Inspiration

How Professor Jim Gips developed the EagleEyes technology, which is transforming the lives of children with severe disabilities.
https://www.byutv.org/player/fb314488-ef02-4ba9-89e7-1252de9b55d7/turning-point-eagle-eyes

The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp. Providing medically-supervised summer camps and programs free of charge to children with serious illnesses and their families throughout the Northeast.
https://www.holeinthewallgang.org

Alive Inside.  A documentary demonstrating music’s ability to combat memory loss and restore a deep sense of self to those suffering from it.
http://www.aliveinside.us/#land

Life Without Limbs with Nick Vujicic.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zOzsjEmjjHs     http://www.lifewithoutlimbs.org/about-life-without-limbs/    http://tedxtalks.ted.com/video/Overcoming-hopelessness-Nick-Vu

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly.  The film of journalist Jean-Dominique Bauby. It describes what his life is like after suffering a massive stroke that left him with locked-in syndrome. It also details what his life was like before the stroke.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0401383/

Ted Talk featuring Amy Purdy who became a professional snowboarder despite losing both her legs to meningitis.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2QZM7azGoA

Algorithms is a documentary on the thriving but little known world of Blind Chess in India.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2QZM7azGoA

Resources

Equipment

Wheel it Forward. A Connecticut not-for-profit library that enables anyone to easily borrow or donate durable medical equipment, assistive technology and related products.
https://www.wheelitforwardusa.org/

Recycling medical supplies to improve global health
https://www.partnersforworldhealth.org

Inexpensive, gently used walkers and wheelchairs in Connecticut
https://assistivetechnology.oakhillct.org/dme/

Organizations and Services

CPAC. The Connecticut Parent Advocacy Center mission is to educate, support, and empower Connecticut's diverse families of children and youth with any disability or chronic conditions, ages birth to 26, and the professionals who serve them.
https://cpacinc.org

Protection & Advocacy agencies (P&As) comprise the nation's largest provider of legally-based advocacy services for people with disabilities.
https://acl.gov/programs/find-your-pa-agency

Joni and Friends International Disability Center
http://www.joniandfriends.org/

Assistive Technology Finance Loan Programs in Connecticut
http://www.resnaprojects.org/allcontacts/allafpcontacts.html

Closing the Gap. An international assistive technology conference and professional development platform for year-round learning.
http://www.closingthegap.com/

Life Without Limbs
http://www.lifewithoutlimbs.org/about-nick/bio/

 

Blindness

The American Foundation for the Blind (AFB)
http://www.afb.org/default.aspx

The New England Consortium for Deafblind Technical Assistance And Training
http://www.nec4db.org/home.html

 

Deaf and Hard of Hearing

A comprehensive list of organizations for Children and Adults who Are Deaf and Hard of Hearing from the Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center
https://www.gallaudet.edu/clerc-center/info-to-go/national-resources-and-directories/organizations.html

 

Know Your Rights!

The Americans with Disabilities Act
https://www.ada.gov

The ADA Coalition of Connecticut (ADACC). ADACC is the only organization in Connecticut singularly devoted to educating individuals with disabilities, businesses, and governmental entities about the ADA.
https://www.ada.gov

The ADA Amendments Act of 2008
http://www.ada.gov/2010_regs.htm

What families with students should know about The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Family_Educational_Rights_and_Privacy_Act

 

Dementia

Beloved Music Can Renew Lives Lost to Dementia
http://musicandmemory.org/

 

Locked-In-Syndrome

Association of Locked-In Syndrome (In French - the site takes a long time to load, but is worth the wait).
http://www.alis-asso.fr/

 

Software

Search for special iPhone, iPad and Android apps (THIS SITE TAKES A LONG TIME TO LOAD BUT IT'S WORTH THE WAIT!)
https://www.bridgingapps.org