Nicu’s Spoon
"Founded in early 2001, Nicu’s Spoon is dedicated to producing socially reflective theatre that presents new ideas, challenges stereotypes, and touches the heart in an unexpected way. We celebrate collaboration in developing productions that are pertinent for today’s global, diverse and rapidly changing world. New York City is full of people of different ethnicities and abilities; on the move and unheard. We give voice to those who are very much a part of our world, but whose stories often go untold. We are committed to involving the spectrum of diverse and multi-abled voices in play selection, programs & internships, our artistic, production and volunteer staffs, and in our audience.

We are a leader in working with all colors, ages, genders, abilities and ethnicities in NYC. Each play involves the rainbow we see around us on the streets of NYC. We change the world, one play at a time….

Contact Information:

Within our company we speak American Sign Language, Portuguese, Chinese, Urdu, French, German, Spanish, Romanian, Italian and English. Contact us - we want to hear what you want to say.

For Sales or Special Access needs please call (646) 299-5345.
Relay calls are welcome! (711, TTY, VRS, or Internet)

We are proud to provide ASL interpreting for a great many of our shows and readings. Please contact us via email for more information!"

Self-Advocacy Resource Network Memo
"With its weekly e-mail Memo, SARN is the facilitator of a national dialogue among self-advocates and supporters and a clearinghouse for materials and training that support self-advocacy. Individuals and groups interested in self-advocacy are invited to become a part of the network (at no charge) by contacting ACT."

Person-centered planning Education Site

“What is person-centered planning?
We're glad you asked! Person-centered planning is a process-oriented approach to empowering people with disability labels. It focuses on the people and their needs by putting them in charge of defining the direction for their lives, not on the systems that may or may not be available to serve them. This ultimately leads to greater inclusion as valued members of both community and society.

Person-centered planning involves the development of a "toolbox" of methods and resources that enable people with disability labels to choose their own pathways to success; the planners simply help them to figure out where they want to go and how best to get there.

In this site you will find:

• an overview of the person-centered planning process
• a self-study course covering the basic processes involved
• a quiz section to help you focus on areas you may need to cover more thoroughly
• a compendium of readings and activities for you to use on your own
• various links and downloadable resources.

. . . all of which are geared toward facilitating and enhancing your awareness of and appreciation for person-centered planning. We think you will enjoy your visit with us!

Using a screen-reader program? No problem! This site is completely accessible, and all the study materials found here are available in text-only formats that you can download and peruse at your convenience.”

EDGE
"You are on the EDGE!

Welcome to a web experience specifically made for high school students. You can choose one of the four topics on the left. The course shows you interesting facts and ideas about sciences and humanities that look at men and women and disability.

Each lesson should take less than one hour. We hope you will come back again to visit another lesson. Because this project is part of a demonstration of how disability and gender can be part of school work we also need your feedback."

Mainstream Online
About...
"For over 25 years, MAINSTREAM has been advocating for disability rights. Produced by, for and about people with disabilities, MAINSTREAM covers news & current affairs, new products & technology, profiles of movers & shakers, education, employment, sexuality & relationships, housing, transportation, travel & recreation."

The Dancing Tree

Mission

"The Dancing Tree is an alliance of visual and performing artists that is devoted to making the hidden visible. We seek to facilitate, develop, perform, document and publish the stories of people who have been underrepresented because of disability, incarceration, illness, lifestyle, age or circumstance. Combining movement , rhythm, music, writing, video, animation, photography, drawing and painting, we help to create works that develop body and spatial awareness, encourage self-acceptance, self-expression, and self-advocacy among artists from these unseen communities, and at the same time challenge the public's usual notions of "art."

The Dancing Tree provides forums within which its participants have the freedom to develop and express their own artistic voice as it relates to important issues in their lives. We encourage work that's content challenges accepted notions and stereotypes about persons outside of society's mainstream. Any story is a welcome starting point for a workshop or collaboration.

The Dancing Tree is based in San Francisco, California. We work with the disabled and other marginalized communities both locally and internationally to create and present works of visual and performing art that raise relevant questions as they engage audiences aesthetically.

While promoting the integration of people from all backgrounds and abilities, The Dancing Tree is distinctive for reaching beyond "inclusion" and "mixed ability" models in our workshops and performances to produce works whose power, skill, and sense of unique voice stand on their own merit and shatter any preconceptions that audiences may have about art from the margins.

Founders

Amanda Coslor is dedicated to the creative process and honest expressions of individual's personal life experiences and values. She believes that art is a tool that brings value to voices, images and stories that may not be seen by the mainstream media. She seeks to understand the hidden in our society because she believes that is where truth exists. Bringing hidden voices, movement, and images out into the world deepens our understanding of ourselves. She hopes to earn the trust and share her love with the people she collaborates with.

Todd Herman's work as an educator and artist focuses on the essential humanities and strengths that are preserved even within the most neglected environments. He is interested in listening carefully and encouraging others that through their persistence, courage and belief in their own abilities, they will cultivate a climate for change."

site:

Wrong Planet Net
“WrongPlanet.net is a web community designed for individuals (and parents of those) with Asperger's Syndrome, Autism, ADHD, and other PDDs. We provide a forum, where members can communicate with each other, an article section, where members may read and submit essays or how-to guides about various subjects, and a chatroom for real-time communication with other Aspies.”

Self-Advocacy Leadership Network
"The Self-Advocate Leadership Network, established in 1998, is a collaboration between self-advocate from across the country and the Human Services Research Institute (HSRI). We offer training directly to self-advocates and others - including family members, direct support staff and board members.

The curriculum, "My Voice, My Choice - A Manual for Self-Advocates," provides the basis for much of the training. "My Voice, My Choice" emphasizes basic skills and information related to self-advocacy, how service systems work, and self-determination. The curriculum is designed in a way that makes the information easy to learn and fun. It uses ordinary language, group activities, puzzles, overheads, and more to help people learn and remember the information.

In addition, training on other topics is available using toolkits. These topics include planning and giving a presentation, establishing an AmeriCorps*VISTA project for self-advocates, and using Medicaid to fund trainings for self-advocates. The training is a great resource for family members, board members, direct support staff and others!"

Creativity Explored
"Creativity Explored enables adults with developmental disabilities to express themselves artistically in a way that is personally rewarding and appreciated by others. We work to enrich the community by increasing awareness of the value and diversity of artistic expression.

Creativity Explored is an uncommon place, filled with color, vibrance, and joy. A visit to our two centers reveals over 125 artists working both collaboratively and individually in large, light-filled studios. The floors are splattered with paint, ficus trees arch gracefully toward the high ceilings, and the walls are covered with art of every medium.

Creativity Explored studio artists come from diverse backgrounds and bring with them a wide variety and range of experience, ability, and sensibilities. Some of our artists just turned twenty years old, while others are in their eighties. Some have lived lives of previous isolation or institutionalization, while others have lived their entire lives with their families in a supportive and accepting environment. Many of our studio artists speak different languages, or do not speak, and are unable to communicate with each other using spoken language. At Creativity Explored, visual art is language everyone can use to share culture, experience, and feelings.

At Creativity Explored, uncensored self-expression is both encouraged and celebrated. The result is art that is fresh, exciting, and innovative. We invite you to share our collective experience, to participate in our community, and to benefit from the significant contributions made by artists with disabilities to the cultural life of the broader community. Our common thread is the basic need to express self, and the tapestry we weave using art is a strong, durable community rich in color, form, and context. We invite you to become a part of our community."

ParentAdvocates.org
"Through our website, you can learn your rights as a taxpayer and parent as well as to which programs, monies and more your child may be entitled...and why you may not be able to exercise these rights.

ParentAdvocates.org is an online newsmagazine which seeks to inform and empower parents or guardians of children, taxpayers, and people of all nationalities. We believe that we, as a group, must hold our leaders and elected officials accountable for the actions they take vis-à-vis our children and our lives, and we will tell you what those actions are as well as give you resources so that you may pursue what needs to be done to change the system and make it user friendly. When we see corruption in the workplace, in our government, or in our private lives, we must speak up, and we have the right to do this without retaliation. When our children do not receive a free and appropriate education and are ignored by politicians we need to take action immediately and not depend on others to resolve the issues at hand."

DisAbled Women's Network Canada (DAWN)

DAWN Canada's mission is to end the poverty, isolation, discrimination and violence experienced by women with disabilities. We are working to ensure we get the services and supports we need, have access to opportunities that non-disabled people take for granted, and have freedom of choice in all aspects of our lives.

To achieve our mission on behalf of women with disabilities, we have set the following goals:

• to do outreach with all women with disabilities, including aboriginal women, black women, Asian women, South Asian women, women of color, immigrant women, lesbians, older women, women in institutions and single mothers.
• to address issues such as poverty, employment equity, violence, mothering, sexuality, health, isolation, access to services and New Reproductive Technologies (NRTs).
• to be a resource for and about women with disabilities and our concerns.
• to provide role models for girls with disabilities.
• to be a bridge between women with disabilities and the women's movement.
• to work together with the women's movement on issues which effect all women and to help the movement become more accessible to women with disabilities.
• to work in coalition with those who share our concerns for social justice; and
• to be the voice of women with disabilities in Canada

Whirlwind Wheelchair International
"Whirlwind Wheelchair International works to make it possible for every person in the developing world who needs a wheelchair to obtain one that will lead to maximum personal independence and integration into society. In order to fulfill this mission, WWI seeks to give wheelchair riders a central role in all of its projects and activities.

Program Description
Whirlwind Wheelchair International is a program of the Center for Civic and Community Engagment at San Francisco State University (SFSU). Founded in 1989 as the Wheeled Mobility Center by SFSU Engineering professor Peter Pfaelzer and paraplegic engineer and wheelchair designer Ralf Hotchkiss, Whirlwind grew out of Hotchkiss's work since 1980, traveling the globe designing wheelchairs that could be built in developing countries from locally available materials.

Whirlwind technology has been taken to 45 countries. Hotchkiss's pioneering work has led to many innovations that are integral to wheelchair models produced by many workshops and NGOs around the world. All of WWI’s designs are placed in the public domain in order not to add to the cost of village wheelchair shops using these designs.

From its inception, Whirlwind mostly concentrated its efforts on establishing small shop production in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. In 1998, Whirlwind formed a partnership with Physicians Against Land Mines (now Center for International Rehabilitation) in Chicago and later developed a plan to get wheelchairs to Afghanistan. The newest Whirlwind, the RoughRider^tm, is now being made at the Worth Trust factory in Vellore, India, at the Kien Tuong Factory in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), at the Corporacion Regional de Rehabilitacion del Valle in Cali, Colombia."

The World Institute on Disability (WID)

"The World Institute on Disability is an internationally recognized public policy center organized by and for people with disabilities. It works to strengthen the disability movement through research, training, advocacy and public education to help people with disabilities throughout the world enjoy increased opportunities to live independently.

Founded in 1983 by leaders of the Independent Living Movement, WID's work focuses on issues and problems that directly affect people’s ability to live full and independent lives. WID’s programs address employment, economic development and financial stability issues; conduct research and policy analysis on personal assistance services, accessible health care, technology and other topics; and provide assistance to non governmental organizations (NGOs) and disabled leaders in developing countries.

A majority of the Board and staff are persons with disabilities."

ASSIST! to Independence
"The mission of ASSIST! to Independence is to provide culturally relevant services to a cross-disability American Indian consumer population. Each of our programs emphasize a common goal of enhancing quality of life and community life through maximizing independence and improving functional skills. These services are provided in an environment that promotes active consumer and family participation in self-determination and equal opportunities.

ASSIST! to Independence is a community based, American Indian owned and operated non-profit agency that was established by and for people with disabilities and chronic health conditions to help fill some of the gaps in service delivery. The agency serves as a consumer driven community action program to facilitate general awareness of disability related issues, community access, education, information sharing, assistive technology access, advocacy, and independent living that is culturally appropriate for American Indians. This is done through a comprehensive collaborative network which provides support and resources that promote the active participation of each individual in their self-care management. Program staff work to provide the tools necessary for individuals to make informed choices and decisions; to maintain a maximum level of independent living; to achieve equality of opportunity, inclusion and integration in the community and society; and for economic and social self-sufficiency.

ASSIST! currently serves as the umbrella organization for five major programs:
The Regional Resource Center for Assistive Technology
The Center for Independent Living
The Special Needs Toy Lending Library
The Functional Assessment Clinic
The Sensory Integration Program

We are located on the western edge of the Navajo Reservation in Tuba City, Arizona. Our program provides services primarily to the Navajo, Hopi, and Southern Paiute Reservations; however, anyone needing information or assistance in the northern part of the state is welcome to request services."

The National Center on Physical Activity and Disability (NCPAD)
"NCPAD is an information center concerned with physical activity and disability. Being physically active is good for every body. That's a message you will find many times on this site. Being active is an important part of getting and staying healthy. One 'must read' item on this website is our monograph on Can Disability, Chronic Conditions, Health and Wellness Coexist? in which author June Kailles discusses the common confusion people have about the relationship between having a disability and being healthy. Once you realize that EVERY BODY needs some activity to get and remain healthy, you will find we have a great many resources to help you find how YOU can participate. We have information and resources for EVERYONE, from guidelines to consider before starting any kind of exercise program to factsheets on many popular activites, games, recreational pursuits, and sports that have been adapted to allow people with disabilities to participate as fully as they wish, become as active as they wish."

Ouch... It's a disability thing

What is Ouch?

"Ouch is a website from the BBC that reflects the lives and experiences of disabled people. It has regular columns, features, quizzes, a monthly near-cult podcast, a blog or two and a community messageboard amongst other stuff. All contributors, well, 99% of them, are disabled - and Ouch's editorial team is rather wonky and deserve big fat special diversity badges too.

But disability is really dull... I'm off.

Um, ssshhhh, secretly we agree with you. Disability can be a bit dull on mainstream TV and in mainstream publications cos they often seize on the wrong things as being important or interesting. For instance, here at Ouch if we hear about yet another blind person about to break the so-called "blind land speed record" we'll vom chunks. Why is that inspirational, again? We don't get it.

Often media doesn't report how rich and varied the lives of us disableds are, and so, here we are, putting our necks on the line for BBC bosses telling them that you lot are more fascinating than just a DSS form, a ramp or a massive drugs prescription list. Don't let us down readers - or we'll look like utter spazmos.

Some of this stuff is quite funny - can I laugh?

You complete sicko. Why should you want to laugh at the plight of the disabled? I've just asked round the office and everyone is now Googling you, and will probably send you some dog poo in the mail. There is NOTHING funny about being disabled we can assure you. Actually, we have just taken a vote and are going to use your name as a swear word from now on.

Disabled people are uniquely placed to see some of the stupidest things around, though. Maybe we'll go that far.

Why is the site called Ouch?

Oooh, good question. We spent literally months trying to come up with a name that wasn't too patronising (bbc.co.uk/smile_through_the_tears) or too suggestive of hideous '90s positivity (bbc.co.uk/Able2Jump2TheSky).

The site's editor Damon Rose came up with the name Ouch! one morning in the shower. He says: "There's an Ouch moment when you become disabled or give birth to a disabled child. There's an Ouch moment when someone gets into the lift, catches the eye of a disabled person then quickly looks away. There are many Ouch moments when people just see disability as a problem and push it to one side because they're too scared or embarrassed to embrace it or tackle it. Without appearing too negative, we're all aware that disability can be the big elephant in the room that no one talks about - Ouch!"

If the World had Wheels
"I'm a clinical psychology doctoral student who blogs about the ups and downs of life as seen through my O.I. eyes."

Disability Culture Watch
by Simi Linton
A disability-focused commentary on the arts

"I am on the watch:
* reporting on what disabled artists of all stripes are doing;
* calling attention to the all-too-common misrepresentations of disability;
* lauding the smart depictions and revealing characterizations that are beginning to pop up - even in mainstream media.
Disabled artists are at work in every medium - in film, theater, TV, dance, music, multimedia and the fine arts. When those artists have the desire and artistic freedom to explore disability in creative and far-reaching ways, Disability Culture Watch will chronicle their work.
There is an emerging cadre of dancers, actors, writers, performance artists, and painters who are actively engaging with both the fact and idea of disability. The most exciting work explores what disability provides the artist, rather than what feats someone can perform despite disability. When disabled artists use their unique bodies and voices, something innovative happens. My job is to follow these turns and twists on the cultural map, selectively reporting and critiquing this vital phenomena."

film: Focus Film Festival

FOCUS Film Festival

MISSION AND OBJECTIVE
“FOCUS Film Festival (hereafter the Festival) explores documentary and feature films which “focus” on and examine the complexity of the human experience: relationships, aging, disability, culture, lifestyle, and more. Our objective is to enlighten and inspire our community by featuring quality films which offer insight into the lives of people from all walks of life. By showing a broad range of human experience, we believe we are closing the gap in perception, proving we are more alike than we are different.”

The Icarus Project
Their mission:
"The Icarus Project envisions a new culture and language that resonates with our actual experiences of 'mental illness' rather than trying to fit our lives into a conventional framework. We are a network of people living with experiences that are commonly labeled as bipolar or other psychiatric conditions. We believe we have mad gifts to be cultivated and taken care of, rather than diseases or disorders to be suppressed or eliminated. By joining together as individuals and as a community, the intertwined threads of madness and creativity can inspire hope and transformation in an oppressive and damaged world. Our participation in The Icarus Project helps us overcome alienation and tap into the true potential that lies between brilliance and madness."