edu/about/whoweare.aspx
“HABIC’S mission is to “improve the quality of life for people of all ages through the therapeutic use of companion animals.” Within this mission are the goals of:
Service/outreach – providing animal-assisted intervention services and programs
(animal-assisted therapy, and animal-assisted activity) in partnership with: public
schools; long-term care and rehabilitation; hospitals; hospice; mental health;
youth corrections; residential treatment; the Veterans Administration and other
health and social services organizations in Colorado.
Teaching – educating students and professionals on the human-animal bond, the
therapeutic use of companion animals, and animal-assisted interventions.
Research – conducting research in the human-animal bond field and animal assisted therapy/activity interventions; evaluations of the animal-assisted therapy
model/approach with “at-risk” students in schools.”
IDEA: The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
“The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is a law ensuring services to children with disabilities throughout the nation. IDEA governs how states and public agencies provide early intervention, special education and related services to more than 6.5 million eligible infants, toddlers, children and youth with disabilities. Infants and toddlers with disabilities (birth–2) and their families receive early intervention services under IDEA Part C. Children and youth (ages 3–21) receive special education and related services under IDEA Part B.”
Peak Parent Center
611 North Weber, Suite 200
Colorado Springs, CO 80903
http://www.peakparent.org/index.asp
“The mission of PEAK Parent Center is to provide training, information and technical assistance to equip families of children birth through twenty-six including all disability conditions with strategies to advocate successfully for their children. As a result of PEAK's services to families and professionals, children and adults with disabilities will live rich, active lives participating as full members of their schools and communities.”
Project Search
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital
Medical Center 3333 Burnet Avenue, MLC5030
Cincinnati, Ohio 450229
“The Project SEARCH High School Transition Program is a unique, business led, one-year school-to-work program that takes place entirely in the workplace. Total workplace immersion facilitates a seamless combination of classroom instruction, career exploration, and hands-on training through worksite rotations.”
R Word: Spread the Word to End the Word
“Spread the Word to End the Word is an ongoing effort to raise the consciousness of society about the dehumanizing and hurtful effects of the word "retard(ed)" and encourage people to pledge to stop using the R-word. The campaign is intended to get schools, communities and organizations to rally and pledge their support.
LEARNING
Love and Learning
9828 Melrose
Livonia, MI 48150
http://www.loveandlearning.com/home.shtml
“[Their] technique and materials (DVDs, audio CDs, books and computer programs) help children with Language and Reading development. [They] originally developed these materials for [their] daughter with special needs. Maria exceeded [their] expectations by being able to speak, read and understand 250 words at 3 years of age and over 1,000 words at 5 years of age. [They] offer an easily do-able, loving manner of teaching that values the individuality of each child and helps nurture self-esteem.”
Signing Time
870 East 7145 South
Midvale, UT 84047
“[Their] award-winning Signing Time DVDs will help you and your child learn basic
American Sign Language (ASL) vocabulary words. Signing Time truly makes learning sign language easy, entertaining and fun for children of all ages. The format of Signing Time includes an adult (Rachel Coleman, co-creator) to model each sign, supported by footage of Alex and Leah (real kids, cousins in real life, Leah is deaf and Alex can hear, and Leah is Rachel's daughter), as well as footage of children and families demonstrating each sign in the proper context. Two to four thematic songs are sprinkled throughout each volume to help bring together all that you've learned... [e]vidence is also mounting that children with special needs, such as apraxia of speech, autism, or Down syndrome who have difficulty with speech can make great strides in their communication development when Signing Time is part of their regimen. The multi-sensory approach of Signing Time engages visual learners, kinesthetic learners, and auditory learners of all ages and abilities, while making sign language easy and fun.”
TouchMath
5445 Mark Dabling Blvd., Suite 200 Colorado Springs, CO 80918-3850
1-800-888-9191
“TouchMath is a multisensory program that uses its signature TouchPoints to engage students of all abilities and learning styles.”
Zoo Phonics
950 Ferretti Road
Groveland, CA 95321
http://www.zoo-phonics.com/home.html
“The Zoo-phonics Multisensory Language Arts Program is a kinesthetic, multi-modal approach to learning all aspects of language arts, including vocabulary development and articulation, based on phonics and phonemic awareness. The principle of Zoo-phonics maximizes understanding, memory, utilization and transference to all areas of the reading, spelling and writing process in a playful and concrete manner. . . . It is excellent for ELL/Transition/Special Ed students—a total physical response at its best because of the concrete Animal Letters and Body Movements.”
ADOPTION
Reece’s Rainbow Down Syndrome Adoption Ministry
PO Box 4024
Gaithersburg, MD 20885
“The mission of Reece's Rainbow is to rescue orphans with Down syndrome through the gift of adoption, to raise awareness for all of the children who are waiting in 25 countries around the world, and to raise funds as adoption grants that help adoptive families afford the high cost of adopting these beautiful children.”
RECREATION
Special Olympics
1133 19th Street NW
Washington, DC 20036-3604USA
http://www.specialolympics.org/default.aspx
“The mission of Special Olympics is to provide year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, giving them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills and friendship with their families, other Special Olympics athletes and the community.”
ToysRUs Toy Guide for Differently-Abled Kids
1-800-ToysRUs(800-869-7787).
http://www.toysrus.com/shop/index.jsp?categoryId=3261680
“As a company that loves all kids, Toys"R"Us, Inc. has a long history of supporting the special needs community. For nearly two decades, [they] have published the annual Toys"R"Us Toy Guide for Differently-Abled Kids, an easy-to-use resource featuring specially selected toys that encourage play for children with physical, cognitive or developmental disabilities.”
LEGAL
ADA: Americans With Disabilities Act
U.S. Department of Justice
950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Civil Rights Division
Disability Rights Section–NYA
Washington, DC 20530
“Information and Technical Assistance on The Americans With Disabilities Act”
