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Associations For Disabilities

The online public service library and information service, www.lbl2.com, maintains a directory of associations compiled by librarians and information specialists. In early 2011, the list contained 23 associations related to disabilities. These associations are both international and national in scope; they relate to specific types of disabilities or to disabilities in general, some are run by volunteers, and their activities vary, ranging from rehabilitation to research to advocacy.

  1. Information Clearinghouse

    • The National Rehabilitation Information Center (NRIC) is an example of an information clearinghouse association on disability information. It makes the latest disability and rehabilitation-oriented information and research easily accessible to the public. Researchers, consumers and disability leaders use the NRIC for their work and education. The central mission of the center, located in Washington, D.C. --- to collect and disseminate the results of research funded by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) --- has not changed in over 25 years. In 1982, a toll-free call center was added, providing information and referral. In 1989, an electronic bulletin board was added, making access by librarians and researchers more direct. In 1992, the website www.NARIC.com was launched and grew fully interactive within three years. A monthly subscription alert service provides the association's resources to email addressees worldwide.

    Advocacy

    • TASH, located in Washington, D.C., is an example of an association that advocates on behalf of severely disabled individuals worldwide. While the association has gone through several name changes over its history, it has remained devoted to "equity, opportunity and inclusion for people with significant disabilities," as stated on the association website. The association advocates on behalf of the severely disabled. It also provides professional development, legal and policy information and resources to parents, families and individuals, to help those with severe disabilities who are most vulnerable to abuse, neglect or institutionalization.

    Learning Disabilities

    • Learning Disabilities Association of Canada (LDAC) is a voluntary, non-profit organization that began in 1963. The organization's mission is to "be the national voice for persons with learning disabilities and those who support them," according to the association website. LDAC works to help level the playing field for persons with learning disabilities as citizens and employed persons. The association educates the public about the nature of learning disabilities and their effects. Advocacy, health and research are also part of the association's efforts.

    Research

    • FRAXA Research Foundation is an association specifically devoted to finding a cure for the most common inherited cause of mental impairment and the most common known cause of autism: Fragile X. Fragile X is caused when one gene fails to produce a vital protein. The association is optimistic, as of early 2011, that a cure might be found and FRAXA has so far funded $20 million in medical research for a cure. Building on FRAXA-funded research there were pharmaceutical companies working on drugs to reverse the majority of Fragile X symptoms, identified in models based on animal research.

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