Annotated Lists Compiled by Disabilities Task Force and IPRS Volunteers
Version 6/4/04

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Webmaster Resources
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General Board of Global Ministries, The United Methodist Church
http://gbgm-umc.org
Making Your Web Pages Accessible - a tutorial

National Council of Churches of Christ, Committee on Disabilities , c/o Ministries in Christian Education. Web site contents, Mission Statement, NCC Policy Statement, "Disabilities, the Body of Christ and the Wholeness of Society", Composition
http://www.ncccusa.org/nmu/mce/dis/

The Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC)
From: http://www.kidsource.com/kidsource/content3/ada.idea.html#Americans
This digest created by ERIC, the Educational Resources Information Center.

National Institutes of Health (NIH)
www.nih.gov/
Vision Disorders & Blindness
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/visiondisordersblindness.html

http://www.nei.nih.gov/ National Eye Institute (NEI) - Est. 1968
NEI conducts and supports research that helps prevent and treat eye diseases and other disorders of vision. This research leads to sight-saving treatments, reduces visual impairment and blindness, and improves the quality of life for people of all ages.

http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/ National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) - Est. 1988 NIDCD conducts and supports biomedical research and research training on normal mechanisms as well as diseases and disorders of hearing, balance, smell, taste, voice, speech, and language that affect 46 million Americans.

http://www.nimh.nih.gov/ National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) - Est. 1949
NIMH provides national leadership dedicated to understanding, treating, and preventing mental illnesses through basic research on the brain and behavior, and through clinical, epidemiological, and services research.

The International Center for Disability Resources on the Internet
www.icdri.org
Lots of references. See also testing tool for web site accessibility: Cynthia Says� at IGIVE.com or log on to test your site to: www.icdri.org/test_your_site_now.html

U.S. Department of Education
National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research http://www.ed.gov/offices/OSERS/NIDRR/
Participants in WAI

The Making Connections Unit
School of Social Science at Glasgow Caledonian University, 70 Cowcaddens Road, Glasgow G4 OBA.
Tel: 0141 331 3893, E-mail: info@mcu.org.uk
Executive Director of the Unit: Jim Byrne: jim@mcu.org.uk
Since 1996 the MCU has provide information to local and national government as well as the voluntary sector, not for profit and private sector.
Article: What is an accessible website? An article by Jim Byrne
http://www.mcu.org.uk/articles/whatisaw.html

AWARE Center
email to aware@hwg.org!
http://aware.hwg.org/tips/icons.html

EASI: Equal Access to Software and Information
http://www.rit.edu/~easi/

Trace Research & Development Center: Making Information Technology more usable for everyone
http://trace.wisc.edu/
The Trace Research & Development Center is a part of the College of Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison. Founded in 1971, Trace has been a pioneer in the field of technology and disability.
Trace Center Mission Statement:To prevent the barriers and capitalize on the opportunities presented by current and emerging information and telecommunication technologies, in order to create a world that is as accessible and usable as possible for as many people as possible.
The Trace Center is currently working on ways to make standard information technologies and telecommunications systems more accessible and usable by people with disabilities. This work is primarily funded by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) (U.S. Department of Education). See www.trace.wisc.edu/world/computer_access/software for a comprehensive guide to creating accessible software. Publication of the Trace R&D Center, the Application Software Design Guidelines is available at www.trace.wisc.edu/docs/software_guidelines/ software.pcs/cover.htm and written in 1994.

The National Center for Accessible Media
NCAM's mission is: to expand access to present and future media for people with disabilities; to explore how existing access technologies may benefit other populations; to represent its constituents in industry, policy and legislative circles; and to provide access to educational and media technologies for special needs students.
CPB/WGBH National Center for Accessible Media
125 Western Avenue
Boston, MA 02134
Phone: 617.300.3400 TTY: 617.300.2489 Fax: 617.300.1035
Email:ncam@wgbh.org

• Boston public television station WGBH has created the logo for use on websites to indicate an interest in accessible web authoring. Alternate sizes and versions of the symbols as well as other resource materials are available at http://ncam.wgbh.org/cdrom/guideline2000/tips.html

• Making Educational Software and Web Sites Accessible: Design Guidelines Including Math and Science Solutions - a publication of the PIVoT Project � Jan. 2003 http://ncam.wgbh.org/cdrom/guideline/

University of Toronto - The Adaptive Technology Resource Centre advances information technology that is accessible to all; through research, development, education, proactive design consultation and direct service.
http://atrc.utoronto.ca/ or more directly http://atrc.utoronto.ca/sitemap.html
See the Technical Glossary of Adaptive Technologies from ATRC at University of Toronto and numerous other resources at:
http://library.uwsp.edu/aschmetz/accessible/fernunihagen/pub_resources.htm

Boston University
http://www.bu.edu/disability/resources/designlinks.htm
Accessible website design and links

Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI), at MIT, Cambridge, MA
http://www.w3.org/WAI/, resources /WAI/Overview.html

Boston Public Library
Access Services
www.bpl.org
Concourse Level, Johnson Building, Central Library
617-536-5400 ext. 2295
(TTD) 617-536-7055
See details in Appendix.

Harvard University
Student Disability Resources, Louise H. Russell, Director
20 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA
Tel: (617-496-8707); Fax: (617-495-0815) V/TTY (617-496-3720) (services for Deaf/Hard of Hearing Students) Email: sdr@fas
See also: www.fas.harvard.edu/~sdr
http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~sdr/resources.html

Microsoft Corporation
Microsoft Corporation, http://www.microsoft.com/
Participants in WAI. Collection of resource materials contains more than 80,000 titles, including Microsoft product documentation and books from Microsoft Press is accessible through:
Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic, Inc. http://www.rfbd.org/ 866-RFBD-585 (866-732-3585)
See appendix for additional details.

IBM
www.ibm.com/able
Web accessibility offerings include IGS service offerings and other IBM assets that are available to enable customers to provide intranet and internet sites that reach a larger percentage of the population. Current web sites can be assessed for adherence to design principles and remediated, new sites can be designed from the ground up, and sites can be monitored through their product life cycle. Participants in WAI
http://www-306.ibm.com/able/solution_offerings/gso.html
Evaluate customer's Web sites, Identify non-compliant pages, Generate results and reports
Consult with client to help he / she understand current compliance gaps from Web to enterprise applications
For more information about these offerings, contact:
John Burg for Accessibility Testing Services, jpburg@us.ibm.com, 301-240-8621
Cindy Drummond for Accessibility Design and Development Services, cdrummon@us.ibm.com, 757-435-3893
IBM's accessibility Center may also be accessed where a wealth of information is provided under the heading of "Developer Guidelines:" http://www-3.ibm.com/able/guidelines/index.html
See appendix for additional offerings.

Analytic Rehabilitation
Web Page http://www.analyticrehab.com/links.htm
Many web sites regarding disabilities and other topics.

• Disability Resources
• Specific Disabilities
• Products & Resources
• Special Education
• Government Links

Verizon
Centers for Customers with Disabilities (hearing, vision, mobility, speech or cognitive)
Marlboro, Massachusetts. Select Massachusetts to get listing.
800 974-6006 which also provides for direct text telephone (TTY) access.
www.verizon.com/disabilities or https://www22.verizon.com/ForYourHome/sas/res_cat_accessiblity.asp

AT&T
www.att.com
Visit their web site for a lot of links to other sites mostly but not exclusively for hearing issues. For an excellent background paper with references and linkages regarding workplace adaptations see: Burks, Michael, (Principal Member of the Technical Staff, AT&T Worldnet Service) at:
http://www.att.com/telework/article_library/workforce.html

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Blind and Visually Impaired Specific
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General Board of Global Ministries, The United Methodist Church
http://gbgm-umc.org
http://gbgm-umc.org/churches/faq_memberservices/acchtml.cfm
Making Your Web Pages Accessible - a tutorial

American Council of the Blind
Web site: http://www.acb.org
A Guide to Making Documents Accessible to People Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired by Jennifer Sutton , Copyright 2002 American Council of the Blind
Resources have been compiled for informational purposes only, and the American Council of the Blind makes no guarantees regarding the accessibility or quality of the cited references.
This document is available online, in regular print, large print, braille, or on cassette tape.

American Foundation for the Blind
http://www.afb.org/

Braille Institute of America
http://www.brailleinstitute.org/

National Federation of the Blind
http://www.nfb.org/

Vision Disorders & Blindness
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/visiondisordersblindness.html

http://www.nei.nih.gov/ National Eye Institute (NEI)
Pamphlet: Don't lose sight of diabetic eye disease. National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD For more information on diabetic eye disease contact: National Eye Health Education Program, 2020 Vision Place, Bethesda, MD 20892-3655.

Pamphlet: Don't lose sight of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). National Eye Health Education Program, 2020 Vision Place, Bethesda, MD 20892-3655. http://www.nei.nih.gov/

Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic, Inc.
http://www.rfbd.org/
866-RFBD-585 (866-732-3585)
Collection contains more than 80,000 titles, including Microsoft product documentation and books from Microsoft Press.

The Carroll Center for the Blind http://www.carroll.org/
The Carroll Center for the Blind, located in Newton, Massachusetts, is a private, non-profit agency which serves persons of all ages who are blind or visually impaired.

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Massachusetts Commission For The Deaf & Hard Of Hearing
http://www.state.ma.us/mcdhh/Guide.htm
download in pdf format http://www.state.ma.us/mcdhh/textversion/indextext.html

Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
http://www.agbell.org/

Deaf / Hard of Hearing
http://www.familyvillage.wisc.edu/lib_deaf.htm

Deaf Resource Library
http://www.deaflibrary.org/

Deaf Schools and Colleges
http://www.hc.cc.tx.us/library/deafsch.htm

Hearing Disorders & Deafness http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/hearingdisordersdeafness.html

http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/ National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders

National Association of the Deaf

The United Methodist Congress of the Deaf, General Board of Global Ministries, The United Methodist Church, 475 Riverside Drive Room 330, New York NY 10115. Publishers of Booklet: "Breaking the Sound Barrier in Your Church." Ministry & Mission with people who are hard of hearing and late-deafened. [request copy from NE conference library] http://gbgm-umc.org

Newsletter: Deaf International News. From The Signer's Network, 74 Mayfair Crescent, Brampton, Ontario L6S 3N4, Canada. Voice/TTY 905 792-9889 Fax (905) 792-1116 email: signnet@rogers.com website: www.deafinternational.com

iCommunicator
iCommunicator V.4.0 software converges spoken word, sign language and written text to created a personal information highway for persons who are deaf or hard-of-hearing. Uses Dragon Naturally Speaking Professional, V.7.0 for speech to text conversion.
www.myicommunicator.com
888 933-0001

Sprint Corp.
Video-conferencing available by joint venture between Communication Service for the Deaf (CSD) and Sprint on their Video Relay Service. Requires a videophone such as D-Link i2eye, a high speed Internet connection and a television monitor. See website: www.SprintVRS.com

Verizon
Centers for Customers with Disabilities (hearing, vision, mobility, speech or cognitive)
Marlboro, Massachusetts
800 974-6006 which also provides for direct text telephone (TTY) access.
www.verizon.com/disabilities

AT&T
Dozens of links are provided dealing with hearing issues
http://www.consumer.att.com/relay/links/

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AboveKneeAmputee.com
http://www.abovekneeamputee.com/

Amputee Coalition of America
http://www.amputee-coalition.org/

Amputee Information Exchange
http://www.amp-info.org/

Amputee Online
http://www.amputee-online.com/

Amputee Resource Center
http://www.usinter.net/wasa/arc.html

Amputee Resource Foundation of America, Inc.
http://www.amputeeresource.org/

Amputee Treatment Center
http://www.amputee-center.com/

Amputee Website for New Amputees
http://hometown.aol.com/alegnomore/amputee/amputee.htm

The Barr Foundation
http://www.oandp.com/resources/organizations/barr/

Limbless Association
http://www.limbless-association.org/

National Limb Loss Information Center
http://www.amputee-coalition.org/nllic_about.html

Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
http://www.medmark.org/pmr/

Stumps 'R Us
http://www.stumps.org/

United Amputee Services Association
http://www.oandp.com/resources/organizations/uasa/index.htm

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New England Conference of United Methodist Church
Eileen Noyes-Verchereau - Conference Coordinator on Mental Health
Contact: email: Ennistymen@rcn.com

Mental Health
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/mentalhealth.html

Mental Health Infosource
http://www.mhsource.com/

Mental Health Net
http://mentalhelp.net/

http://www.nimh.nih.gov/ National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) - Est. 1949
NIMH provides national leadership dedicated to understanding, treating, and preventing mental illnesses through basic research on the brain and behavior, and through clinical, epidemiological, and services research.

National Mental Health Association (NMHA)
http://www.nmha.org/

National Mental Health Consumers' Self-Help Clearinghouse
http://www.mhselfhelp.org/

National Alliance for Mentally Ill (NAMI)
Provide support and advocacy for families of mentally ill. Call for location of a chapter nearest you.
www.nami.org
Colonial Place Three
2107 Wilson Blvd., Suite 300
Arlington, VA 22201-3042
Main: (703) 524-7600 Fax: (703) 524-9094 TDD: (703) 516-7227
Member Services: (800) 950-NAMI
You may also call our Information & Service Center: 1-800-950-NAMI (6264)

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American Association for Mental Retardation
http://www.aamr.org/

The ARC of the United States
http://www.thearc.org/

Birth Defects Research for Children
http://www.birthdefects.org/

Cerebral Palsy -  Ask the Doctor
http://www.about-cerebral-palsy.org/

Cerebral Palsy Tutorial
http://galen.med.virginia.edu/~smb4v/tutorials/cp/cp.htm

DDS directory of Regional Centers
http://www.dds.cahwnet.gov/regctrs/main/rclist.cfm

Developmental Disabilities
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/developmentaldisabilities.html

Easter Seals
http://www.easter-seals.org/

ERIC Clearinghouse on Disabilities and Gifted Education
http://ericec.org/

Internet Resources for Special Children (IRSC)
http://www.irsc.org/

March of Dimes
http://www.modimes.org/

National Association of Developmental Disabilities Councils
http://www.igc.apc.org/NADDC/

NICHCY (National Information Center for Children and Youth with Disabilities)
http://www.nichcy.org/

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New England Conference of the UMC
PO Box 249 (276 Essex Street)
Lawrence, MA 01842-0449
Phone: 978-682-7676, ext. 27
Books in Library:

Microsoft
Accessibility of Microsoft Windows
Many accessibility features have been built right into Microsoft Windows, starting with the introduction of Windows 95. These features are useful for individuals who have difficulty typing or using a mouse, are blind or have low vision, or who are deaf or hard-of-hearing. The features can be installed during setup. Learn more about the various accessibility features of Windows 2000, Windows Millennium, Windows 98, and Windows 95 at the Microsoft Web site: www.microsoft.com

• Programs that enlarge the information displayed or alter the color of information on the screen for people with visual impairments.
• Programs that describe information on the screen in Braille or synthesized speech for people who are blind or have difficulty reading.
• Hardware and software utilities that modify the behavior of the mouse and keyboard.
• Programs that enable people to type by using a mouse or their voice.
• Word or phrase prediction software that allow users to type more quickly and with fewer keystrokes.
• Alternative input devices, such as single switch or puff-and-sip devices, for people who cannot use a mouse or a keyboard.

Microsoft Reader for Windows-based PCs and laptops boast accessibility features that are bringing eBooks to more communities and providing a richer on-screen reading experience with additional TTS and Verbosity functionality. To enable Microsoft Reader to take advantage of existing speech technologies, you must install the new Microsoft Reader Text-to-Speech (TTS) Package 1.0. Note: You must have Microsoft Reader 2.0 installed on your machine before Microsoft Reader Text-to-Speech Package 1.0 can be installed.

Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic, Inc.
20 Roszel Road
Princeton, NJ 08540
Phone from within the United States: (800) 221-4792
Phone from outside the United States and Canada: (609) 452-0606
Fax: (609) 987-8116
Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic Web site
http://www.rfbd.org/
866-RFBD-585 (866-732-3585)

IBM Global Service Offerings
http://www-306.ibm.com/able/solution_offerings/gso.html

• Evaluate customer's Web sites
• Identify non-compliant pages
• Generate results and reports
• Provide one time or ongoing assessment designed to ensure compliance is maintained
• Consult with client to help he / she understand current compliance gaps from Web to enterprise applications
• Assess development and production code
• Design ongoing and future state of IT infrastructure - technology, tools and environment
• Create a strategy that encompasses entire life-cycle approach
• Fix, test and run (re-architect, redesign, redeploy) code on Web sites
• Code / presentation layer Web pages and applications - update to meet compliance standard
• Re-architect infrastructure environment and roll out

For more information about these offerings, please contact:
John Burg for Accessibility Testing Services, jpburg@us.ibm.com, 301-240-8621
Cindy Drummond for Accessibility Design and Development Services, cdrummon@us.ibm.com, 757-435-3893
See also: www.ibm.com/able

Boston Public Library
The Access Services Program is part of the Adult Readers and Information Services Department and is located on the concourse level. Access Services allows people with disabilities to use library resources within the library. Computers in this area are restricted to those with disabilities.
This area maintains a reference collection of disability-related materials, including Americans with Disabilities Act regulations, education, health, housing, parenting, travel, as well as resource directories.
Highlights of the Collection

• Talking Books are on loan from the Braille and Talking Book Library at the Perkins School for the Blind. They are not listed in the PAC (on-line catalog) as use is restricted.
• Talking Books may circulate only to individuals registered with the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS) and can be used only on equipment provided by NLS.
• Periodicals in Braille, produced by the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, and current back issues of Braille Forum, Braille Monitor, Dialogue with the Blind, and Journal of Visual Impairment are available, as well as popular titles such as The New York Times and Science News.
• Periodicals on a range of issues related to physical and mental disabilities are also located in the Access Center.
• Videotapes that offer closed captioning and American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation for deaf and hard-of-hearing people and descriptive narratives for blind and visually disabled people (DVS videos) are available in the adjacent Audio-Visual Services Department.
   

Large Print Books
The large print collection is located on the first floor of the General Library. Non-fiction in large print is shelved against the back wall to the far left of the Catalog Desk. Large print fiction is on the first floor of the Johnson Building around the center walls. The latest large print fiction can be found at the end of the new fiction section.

Equipment

• Optilec Magnifier (CCTV)
• Reading ADVANTAGE
• Reading Edge - English and Spanish
• Duxbury Braille Translation Software (DBT)
• Braille Printer Juliet PRO 60 (Interpoint - prints on both sides of page)
• HP Scanner 5200 C
• Scanning Software: Kurzweil 1000
• Computer Printer, HP Laser Jet 4 plus
• Speech Automated Software: JAWS
• Large Print: Zoomtext Xtra
• Microsoft Word 97
• Internet Explorer
• Windows NT

The BPL and Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital Network are pleased that the following equipment was provided by the Community Information Network for Individuals with Disabilities (CINID). CINID is funded through grants from National Library of Medicine, The Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners, & The Boston Foundation. For more information about CINID go to www.disabilityexchange.org

• Height Adjustable Keyboard Trays
• Anti-Glare Screens with Document Holders
• Kensington Expert Pro Wireless Trackball
• Roller Plus Joystick Mouse
• Low Profile Mini Keyboard
• Onscreen Virtual Keyboard
• Dragger Dwell Software
• TextHelp! ScreenReader 4
• CAST eReader Software

Computer use for adults with disabilities is limited to two hours per day. Customers must have a Boston Public Library card to sign up for computer time. Telephone reservations are permitted. Please call: (617) 536-5400, extension 2295. When requesting a particular computer, refer to these computer stations:

• ACA1: JAWS, Kurzweil, Zoomtext, scanner, printer, Internet use
• ACA2: JAWS, Kurzweil, Zoomtext, printer, Braille printer, Internet use
• PC1: Internet use, CINID equipment as listed above.
• PC2: Internet use, CINID equipment as listed above.

For program assistance and for general information or to make an appointment call (voice) 617-536-5400 extension 2295 or (TTD) 617-536-7055 or fax us at 617-266-8948.

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Acknowledgments

The efforts of many people and organizations is gratefully acknowledged in the development of the resource guides on disabilities and their web-based equivalents. This is a work in progress with different forms of presentation being under development including an Access database that may be distributed to organizations serving the needs of the disabled. This project was spearheaded by the Disabilities Task Force of the New England Conference of the United Methodist Church (NEUMC). The NEUMC is hosting the web-based materials (Go to http://www.neumc.org/Main-Ministry.htm and click on Disabilities). The Task Force was joined by volunteers working with Innovative Products Research & Services, Inc. (IPRS), a non-profit foundation incorporated in Massachusetts (http://www.iprsinc.org). The point of contact for both entities is Dr. Donald Job, Project Director (email: dlljob@aol.com).

A special thanks to Linda C. Brown, a blind musician, whose advocacy for the blind prompted the church leaders to take action and to John Blackadar who advocated for her at the conference level and to Bishop Susan Hassinger who supported the formation of the Task Force. Additional thanks are due to the following persons:

Rev. Lee Carpenter
Julie Daley
Pastor Susan E. Daneau
Michael Hickcox
Donald Job, Disabilities Task Force Convenor (email: dlljob@aol.com )
Harry and Nancy Johnson
Rev. James McPhee
Eileen Noyes-Verchereau - Conference Coordinator on Mental Health
Gale O'Neil
Eileen Rev. F. William (Bill) Schuster, Jr
Rev. Michael R. and Peggy Stotts
Cynthia Sulesky
Rev.Joan-Anne Westfall,
Walter Woitasek

IPRS and Other Volunteers & Resource Persons:
Daniel J. Berkowitz
Ginnie Bowden
Larry Espling
Donald Job, IPRS President (email: dlljob@aol.com )
Bruce Luhrs
Theresa Mullins
John Williams

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Information provided on these web pages and/or data files came from many different sources and was the result of many people's efforts. The members and friends of the Disabilities Task Force of the New England Conference of the United Methodist Church (NEUMC) and staff and volunteers for Innovative Products Research & Services, Inc. (IPRS), a 501(c)(3) non-profit foundation, all contributed. We also drew heavily from the listings from other web sites including that of Analytic Rehabilitation (http://www.analyticrehab.com/links.htm) and others.

Neither NEUMC nor IPRS makes any express or implied warranties about the currency or quality of the information. Nor is there any guarantee that the information will be updated. It is made available "as is" and "as available" without warranty against inaccuracies, fitness for a particular purpose, or non-infringement.

NEUMC or IPRS assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions in the information, software, products and/or services which are referenced by or linked to this site. References to other corporations, their services and products, are provided "as is" without warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied.

The downloading or other acquisition of any materials through the site is done at your own discretion and risk and with your agreement that you will be solely responsible for any damage to your computer system or loss of data that results from such activities.

This site and Information contains links to third party web sites that are not under the control of either NEUMC or IPRS. NEUMC and IPRS make no representations whatsoever about any other web sites which you may have accessed through this site. When you access a non-NEUMC or IPRS web site, you do so at your own risk and NEUMC or IPRS is not responsible for the accuracy or reliability of any information, data, opinions, advice or statements made on these sites or for the quality of any products or services available on such sites. NEUMC or IPRS provides these links merely as a convenience and the inclusion of such links does not imply that NEUMC or IPRS endorses or accepts any responsibility for the content or use of such web sites.

NEUMC or IPRS does not warrant that the NEUMC or IPRS sites will meet your needs, or that they will be uninterrupted, timely, secure or error-free. NEUMC or IPRS also makes no warranty that the results obtained from the use of the NEUMC or IPRS sites will be accurate or reliable, or that the quality of any products, services, information, or other material purchased or obtained by you through the NEUMC or IPRS sites or distributed materials in electronic or print form will meet your expectations.

As a condition of your use of the NEUMC or IPRS sites and information related thereto in whatever form, you agree to indemnify and hold NEUMC and IPRS harmless from and against any and all claims, losses, liability, costs and expenses (including but not limited to attorneys' fees) arising from your use of the information provided.

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Funding Resources

Depending upon one's needs and interests, there may be a number of resources for acquiring funds to purchase accessibility equipment for individuals or for non-profit organizations.  Many churches for example may wish to increase their accessibility by building ramps, re-doing bathrooms, providing lifts or elevators, special audio equipment or the like.  Perhaps it is a question of employing a disabled person and needing special assistive devices for them to do their job successfully; or perhaps it is for a parishioner to gain access to all parts of the facility.  Many churches surveyed indicated they were handicapped accessible but in fact they were only partially accessible.  Many church web sites are difficult at best to read using screen readers and text-to-speech converters.

We are currently in the process of gathering names of foundations and organizations that support either individual or organizational purchases for the handicapped.

In the interim, an excellent resource is the Massachusetts Grant Makers Association based in Boston and the New York city based Foundation Directory.  On-line searches of databases of foundations (using key selectors for disabilities, grants to individuals and/or to churches, etc.) can be obtained at nominal cost from many public libraries including the Boston Public Library (Social Sciences Department). 

Check here for updates.

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Vendor Information

There are numerous types of vendors who serve the disabled communities.  These range from the major computer hardware and software manufacturers such as IBM, HP and Microsoft to the major telecommunications companies like AT&T, Verizon, and others.  In addition there are major Retailers like Radio Shack who sell equipment through their stores and catalogs like talking clocks and thermometers, talking Bibles, large button telephones, telephone amplifiers, etc.  The next tier down are the manufacturers of specialty hardware and software exclusively to the disabled persons.  These include the producers of software for text reading like JAWS and Window Eyes and special wheel chair adaptations, etc.

We are in the process of developing a list of some of the suppliers in this area.  Inclusion on our list is not an endorsement of the products or their manufacturers.  Likewise, not including a manufacturer on the list is not an indication of their unacceptability.

Check here for updates.

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