Grants for Handicap Accessibility

In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, the United States government provides grants to help create an accessible society for all citizens. These grants can take a number of forms, including housing vouchers and special funds set aside to make educational materials accessible to all students. Many grants are designed primarily to help low-income individuals with disabilities, although others have a wider mandate.

Department of Housing and Urban Development Vouchers for People with Disabilities

• HUD vouchers help people with disabilities find appropriate housing.

  The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) provides housing for families where one or more individual has a disability. These include mainstream vouchers, which "enable families that have a person with disabilities to lease affordable housing of their choice," certain development vouchers, for non-elderly families with a disabled person in locations where affordable housing is designated primarily for elderly residents, and project access vouchers, which provide "housing assistance to non-elderly disabled persons transitioning from nursing homes into the community." All programs are limited to families with low incomes. Qualifying families may participate in other HUD voucher programs, such as tenant-based vouchers and home ownership vouchers. Voucher amounts cannot exceed more than 30 percent of the family income amount. Voucher applications should be made through a local Public Housing Authority.

  U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
  451 7th Street S.W.
  Washington, DC 20410
  202-708-1112
  hud.gov

Transportation for Elderly Persons and Persons with Disabilities

• Access to transportation can greatly reduce the limitations of a disability.

  Since 1975, the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has provided funds "for the purpose of assisting private nonprofit groups in meeting the transportation needs of the elderly and persons with disabilities when the transportation service provided is unavailable, insufficient, or inappropriate to meeting these needs." These funds are administered to state governments based on the size of the state populations that need services. States may then allocate those funds to nonprofit organizations. Total funds apportioned in 2009 were $135 million. Organizations should contact their state governments about receiving funds.

  U.S. Department of Transportation
  Federal Transit Administration
  East Building
  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC 20590
  202-366-4043
  fta.dot.gov

Technology and Media Services for Individuals with Disabilities

• The Department of Education works to ensure that academic materials are accessible to all students.

  The Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services (OSERS) offers programs that improve results for children with disabilities by increasing access to technology or providing "captioning and video description of educational materials that are appropriate for use in the classroom setting." The program is especially concerned with educational accessibility for students who are blind or have print disabilities. Applicants to the program must provide a program model, a plan for project evaluation and an itemized budget. The total requested allocation for the program in 2010 was approximately $30 million. No single application could submit a budget of over $1 million. Funds are allocated at the discretion of the OSERS.

  Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services
  U.S. Department of Education
  400 Maryland Ave., S.W.
  Washington, DC 20202-7100
  202-245-7468
  ed.gov