Non-profits, advocacy groups, and legal organizations working to advance accessibility and disability rights globally.
Showing 25 results
ASAN is a national advocacy organisation run by and for autistic people, working to advance the rights of autistic people through public policy, community-building, and direct support. Their motto is "Nothing About Us Without Us."
JAN is a free service of the US Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) that provides individualised, expert guidance on job accommodations and the ADA to employers, employees with disabilities, and rehabilitation professionals — including specific AT recommendations for nearly every disability and job type.
NDRN is the membership association for the federally mandated Protection & Advocacy (P&A) and Client Assistance Program (CAP) organisations in every US state and territory. P&A organisations provide free legal advocacy and representation to people with disabilities — with a combined budget of over $150 million, they are the largest provider of legal services to people with disabilities in the US.
The NFB is the largest organisation of blind people in the US, with over 50,000 members organised in chapters in all 50 states. Led entirely by blind people, NFB is known for its strong civil rights stance, its flagship Jernigan Institute, and landmark accessibility litigation including the Target.com lawsuit.
The Arc is the largest national community-based organisation in the United States for and with people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and their families, with more than 600 chapters nationwide providing direct services and advocacy.
Understood.org is a leading digital resource for parents and educators supporting children with learning and thinking differences — including dyslexia, ADHD, dyscalculia, and other conditions. Known for highly accessible content, Understood.org has become a model for clear, evidence-based, and non-stigmatising disability information.
ADAPT is a national disability rights organisation known for its direct-action tactics — demonstrations, protests, and civil disobedience — that have shaped disability rights policy since the 1970s. ADAPT has been central to the movement for Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) as an alternative to nursing home institutionalisation.
AAPD is a national disability membership organisation focused on increasing the political and economic power of people with disabilities, with a particular emphasis on civic engagement, voting rights, and economic advancement.
ACB is a national membership organisation of blind and low-vision Americans that promotes independence, security, equality of opportunity, and quality of life for all people who are blind or visually impaired. It operates numerous special-interest affiliates and coordinates a broad network of state and local chapters.
AFB is a national non-profit that works to create a society where people who are blind or visually impaired can achieve equality in access and opportunity. Best known for the AccessWorld technology review publication, AFB was also Helen Keller's employer for over 40 years.
The Bazelon Center is the leading legal advocacy organisation in the US focused on the rights of people with mental disabilities. Named for federal judge David L. Bazelon, the Centre engages in impact litigation, policy advocacy, and public education on issues including community integration, housing, employment, and the rights of people with psychiatric disabilities in the criminal justice system.
DRA is a national non-profit legal centre that enforces civil rights for people with all types of disabilities through impact litigation — targeting systemic barriers and setting precedents that benefit entire communities rather than individual clients.
DREDF is one of the oldest cross-disability legal advocacy organisations in the US, based in Berkeley, California. Founded in 1979, DREDF played a key role in drafting the ADA and continues to litigate, advocate, and provide legal training to advance the rights of people with disabilities.
DPI is an international cross-disability organisation founded in 1981 in Winnipeg, Canada, representing organisations of people with disabilities from around the world. It was the first international organisation fully controlled by people with disabilities — a historic break from organisations that served people with disabilities but were led by non-disabled professionals.
HLAA is the nation's largest consumer organisation for people with hearing loss, primarily serving adults who are hard of hearing (rather than culturally Deaf). HLAA is the leading advocate for hearing loop (audio induction loop) technology in public spaces in the United States.
IDA is a network of global and regional organisations of persons with disabilities that advocates for full and effective implementation of the UN CRPD. IDA facilitates coordination among Disabled Peoples' Organisations (DPOs) in UN processes and provides a unified voice for the international disability rights movement.
Leonard Cheshire is one of the UK's largest disability charities, providing care and support services domestically and running international programmes in over 30 countries, primarily in Africa and Asia. Its international programmes focus on inclusive education, livelihoods, and disability rights in low-income countries.
MHA is the oldest national non-profit focused on mental health in the US, with a network of over 200 affiliates nationwide. MHA advocates for improved mental health care access, early intervention, and anti-stigma, while providing screening tools used by millions of Americans each year.
NAMI is the largest grassroots mental health organisation in the US, with affiliates in every state and over 600 local chapters. Known for peer-led education programmes, NAMI's membership has historically been dominated by family members of people with mental illness, though it has increasingly centred peer voices.
Founded in 1880, NAD is the oldest and largest organisation of Deaf and hard-of-hearing Americans, advocating for civil, human, and linguistic rights including captioning, Video Relay Service, and the recognition of American Sign Language as a full language.
NCIL is the national membership organisation for Centres for Independent Living (CILs) and the people they serve, providing cross-disability policy advocacy rooted in the independent living philosophy that people with disabilities are the best experts on their own needs.
NORD is the primary US organisation advocating for people with rare diseases (defined in the US as conditions affecting fewer than 200,000 Americans). NORD works on FDA drug approval policy, insurance coverage, patient assistance, and rare disease research funding.
USSAAC is the US chapter of the International Society for Augmentative and Alternative Communication (ISAAC), bringing together AAC users, families, speech-language pathologists, researchers, and AT specialists to promote communication access for people who rely on AAC.
WBU is the global organisation representing 285 million blind and partially sighted people through its member organisations in 190 countries. WBU advocates at the UN and with international bodies on issues including Braille literacy, accessible publishing, and the Marrakesh Treaty.
WFD is the international organisation representing 70 million Deaf people worldwide through national associations of the Deaf in 135 countries. WFD advocates for the recognition of national sign languages, accessible communication, and the rights of Deaf people as a linguistic and cultural minority.