MICHIGAN DISABILITY RESOURCES
Michigan Agencies, Associations, and Organizations - This comprehensive, annual, statewide disability listing is located in the Michigan Directory of Service Providers for Infants, Toddlers, and Students with Disabilities, section 23-26. The entire directory or selected sections can be downloaded from the home page of the web site, www.cenmi.org, the web site for The Center for Educational Networking (CEN). The Directory logo is located in the lower land hand corner. After clicking that logo, scroll down to sections 23-26, which will contain detailed information about disability agencies, associations, and organizations in Michigan as of April 10, 2007. Contact Ms. Teri Bullock at 1-800-593-9146 x4 for further assistance.
Michigan Commission on Disability Concerns (MCDC) - MCDC includes the Division on Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DODHH). It responds to and advocates on behalf of Michigan's 1.9 million people with disabilities. This is done through information and technical assistance, disability rights training, working with the Michigan Business Leaders Network on employment for people with disabilities, coordinating the Michigan Youth Leadership Forum and conducting disability awareness and sensitivity training. The Division on Deaf and Hard of Hearing deals with issues involving Michigan citizens who are deaf or hard of hearing. MCDC's mission is to provide statewide leadership to empower and integrate people with disabilities into all aspects of society. MCDC's e-mail is This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , with DODHH's e-mail being This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. The toll-free phone is 1-(877) 499-6232 T/V
Michigan Disability Rights Coalition (MDRC) - MDRC is a state-wide network that advances the issues of Michigan's disability community through grassroots activism, public education, and advocacy. It works to build opportunities for people with disabilities so they may live fully integrated lives within their chosen communities, now and in the future. MCDC's descriptive web site is www.copower.org The toll-free telephone number is 1-800-760-4600.
Michigan Rehabilitation Services (MRS) - With over 50 Michigan branch offices MRS helps persons with disabilities find meaningful careers. They work with people with a wide range of disabilities, assisting more than 7,000 Michigan residents with disabilities into jobs yearly. Their web site is accessed through www.michigan.gov or by searching for Michigan Rehabilitation Services. MRS's toll-free phone number is 1-800-605-6722 and TTY is 888-605-6722. If legally blind, a person should contact the Michigan Commission for the Blind (MCB). MCB's web site is accessed best by doing a search on Google. MCB's main phone is 517-373-0579, though they, too, have various field offices throughout Michigan.
Michigan Protection and Advocacy Service, Inc. (MPAS) - MPAS's goal is to advance the dignity, quality, self-determination, and expressed choices of individuals. It promotes, expands and protects the human and legal rights of people by providing them with information and advocacy. Since people with disabilities have a wide variety of issues, MPAS tries to answer any questions relating to disability. The staff is experienced in many disability-related topic areas. Their web site is www.mpas.org and their toll-free phone number is 1-800-288-5923 (V/ TTY).
National Disability Resources
The National Organization on Disability (NOD)
Founded in 1982, NOD is the oldest cross-disability organization in the country. It continues to be one of the few organizations committed to representing all 54 million Americans with disabilities, regardless of condition or circumstances, in all aspects of life. Their focus since 2006 has been on increasing employment opportunities for the 33 million working-age Americans with disabilities. Their vision and various national resources are included in their website. Chief among those national resources (and listed first) is disability.gov which features a comprehensive listing of the federal government’s various disability-related resources. To access disability.gov, click on Disability Resources on the NOD site. NOD has also sponsored NOD/Harris Surveys of Americans with Disabilities and in 2010 will release two new surveys documenting the status of Americans with disabilities 20 years after the Americans with Disabilities Act. NOD’s Washington, D.C. phone is 202-293-5960, their New York City phone 646-505-1191 and their very comprehensive, descriptive website is www.nod.org.
This online connection to the federal government’s disability-related information and resources is the place to go “to find a job, learn about disability benefits, learn about disability laws, apply for scholarships, learn about transition services for youth, find housing, get help starting a small business, learn about assistive technology, find health care, or find federal government grants.” You will also find information on benefits, civil rights, community life, education, emergency preparedness, employment, health, housing, technology, and transportation. There is also extensive coverage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). This is a very user-friendly site with information of interest to people with disabilities, their families, employers, service providers and other community members. You can subscribe to their newsletter, receive e-mail updates and follow them on Facebook and Twitter.
Episcopal Disability Network (EDN)
The Episcopal Disability Network, www.disability99.org, is an organization of the Episcopal Church working for the inclusion of people with disabilities into the life of the church and society. They provide consultative assistance to congregations wishing to make their buildings accessible and offer multi-media resources on disability awareness and other disability issues. EDN lists the “More Than 50 Ways to Make Your Parish Accessible” and maintain a free lending library of over 450 taped books, available to people who are print-handicapped. They advocate with church and secular organizations on behalf of persons with disabilities and have videotapes available for free loan, Episcopal resources for the visually impaired, information on how to plan and celebrate Access Sunday and ten ways to build a disability ministry, including links to other religious organizations and their disability concerns. There is a listing of all diocesan contact people for disability and the other services EDN offers. The Rev. Barbara Ramnaire (1-888-738-3636) is coordinator and her e-mail is This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
American Association for People with Disabilities (AAPD)
AAPD is the largest national nonprofit cross-disability member organization in the United States. It is dedicated to ensuring economic self-sufficiency and political empowerment for people with disabilities. AAPD works in coalition with other disability organizations for the full implementation and enforcement of disability nondiscrimination laws. Their website is www.aapd.com, and their toll-free phone number is (800)840-8844(V/TTY) or (202)457-0046 (V/TTY). You can also find them on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, MySpace and LinkedIn.
Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund (DREDF)
The Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund, Inc. (DREDF) is a national law and policy center dedicated to protecting and advancing the civil rights of people with disabilities through legislation, litigation, advocacy, technical assistance, and education and training of attorneys, advocates, persons with disabilities, and parents of children with disabilities. Their website, www.dredf.org, lists specific programs, has a comprehensive search engine and gives current information. E-mail is This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and they are also on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Their phone is (510)644-2555 (V/TTY).
The National Council on Disability (NCD)
NCD has been an independent federal agency for over 30 years promoting policies, programs, practices, and procedures that guarantee equal opportunity for all individuals with disabilities, regardless of the nature or severity of the disability; and to empower individuals with disabilities to achieve economic self-sufficiency, independent living, and inclusion and integration into all aspects of society. Their current summit theme is Living, Learning & Earning and their website, www.ncd.gov, has a comprehensive search engine. NCD’s phone is (202)272-2004, TTY is (202)272-2074.
Program Development Associates (PDA)
PDA’s website, www.disabilitytraining.com, lists many service providers who distribute multimedia training and educational resources on many up-to-date disability topics, including diversity training information about diffusing workplace bullying and harassment (one of numerous blog topics). PDA supplies disability professionals in social service agencies, k-12 special education teachers in public and private schools, Human Resource trainers in business, and instructors in college classrooms with program content that has been developed by disability experts as well as supplying diversity products. Their disability resource collection includes videos, and DVDs, ranging from disability awareness, inclusion, professional development, advocacy and assistive technology, to physical, developmental, learning disabilities and vocational rehab. PDA has an excellent “search” section. Their toll-free phone is (800)543-2119, with an e-mail of This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
This is another excellent federal government website. It features numerous subjects a person can search for, including disability, social security, disability pension, compensation insurance, disability discrimination, income, disability insurance benefits, insurance policies, living, social security disability benefits, quotes, and disability assistance. There is also information about home, compensation insurance, disability discrimination, income, disability, social security and disability pension in separate listings.