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Office of Accessible Education
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National Disability Organizations and Resources

You’re not on your own — there’s a whole network of support beyond Stanford. These national disability organizations provide information, community, and real-world resources to help you succeed in college and prepare for what comes next.

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Organization Note

There are a variety of organizations across the country dedicated to fostering community for individuals with disabilities in higher education. Many of these organizations also emphasize the importance of recognizing the intersection of disability with other identities an individual may hold. These organizations serve various purposes, typically focused on offering peer support and resources, celebrating disability, and raising awareness of disability issues and justice. These groups are not affiliated with Stanford University unless otherwise indicated, but offer a starting point for students to explore disability identity, solidarity, and community across the nation. The information below is based on the resources compiled by the National Center for College Students with Disabilities Clearinghouse (NCCSD).

Intersectionality of Disability Experiences

  • Ramp Your Voice! Is focused on promoting self-advocacy and strengthening empowerment among disabled people, especially Black women and femmes with disabilities.
  • HBCU Disability Consortium: Consortium at Historically Black Colleges and Universities; for Black and African-American college students with disabilities.Check out their website Black, Disabled and Proud.
  • National Black Deaf Advocates: Hosts leadership trainings for Black deaf and hard of hearing college students.
  • National Black Disability Coalition: The NBDC was founded in 1990 in response to the need for Black disabled people to organize around mutual concerns.
  • Steve Fund: This organization supports students of color and their mental and emotional health and well-being, often hosting events at campuses around the country.
  • QTPoC Mental Health Emphasizes community healing and hosts meditations for queer & trans people of color (QTPoC), as well promotes space for individuals to publish original art and writing on www.restforresistance.com.
  • SinsInvalid: A performance project that incubates and celebrates artists with disabilities, centralizing artists of color and queer and gender-variant artists as communities who have been historically marginalized.
  • National Coalition for Latinx with Disabilities: Their mission is to “to affirm, celebrate, and collectively uplift Latinxs with dis/abilities through community building, advocacy, protection of rights, resources, and education.” Their webpage is still under development but they are active on social media (facebook and twitter)
  • Deaf Latinos y Familias Organization: A non profit organization dedicated to working with Latino families of children in DeafEd, including Latino Deaf adults, as we integrate family history, traditions, values, and ASL into their lives.

Recovery Communities

  • Association of Recovery in Higher Education: The AHRE is the only association exclusively representing collegiate recovery programs (CRPs) and collegiate recovery communities (CRCs). Their website contains information about the association, collegiate recovery centers/programs, recovery resources, and events.
  • Recovery Dharma: Recovery Dharma is a peer-led, grass-roots, democratically-structured organization with a mission to support individuals on their path of recovery from addiction using Buddhist practices and principles.
  • SMART Recovery: An abstinence-based, not-for-profit organization with a sensible self-help program for people having problems with drinking and using. It includes many ideas and techniques.
  • Project Heal: National organization with high school and campus chapters, promoting healthy body image and providing grants to people with eating disorders who cannot afford treatment.
  • The National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA): Is the largest nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting individuals and families affected by eating disorders. They merged with the National Association for Males with Eating Disorders (N.A.M.E.D.) in 2019 to further their shared goals of advocacy for diverse populations impacted by eating disorders.
  • Overeaters Anonymous (OA): A community of people who support each other in order to recover from compulsive eating and food.

Additional Organization Links

  • ​ADA National Network: The ADA National Network has regional centers providing resources and assistance for campuses and college students. If you have questions about your rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), call someone at your local center (there is a list of ADA regional centers here).
  • Access Computing: Based at the University of Washington, college and graduate students with disabilities can connect to mentors and professionals in computing fields, and find internships and potential employment opportunities.
  • Transgender Law Center (TLC) Disability Project: Is focused on promoting and integrating disability, deafness, and anti-ableism policies within the LGBTQ movement and communities.
  • The Native American Disability Law Center: Their mission is to ensure that Native Americans with disabilities have access to justice and are empowered and equal members of their communities and nations. Check out their resources page for information more tailored to specific states and territories.
  • TASH: An international organization working to advance inclusive communities through advocacy, research, professional development, policy, and information and resources for parents, families and self-advocates.
  • Association on Higher Education And Disability (AHEAD): Professional organization for disability services providers that also hosts the NCCSD, DREAM, and the HBCU Disability Consortium.
  • Aspergers/Autism Network (AANE): AANE works with individuals, families, and professionals to help people with Asperger Syndrome and similar autism spectrum profiles build meaningful, connected lives
  • Autistic Self-Advocacy Network (ASAN): Promotes understanding of neurodiversity and self-advocacy among autistics; many college-related initiatives and publications
  • The Autism National Committee (AutCom) is an autism advocacy organization dedicated to "Social Justice for All Autistics" through a shared vision and a commitment to positive approaches to protect and advance the human rights and civil rights of all persons with autism.
  • The Autistic Women & Nonbinary Network (AWN) seeks to provide community, support and resources for Autistic women, girls, nonbinary people, and all others of marginalized genders.
  • College Diabetes Network: With campus chapters across the country, this organization works to provide information and support to students living with diabetes.
  • Epilepsy Foundation: Is a non-profit national foundation dedicated to the welfare of people with epilepsy and seizure disorders. Resources and information, including targeted information for African Americans, Latinx and others is available on their site.
  • National Association of Blind Students: Part of the National Federation of the Blind, this group offers resources, networking, and opportunities for collective activism.
  • National Stuttering Association: ​NSA provides support, friendship, and information, and instills the sense of self-worth for those who stutter. Information for researchers and other professionals as well.
  • National Wheelchair Basketball Association: With roots in teams formed by WWII veterans, this organization now spans the globe and sends teams to the Paralympics. Their website has more information about the sport and where teams are located.
  • The Phoenix Society: Is the leading national nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering anyone affected by a burn injury.
  • The EPIC Foundation: Is a non-profit organization that provides support, advocacy,  and tools to those affected by chronic illnesses
  • Center for Chronic Illness: Promotes well-being and decreases isolation for those impacted by chronic illness through support and education​.
  • The Ehlers-Danlos Society: Is dedicated to saving and improving the lives of those affected by the Ehlers-Danlos syndromes (EDS), hypermobility spectrum disorders (HSD), and related conditions. They host a yearly conference and provide a wide array of resources.
  • Standing Up to POTS is dedicated to funding research that will help to improve the quality of life for people with postural orthostatic tachycardia (POTS). Their website offers an array of resources and they host a support group on Facebook.
  • Society for Disability Studies: Like African-American studies and race, women's studies and gender, or other types of "studies" that look at society through different lenses, disability studies professors and researchers look at the world with disability in mind.  They publish Disability Studies Quarterly, an open access,multidisciplinary and international journal of interest to social scientists, scholars in the humanities, disability rights advocates, creative writers, and others concerned with the issues of people with disabilities.
  • Disability Intersectionality Summit: Centers the multiple oppressions that shape the lived experiences of disabled individuals, as told by disabled people, in a setting organized by disabled activists.
  • SinsInvalid: A disability justice based performance project that incubates and celebrates artists with disabilities, centralizing artists of color and LGBTQ / gender-variant artists as communities who have been historically marginalized.
  • Disability Visibility Project: Is an online platform dedicated to advancing disability community as well as creating, sharing, and amplifying disability media and culture.
  • Rooted in Rights: A project of Disability Rights Washington that tells authentic, accessible stories to challenge stigma and redefine narratives around disability, mental health, and chronic illness.
  • Project LETS: A group with campus chapters that uses principles of disability justice to create peer-led communities for mental illness, trauma, disability, and neurodiversity.
  • ADHD - Understanding ADHD: A program of CHADD, this site has information for adults with ADHD, families and educators in English and Spanish.
  • CHADD - The National Resource on ADHD: Provides information and resources for children and adults with ADHD; use the search box to find information about transition to college for students who have ADHD
  • Eye-to-Eye: Matches college student mentors with LD or ADHD labels with middle school students who have similar labels, as well as leadership opportunities and training.
  • The CodPast: A fresh and contemporary online publication for students and adults with Dyslexia. If you’re looking for up to the minute news and views on technology, study skills, employment, events and entertainment.
  • Active Minds: Works to promote positive mental and emotional health for college students while ending the stigma of mental illness; also has fellowships available.
  • Actively Moving Forward: Through campus-based chapters, AMF supports students dealing with grief after illness or the death of someone they care about.
  • National Alliance on Mental Illness: NAMI offers support and assistance designed to reduce the stigma of mental illness;they have campus and community chapters and resources for family members.
  • Silence the Shame: A group working to reduce the stigma of mental illness and poverty, particularly in communities of color.  Has a college campus ambassador program that helps students create programs at their colleges and universities.
  • Self-injury Outreach and Support (SiOS): An international outreach organization providing current information and helpful resources about self-injury to individuals who self-injure, those who have recovered, as well as their caregivers and families, friends, teachers and the health professionals who work with them.
  • Student Veterans of America: Provides resources to veterans going to college, including veterans with disabilities.
  • VetSuccess on Campus: Is a federal program that works with Vocational Rehabilitation to help veterans transition from military service to college; it's available on 94 campuses around the country​
  • Wounded Warriors: If you're a disabled vet going to college, look at the Wounded Warriors project for resources and opportunities.Nobody understands vets with disabilities like other vets with disabilities.

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