Suggested Websites
Advocacy and Disability
Americans With Disabilities Act
Contains the Americans With Disabilities Act Of 1990, as amended.
The mission of Disability is Natural is to encourage new ways of thinking about developmental disabilities, in the belief that our attitudes drive our actions, and changes in our attitudes and actions can help create a society where all children and adults with developmental disabilities have opportunities to live the lives of their dreams, included in all areas of life.
Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities
The Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities is a federally funded, independent state agency that serves as a leading catalyst for systems change for individuals and families living with developmental disabilities.
Photographs and bios of all 236 legislators.
Georgia Government Transparency and Campaign Finance Commission
See campaign disclosure, lobbyist disclosure reports, and lawmakers’ personal finance disclosures.
Making a Difference is a quarterly magazine published by the Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities (GCDD). Each quarter, GCDD uses Making a Difference to advocate and educate various audiences about critical issues affecting people with developmental disabilities, as well promote activities and create opportunities for people with developmental disabilities to exercise their right to live, learn, work, play, and worship in Georgia communities.
Secretary of State poll locator service
Learn your House and Senate districts and who represents you.
It’s sports and so much more. Every day, around the world, Special Olympics is making champions.
GAO has a vision of a Georgia where all people have value, visibility and voice; where even the most difficult and long-lasting challenges are addressed by ordinary citizens acting voluntarily on behalf of each other.
Aphasia (Communication)
The National Aphasia Association (NAA) is a nonprofit organization that promotes public education, research, rehabilitation and support services to assist people with aphasia and their families.
Books and Videos
Though he appears normal, Rick Franklin’s brain injury has made his life anything but. Teaming up with veteran documentary maker and friend Lyell Davies, Rick explores the impact that brain injury has had on himself and other survivors. As they visit with brain injury survivors, invisible aspects of this disability become more clear; we see the wide range of deficits that survivors must face, both physically and mentally, and learn how no two brain injuries are alike. We also hear how survivors learn to deal with life after a brain injury by means of personal, medical, and even political strategies.
Information about Dr. Taylor and her book, My Stroke of Insight.
Lash & Associates Publishing/Training Inc.
Provides practical, informative, affordable material on brain injury in children, youth, adults, and veterans. Offers a blog on brain injury and lots of free articles and information.
Public Health Grand Rounds is a series of satellite broadcasts and webcasts presenting real-world case studies on public health issues. Its purpose is to promote a leadership-level, professional dialogue on emerging, news-breaking issues of strategic significance.
Successfully Surviving a Brain Injury: A Family Guidebook
Dedicated to improving the lives of brain injury survivors and their families.
Educating Yourself about Brain Injury
What should you know about brain injury and recovery? Watch a series of incredible videos produced by the Shepherd Center. They feature some of the nation’s top physicians, neuroscientists, and brain injury experts to help you understand brain injury and gives you practical advice for coping with brain Injury.
BrainLine is a national multimedia project offering information and resources about preventing, treating, and living with a brain injury. It includes a series of webcasts, electronic newsletters, and an extensive outreach campaign in partnership with national organizations concerned about brain injury. There are a number of life-changing iPhone and iPad apps for people with brain injury covered on the website (note some are free, some have a fee).
Heads Up: Brain Injury In Your Practice
Do you have a physician who needs to learn about brain injury? You can order the toolkit on this site, or download it for free. It includes a Facts for Physicians booklet with information on brain injury, an information sheet to help guide a patient’s recovery, fact sheets on brain injury; etc.
Help Seniors Live Better, Longer: Prevent Brain Injury
CDC initiative to raise awareness among children and other caregivers of older adults about ways to prevent, recognize, and respond to TBI in adults 75 and older.
Traumatic Brain Injury Survival Guide
Provides a variety of information on brain injury.
Employment
Americans With Disabilities Act
Contains the Americans With Disabilities Act Of 1990, as amended.
Benefits Navigator Program by the Shepherd Center
This website provides both information and links to many other good websites dealing with brain injury and working.
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
For information about the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA).
Employment for the disabled.
Social Security Administration’s Work Site
Information about working while on Social Security.
Enhancing and Exercising Your Brain
Innovative and effective brain fitness software focuses on brain exercises that work. MindSparke ensures that your brain training efforts translate into cognitive training gains.
Posit Science Brain Training Software
Posit Science helps people be at their best throughout their lives by providing brain training software clinically proven to improve cognitive performance.
For Caregivers
American Association of Retired Persons (AARP)
A nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that helps people 50 and over improve the quality of their lives.
Free personalized websites that support and connect loved ones during critical illness, treatment, and recovery.
Friends of Disabled Adults and Children
FODAC provides refurbished equipment and services for disabled adults and children to improve their overall quality of life.
The Well Spouse™ Association advocates for and addresses the needs of individuals caring for a chronically ill and/or disabled spouse/partner.
General Information
Brain Injury Association of America
Has information about brain injury statistics and prevention as services for persons who have a brain injury, and how to contact the Brain Injury Association in each state.
Has a lot of information on brain injury, as well as numerous links to other informative websites.
BrainLine is a national multimedia project offering information and resources about preventing, treating, and living with TBI. BrainLine includes a series of webcasts, an electronic newsletter, and an extensive outreach campaign in partnership with national organizations concerned about traumatic brain injury.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
CDC Injury and Violence Prevention and Control
CDC Injury Prevention & Control: Traumatic Brain Injury
These CDC websites have a wide variety of information about prevention of mild traumatic brain injury, and information and statistics about brain injury.
disABILITY LINK is a grassroots organization with goals, decisions and control of services led by people with disabilities. It is designed to increase independence, access, and equal rights for everyone through the empowerment of people with disabilities. disABILITY LINK is committed to promoting the rights of all people with disabilities. As a Center for Independent Living (CIL) disABILITY LINK offers four core services: information and referrals, Independent Living skills training, advocacy on a systems and individual level, and peer support. They also offer employment services, Independent Care Waiver Program service coordination, nursing home transition, and travel training.
Georgia Brain & Spinal Injury Trust Fund Commission
Provides funding for persons with traumatic brain injury (brain injury due to external trauma only, illness not eligible) and spinal cord injury. Funding available for treatment, equipment, modifications, services not covered by insurance. Funding is a last resort option. Contact immediately — application processing may take several months.
Georgia’s Aging and Disability Resource Connection (ADRC)
(800) 676-2433
Atlanta Regional Commission
(404) 463-4545
A coordinated system of partnering organizations that are dedicated to:
- Providing accurate information about publicly and privately financed long-term support and services
- Offering a consumer-oriented approach to learning about the availability of services in the home and community
- Supporting individuals and family members who are aging or living with a disability
Health Resources and Services Administration
The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is the primary Federal agency for improving access to health care services for people who are uninsured, isolated or medically vulnerable.
National Center for Medical Rehabilitation Research (NCMRR)
The NCMRR aims to foster development of scientific knowledge needed to enhance the health, productivity, independence, and quality of life of people with disabilities. A primary goal of Center-supported research is to bring the health related problems of people with disabilities to the attention of the best scientists in order to capitalize upon the myriad advances occurring in the biological, behavioral, and engineering sciences.
National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research
The National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) provides leadership and support for a comprehensive program of research related to the rehabilitation of individuals with disabilities. All of their programmatic efforts are aimed at improving the lives of individuals with disabilities from birth through adulthood.
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)
The mission of NINDS is to reduce the burden of neurological disease — a burden borne by every age group, by every segment of society, by people all over the world.
North American Brain Injury Society
NABIS is a society comprised of professional members involved in the care or issues surrounding brain injury. The principal mission of the organization is moving brain injury science into practice. Whether it is in the area of clinical care, research, policy or litigation, the organization stands behind the premise that advances in science and practices based on application of the scientific evidence will ultimately provide the best outcomes for those with brain injuries and the community as a whole.
Social Security Administration
SSA delivers services through a nationwide network of over 1,400 offices that include regional offices, field offices, card centers, teleservice centers, processing centers, hearing offices, the Appeals Council, and State and territorial partners, the Disability Determination Services. They also have a presence in U.S. embassies around the globe. For the public, they are the “face of the government.”
Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Resources
This excellent website is devoted to providing helpful information, tools, and resources for brain injury survivors, families, friends, and caregivers.
Help with Food
COMPASS: Common Point of Access to Social Services
COMPASS is a quick and easy way for people in Georgia to get answers to questions about health and human services, including food stamps.
The Georgia Food Stamp program provides monthly benefits to low-income households to help pay for the cost of food.
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
Putting healthy food on the table for more than 46 million people each month. SNAP helps people with low incomes and resources buy the food they need.
Housing Options & Home Modifications
Home modifications and renovations for individuals with physical challenges and disabilities. Has just about every product imaginable to overcome some of the challenges to disability.
Assisted Living is a community organization that prioritizes helping those who are disabled and the elderly fully enjoy their healthy years and age gracefully. The organization creates and publishes comprehensive, unbiased, free web-based resources. They have been featured on the Parkinson’s Foundation, US Department of Health and Human Services — Health Finder, Global Healthspan Policy Institute, and are referenced by many governmental agencies and organizations across the web.
Housing & Mortgages for People with Disabilities
This guide has been created to help individuals living with disabilities, and their family members, in the process of buying a home of their own. Here you can learn more about the five important steps in buying a home and about financial assistance programs that are available for people living with disabilities, who want to buy a home.
Medical Information
American Association of Neurological Surgeons
The American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) is the organization that speaks for all of neurosurgery. The AANS is dedicated to advancing the specialty of neurological surgery in order to promote the highest quality of patient care. Contains information about sports-related and head injuries.
Military and Veterans
An interesting and informative article from Discover Magazine regarding what sort of future brain-injured Iraq veterans face.
Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center
The mission of the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center (DVBIC) is to serve active duty military, their beneficiaries, and veterans with traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) through state-of-the-art clinical care, innovative clinical research initiatives and educational programs.
Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America
Join the veterans-only online community to connect with people “who know where you’re coming from.” Share your experiences, and help others make the transition to civilian life. Stronger together.
Housing and Mortgages for Veterans
This guide will help veterans and active military to understand the benefits of, types of, and eligibility requirements for VA Loans.
An online tool for wounded, ill, and injured Service Members, Veterans, their families, and those who support them. The NRD provides access to more than 11,000 services and resources at the national, state, and local levels that support recovery, rehabilitation, and community reintegration.
The SHARE Initiative at Shepherd Center
Provides rehabilitation and community-based care to U.S. military service members who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Prescriptions
The Partnership for Prescription Assistance
Helps qualifying patients without prescription drug coverage get the medicines they need through the program that is right for them. Many will get their medications free or nearly free.
Rehabilitation Hospitals and Facilities
Centerpointe Research Institute
Contains fascinating and informative articles about Holosync® technology and how it can create super-deep meditation, increase your happiness and peace of mind, and dramatically accelerate your personal growth.
Providers for mental health and chemical dependency.
Roosevelt Warm Springs Institute
A comprehensive rehabilitation center dedicated to service, technological advancement, program diversity, research opportunities, continuing education and future development on behalf of persons with disabilities.
Shepherd Center is one of the nation’s leading rehabilitation hospitals. They specialize in the treatment of people with spinal cord injuries, acquired brain injuries, multiple sclerosis, chronic pain, and other neurological conditions. This website is full of information about their programs and the services which they offer. They also have numerous resources offered on their website.
Stories from Survivors of Brain Injury
The book and podcast of Derek McLean, who suffered a stroke due to alcohol addiction.
Craig Phillips is a brain injury survivor as well as a Master’s level Rehabilitation Counselor. At the age of 10 he sustained an open skull fracture and brain stem impaction. He had to teach himself how to walk, talk, read, write, and speak in complete sentences. He then went on to obtain his undergraduate and graduate degrees. His blog presents topics that motivate, encourage, and empower the reader.
Tools (Assistive Technology)
Computers and Software Helping the Disabled
Since the advent of computers, disabled people have been provided with new, exciting opportunities to connect, share, and work. In some cases, technologies have been developed and perfected to provide the disabled with an easier lifestyle. In others, technologies that have become available to the general public, such as the Internet, are not as accessible as one may hope. However, many computers and programs have and will continue to help blind, deaf, and physically disabled people.This is a wonderful website with many apps and other software to aid those with disabilities, including those with brain injuries.
Georgia’s Assistive Technology Act Program gives more options for greater freedom by increasing access to and acquisition of assistive technology (AT) devices and services for Georgians of all ages and disabilities so they can live, learn, work, and play independently in communities of their choice.
Transportation
MARTA provides ADA Complementary Paratransit Service to eligible persons with disabilities who are unable to board, ride, or disembark from an accessible vehicle in MARTA’s regular bus or rail services.
View MARTA bus schedules.
View MARTA rail schedules.
MobilityWorks, formerly HDS Vans & Mobility
We are the premier provider in the southeast of wheelchair accessible vans, scooter lifts, turning automotive seats, and hand controls. Let us share our 35 years of experience to help you with your mobility needs.
Van Modifications
MobilityWorks, formerly HDS Vans & Mobility
They are the premier provider in the southeast of wheelchair accessible vans, scooter lifts, turning automotive seats, and hand controls. Let them share their 35 years of experience to help you with your mobility needs.