ILRHR 4410/6410: Disability Considerations in Policy and Practice: Key Websites

From Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, CODI serves as a community resource for consumers and professionals by providing disability information in a wide variety of areas. It consists of both an Internet Directory of Disability Information and a repository of electronic disability documents, dating back to the early 1990s. Many of the documents on CODI are publicly available nowhere else on the Internet. Areas include education, statistics, government documents, computer access, legal, publications, bibliographic references, aging, assistive technology, universal design and announcements.

"The ILO has a longstanding commitment to promoting social justice and achieving decent work for people with disabilities. It takes a twin-track approach to disability inclusion. One track allows for disability-specific programmes or initiatives aimed at overcoming particular disadvantages or barriers, while the other track seeks to ensure the inclusion of disabled persons in mainstream services and activities, such as skills training, employment promotion, social protection schemes and poverty reduction strategies."

A mailing list those interested in research as it affects disabled people both in the UK and internationally. It provides a forum for the exchange of ideas, information and news. The site provides subscription information, a searchable archive of postings, and a list of subscribed members.

"Disability Rights International is dedicated to promoting the human rights and full participation in society of people with disabilities worldwide."

The Global Applied Disability Research and Information Network is an initiative of the Vocational Rehabilitation Branch of the International Labour Organization. The network brings together research centers, universities, enterprises, government departments, trade unions, and organizations representing disabled persons "for the promotion of research as well as the collection, analysis and international exchange of information.

UN CRPD and Optional Protocol signatures and ratifications and analysis of employment legislation by country

Studies, statements, publications, and resources on the international framework for promoting and enforcing the human rights of persons with disabilities.

Advances policies and practices to enhance opportunities for people with disabilities and ensure their full inclusion in the workplace and in communities. YTI is a leading source of research and information on employment and disability for employers, lawmakers, federal and state agencies, and service providers.

A Canadian foundation focusing on workplace-based reintegration, the NIDMAR focuses on education, training, research and policy development. The NIDMAR site includes information on training programs, products and services, as well as links to other sites. In addition, the site provides a listing of the board of directors, and a calendar of events.

From the Library of Congress, the bibliography includes books, chapters in books, and periodical articles of general interest, most of which have been published since 1997. Each section, where applicable, also includes videos and CD-ROMs. Contact the sources listed for information about the availability of rentals, previews, or purchase. Additional documents such as research publications can be located through indexes such as ERIC, Psychological Abstracts (PsycINFO), and Sociological Abstracts.

The National Center on Workforce and Disability/Adult (NCWD) provides training, technical assistance, policy analysis, and information to improve access for all in the workforce development system.

APSE is the only national organization with an exclusive focus on integrated employment and career advancement opportunities for individuals with disabilities. APSE is a growing national non-profit membership organization, founded in 1988 and is now known as Association of People Supporting EmploymentFirst (APSE).

The Arc is the largest national community-based organization advocating for and serving people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families. We encompass all ages and more than 100 different diagnoses including autism, Down syndrome, Fragile X syndrome, and various other developmental disabilities.

The National Organization on Disability (NOD) is a private, non-profit organization that promotes the full participation and contributions of America’s 57 million people with disabilities in all aspects of life. Today, the National Organization on Disability focuses on increasing employment opportunities for the 80-percent of working-age Americans with disabilities who are not employed.

AAPD is committed to ensuring that all people with disabilities have the right to equal opportunity, to be economically self-sufficient, and to earn and save without jeopardizing access to the services and supports that allow them to live and work independently.

TASH is committed to increasing the employment rate for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and eliminating federally sanctioned sub-minimum wages.

Several U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) agencies assist people with disabilities in seeking meaningful work and succeeding once on the job. DOL also advises employers on effective strategies for recruiting and retaining qualified people with disabilities, as well as educates federal agencies and federal contractors and sub-contractors about their obligations related to affirmative action and nondiscrimination in hiring.

The Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) is the only non-regulatory federal agency that promotes policies and coordinates with employers and all levels of government to increase workplace success for people with disabilities.

EEOC's main page for disability information. The EEOC is responsible for enforcing federal laws that make it illegal to discriminate against a job applicant or an employee because of the person's race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, age (40 or older), disability or genetic information.

The National Institute on Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research provides leadership and support for a comprehensive program of research related to the rehabilitation of individuals with disabilities. All of our programmatic efforts are aimed at improving the lives of individuals with disabilities from birth through adulthood.

This site, provided bythe Job Accommodation Network, contains links to the ADAlaw, technical assistance manuals, accessibility guidelines, and other ADA sites.

From the American Bar Association's Commission on Mental and Physical Disability Law, this site provides referrals to lawyers that practice disability law, commission news, disability law publications and resources, in addition to the Mental and Physical Disability Law Reporter which covers legislation, Supreme Court decisions, and case law developments.

This site provides a comprehensive starting point for disability law. It contains overviews of the law and links to federal and state laws, regulations, and judicial decisions in disability legal issues.

This site is a good starting point for all Federal legal research. Choose "Federal Laws and Regulations by subject category" to look at specific employment and labor laws, regulations, and other documents. Also includes links for Federal judiciary, Legislative Branch, Arbitration and Mediation, General Research and reference. The site provides a large number of links to disability law and legislation as well as links to other disability issues and government programs.

Congressional Research Service (CRS) reports provide Congress with both anticipatory and on-demand research and analysis to support their legislative, oversight, and representational duties. All reports adhere to the core values of CRS; they are authoritative, objective and nonpartisan. Reports range in length from several pages to more than one-hundred pages and cover the full breadth of topics of interest to Congress. This collection provides the public with access to recent research products produced by the CRS. CRS reports are timely, objective, and authoritative research and analysis for committees and Members of both the House and Senate, regardless of political party affiliation.

UN CRPD and Optional Protocol signatures and ratifications and analysis of employment legislation by country

"The Secretariat for the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (SCRPD) falls within the Division for Social Policy and Development (DSPD) of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA). SCRPD/DSPD acts as a Focal Point on Disability issues within the United Nations System."

Studies, statements, publications, and resources on the international framework for promoting and enforcing the human rights of persons with disabilities.

"IDA brings together over 1,100 organisations of persons with disabilities and their families from across eight global and five regional networks."

"The Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund (DREDF), founded in 1979, is a leading national civil rights law and policy center directed by individuals with disabilities and parents who have children with disabilities."

"Disability Rights International is dedicated to promoting the human rights and full participation in society of people with disabilities worldwide."

"The ILO has a longstanding commitment to promoting social justice and achieving decent work for people with disabilities. It takes a twin-track approach to disability inclusion. One track allows for disability-specific programmes or initiatives aimed at overcoming particular disadvantages or barriers, while the other track seeks to ensure the inclusion of disabled persons in mainstream services and activities, such as skills training, employment promotion, social protection schemes and poverty reduction strategies."

Collected by Lainey Feingold, this list also includes web accessibility standards and how they relate to global law.