Resources

The Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities houses the Mayor’s Commission on People with Disabilities and the Office of ADA Compliance. Both offices work to make Philadelphia a better place for people with disabilities. Together these offices help ensure that people with disabilities have equal access to employment opportunities; accessible and affordable housing; elementary and secondary education; health care; recreation, arts and, culture; and government services and buildings. Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities City Hall, Room 260 D Philadelphia, PA 19107 215-686-2798

A center that provides courses, programs, services, and partnerships for those families with children with special needs. email: LADDER@lasalle.edu

The Kinney Center works to educate and train the autism professionals of tomorrow and support and serve individuals and families affected by autism. They provide a resource center for information, peer mentoring and social skills programs. Kinney Center for Autism Education and Support 5600 City Avenue Philadelphia, PA 19131 610-660-2170 email: kinneyautism@sju.edu

Help community members in need by offering a comprehensive array of social services that educate, encourage, and empower individuals. Keystone Opportunity Center 104 Main Street PO Box 64183 Souderton, PA 18964 215-723-5420

Intercultural Family Services has a broad array of culturally competent, collaborative and family-centered programs. They offer language interpretation and pronunciation services to bridge linguistic and cultural gaps. They also provide outpatient mental health services to handle difficult behaviors. They can provide individual and family counseling, day treatment for delinquent youth, help with housing, and information and referrals for community services, including English as a second language classes. In order to receive services, you must be Medicaid eligible; or have other insurance which covers behavioral health services; or possess the ability to pay a fee for service. Intercultural Family Services, Inc. 4225 Chestnut Street Philadelphia, PA 19104 215-386-1298 email: ifsi@ifsinc.org

The Individual Support Plan (ISP) provides details about what is most important to an individual with intellectual disabilities so that everyone involved in supporting that individual can focus on those areas. Developed through a Person-Centered Planning Process (PCP), the ISP collects information concerning personal preferences, dreams and wishes, medical history/current medical concerns, and communication preferences.

This PDF book helps providers teach direct staff workers the importance of relationships and building community connections. It is also a great resource for families to help their relatives with intellectual disabilities and has useful activities and resources for everyone.

The FRA assists individuals of all ages who have developmental delays or disabilities as well as acquired disabilities. They offer home-based early intervention for infants, therapeutic recreation programs, prevocational and educational classes for adults, along with family and sibling support groups. Family Resource Associates 210 Newman Springs Road East Red Bank, NJ 07701 732-747-5310 email: info@frainc.org

The EFEPA offers education, support, and advocacy in hopes to end epilepsy and overcome challenges families face from seizures. They offer free services and programs in order to improve the life of those affected. Key programs include but are not limited to Community Education & Outreach, Epilepsy Educational Conferences & Workshops, Seizure Trainings and Recognition Programs, Legal & Medical Referrals, Children & Family Services, Adult Resource Services, Young Adult Initiative and Camp Achieve. Epilepsy Foundation – Eastern Pennsylvania (EFEPA) 919 Walnut Street, Suite 700 Philadelphia, PA 19107 215-629-5003 email: efepa@efepa.org

DCDSIG strives to promote professional and public awareness and encourage inclusion for those with Down syndrome. They provide support to parents, opportunities for social interaction, and community education. They aid and challenge families to evaluate and re-think new ideas, information and technology and how those could help or affect their child with Down syndrome. They hold monthly meetings and a wide range of social events to allow people to make connections and have some family fun. Delaware County Down Syndrome Interest Group (DCDSIG) POBox 5066 Springfield, PA 19064 610-544-4025 email: welcome@delcodsig.org