Services for the disabled
Encyclopedia
Services and supports for people with disabilities are those government or other institutional services and supports specifically provided to enable people who have disabilities to fully participate in society and community life. Some such services and supports are mandated or required by law, some are assisted by technologies that have made it easier to provide the service or support, and others are commercially available not only to persons with disabilities, but to everyone who might make use of them.
self-care,comprehension and language, skills (receptive and expressive language), learning, mobility, self-direction, capacity for independent living, economic self-sufficiency, or ability to function independently without coordinated services (continuous need for individually planned and coordinated services). Persons with developmental disabilities use individually planned and coordinated services and supports of their choosing (e.g., housing, employment, education, civil and human rights protection, health care) to live in and to participate in activities in the community." These services and supports are different in every state and there is currently no portability for many of these services state to state.
The mission of The Administration on Developmental Disabilities (ADD), as quoted from their website "ensures that individuals with developmental disabilities and their families participate in the design of and have access to culturally-competent needed community services, individualized supports, and other forms of assistance that promote self-determination, independence, productivity, and integration and inclusion in all facets of community life." Though many supports and services for people with developmental disabilities are offered through other federal and state agencies as well as nonprofit organizations and for profit endeavors, some of ADD Programs/Partners are:
•State Councils on Developmental Disabilities
•State Protection and Advocacy Systems
•National Network of University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities Education, Research, and Services
◦Minority Partnership
◦National Training Initiatives
•Projects of National Significance
◦Emergency Preparedness Special Initiatives
◦Family Support 360
◦Family Support and Community Access Demonstration Projects
◦Independent Evaluation Information
◦Medicaid Reference Desk
◦National Autism Resource and Information Center
◦State of the States in Developmental Disabilities
◦Access to Integrated Employment
◦The National Residential Information System Project (RISP)
◦Voting Project
◦Youth Information, Training and Resource Center.
was a landmark U.S. federal government move towards providing services for the persons with disabilities in a uniform way all across the country. That legislation has been widely copied in other countries.
Services for people with developmental disabilities
Developmental disabilities, as defined by the Agency for Developmental Disabilities website, are "severe, life-long disabilities attributable to mental and/or physical impairments which manifest themselves before the age of 22 years and are likely to continue indefinitely. They result in substantial limitations in three or more of the following areas:self-care,comprehension and language, skills (receptive and expressive language), learning, mobility, self-direction, capacity for independent living, economic self-sufficiency, or ability to function independently without coordinated services (continuous need for individually planned and coordinated services). Persons with developmental disabilities use individually planned and coordinated services and supports of their choosing (e.g., housing, employment, education, civil and human rights protection, health care) to live in and to participate in activities in the community." These services and supports are different in every state and there is currently no portability for many of these services state to state.
The mission of The Administration on Developmental Disabilities (ADD), as quoted from their website "ensures that individuals with developmental disabilities and their families participate in the design of and have access to culturally-competent needed community services, individualized supports, and other forms of assistance that promote self-determination, independence, productivity, and integration and inclusion in all facets of community life." Though many supports and services for people with developmental disabilities are offered through other federal and state agencies as well as nonprofit organizations and for profit endeavors, some of ADD Programs/Partners are:
•State Councils on Developmental Disabilities
•State Protection and Advocacy Systems
•National Network of University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities Education, Research, and Services
◦Minority Partnership
◦National Training Initiatives
•Projects of National Significance
◦Emergency Preparedness Special Initiatives
◦Family Support 360
◦Family Support and Community Access Demonstration Projects
◦Independent Evaluation Information
◦Medicaid Reference Desk
◦National Autism Resource and Information Center
◦State of the States in Developmental Disabilities
◦Access to Integrated Employment
◦The National Residential Information System Project (RISP)
◦Voting Project
◦Youth Information, Training and Resource Center.
Services for the blind
- Guide dogGuide dogGuide dogs are assistance dogs trained to lead blind and visually impaired people around obstacles.Although the dogs can be trained to navigate various obstacles, they are partially color blind and are not capable of interpreting street signs...
s being admitted to buildings, buses, trains and other locations that pets are not allowed. - Reserving the use of a white caneWhite caneA white cane is used by many people who are blind or visually impaired, both as a mobility tool and as a courtesy to others. Not all modern white canes are designed to fulfill the same primary function, however: There are at least five varieties of this tool, each serving a slightly different...
to blindBlindnessBlindness is the condition of lacking visual perception due to physiological or neurological factors.Various scales have been developed to describe the extent of vision loss and define blindness...
individuals only. - Using mobile phone cameras to take pictures of change after a transaction, so that it can be counted by a sighted person who verifies by tone or voice that the change is correct.
- Translation of new works into brailleBrailleThe Braille system is a method that is widely used by blind people to read and write, and was the first digital form of writing.Braille was devised in 1825 by Louis Braille, a blind Frenchman. Each Braille character, or cell, is made up of six dot positions, arranged in a rectangle containing two...
or talking books, or the use of text-to-speech translators. - Availability of these in a public libraryPublic libraryA public library is a library that is accessible by the public and is generally funded from public sources and operated by civil servants. There are five fundamental characteristics shared by public libraries...
and other public institutions, and in a boot imageBoot imageA boot image is a type of disk image . When it is transferred onto a boot device it allows the associated hardware to boot....
configured for use for a disabled person.
Services for the visually impaired
- Large fontLarge fontLarge-print describes a type of book or other published material in which the typeface , and sometimes the medium, are considerably larger than usual, to accommodate people who have poor vision...
books - Basic operating systemOperating systemAn operating system is a set of programs that manage computer hardware resources and provide common services for application software. The operating system is the most important type of system software in a computer system...
and boot imageBoot imageA boot image is a type of disk image . When it is transferred onto a boot device it allows the associated hardware to boot....
configuration utilities that set computers up with large bold fonts and high-contrast colour combination desktop schemes.
Services for the hearing-impaired
- Admission of hearing aidHearing aidA hearing aid is an electroacoustic device which typically fits in or behind the wearer's ear, and is designed to amplify and modulate sound for the wearer. Earlier devices, known as "ear trumpets" or "ear horns", were passive funnel-like amplification cones designed to gather sound energy and...
s to locations where recording and transmitting devices are not normally permitted. - TTYTTYTTY may stand for:* Teleprinter or Teletypewriter or Teletype Printer, a typewriter paired with an electronic communication channel, used for telecommunications or as a computer terminal....
terminals for telephones. - Video Relay ServiceVideo Relay ServiceA Video Relay Service , also sometimes known as a Video Interpreting Service, is a videotelecommunication service that allows deaf, hard-of-hearing and speech-impaired individuals to communicate over video telephones and similar technologies with hearing people in real-time, via a sign language...
s - Closed captioning on televisionTelevisionTelevision is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
. - Sign language interpreting
- Oral transliteration
Services for the mobility-impaired
The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990
The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 is a law that was enacted by the U.S. Congress in 1990. It was signed into law on July 26, 1990, by President George H. W. Bush, and later amended with changes effective January 1, 2009....
was a landmark U.S. federal government move towards providing services for the persons with disabilities in a uniform way all across the country. That legislation has been widely copied in other countries.
Accessing services for persons with disabilities
In the United States, services for persons with disabilities varies by state and sometimes by location within a state. While Medicaid and Social Security income, both SSI and SSDI, are federally mandated, each state is responsible for administering these programs in their state, as part of their services and supports for persons with disabilities. Each state designs its service delivery system differently and as a result, the portals for entry vary for each state. Some states administer services through a state government agency with subordinate offices throughout the state. Some states contract services out (privatize) and maintain a skeleton state government staff. Being a good advocate or self advocate is necessary to maximize services and supports.See also
- developmental disabilities
- personal first language
- accessing services for persons with disabilities
- MedicaidMedicaidMedicaid is the United States health program for certain people and families with low incomes and resources. It is a means-tested program that is jointly funded by the state and federal governments, and is managed by the states. People served by Medicaid are U.S. citizens or legal permanent...
- SSI
- SSDI
- assistive device
- Matching Person & Technology ModelMatching Person & Technology ModelThe Matching Person & Technology Model organizes influences on the successful use of a variety of technologies: Assistive Technology, Educational Technology, and those used in the workplace, school, home; for healthcare, for mobility and performing daily activities...