Inclusive Healthy Communities

Resource Library

Support for Individuals with Disabilities (New Jersey)

  • Autism New Jersey : A nonprofit agency committed to ensuring safe and fulfilling lives for individuals with autism, their families, and the professionals who support them.
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  • Brain Injury Alliance NJ : The Brain Injury Alliance of New Jersey is on a mission to improve the quality of life for anyone impacted by brain injury by providing support, advocacy, and information, while promoting brain injury prevention.
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  • DIAL, Inc. : Center for Independent Living Serving individuals with disabilities in Passaic and Essex Counties. Information and Referral, Advocacy, Peer Support, Independent Living Skills Training, and Facilitating Youth in Transition and Community Transition for people with disabilities on services and relevant issues; Community Education and Outreach; Therapeutic Recreation Program.
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  • Easterseals New Jersey : Easterseals is a national nonprofit organization that supports individuals with disabilities and special needs. In New Jersey, it operates across 21 counties, offering a variety of services aimed at helping people overcome life’s challenges.
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  • Family Resource Network (FRN) : The Family Resource Network (FRN) is a comprehensive group of community-based programs and service organizations dedicated to meeting the needs of individuals and families with disabilities in New Jersey.
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  • LD OnLine : LD OnLine is the leading website on learning disabilities and learning differences. Parents and teachers of children with learning disabilities will find supportive and authoritative guidance on attention deficit disorder, ADD / ADHD, dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia, reading difficulties, speech, and related disorders.
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  • National Federation of the Blind of NJ (NFB-NJ) : The NFB NJ, an affiliate of the National Federation of the Blind (NFB), is a volunteer-driven 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to empowering blind individuals. Through advocacy, resources, and community support, NFBNJ helps blind and low-vision individuals gain independence, develop essential skills, and achieve their aspirations. With local chapters, programs, and dedicated leaders, NFBNJ works to break barriers, promote inclusion, and drive long-term change at both state and national levels.
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  • NJ Council for Developmental Disabilities : The NJCDD is committed to advancing public policy and systems change that helps people with developmental disabilities gain more control over their lives.
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  • Planned Lifetime Assistance Network of New Jersey, Inc. (PLAN|NJ) : A nonprofit organization dedicated to assisting individuals with intellectual, developmental, and physical disabilities, as well as mental health challenges. Their mission is to assist families in planning for the ongoing care and support of their loved ones with disabilities, ensuring their well-being and quality of life are maintained.​
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  • Supportive Choices : Supportive Choices is a New Jersey-based agency that focuses on coordinating support services for individuals with developmental disabilities and their families. They offer personalized planning, help create Individualized Service Plans (NJISP), and provide resources to empower clients and their families. Their mission is to ensure that individuals have the tools and opportunities to make choices and live with greater autonomy.
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  • SPAN Parent Advocacy Network : SPAN is dedicated to supporting children and families facing significant challenges, including disabilities, special health or mental health needs, poverty, discrimination (based on race, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, language, or immigrant status), involvement in the child welfare or juvenile justice systems, geographic location, or other unique circumstances. SPAN offers individual assistance, workshops, and resources, with services available in multiple languages to ensure accessibility for all.
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  • The Center for Autism : The Center for Autism is dedicated to supporting adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Pervasive Developmental Delays, helping them lead productive and meaningful lives while integrating into the community. Approved by Medicaid and the New Jersey Division of Developmental Disabilities (DDD), the Center offers high-quality day services to adults aged 21 and older in a state-of-the-art facility. The Center believes that adult learners with Autism and Pervasive Developmental Delays have continued potential for growth and learning, and it strives to extend their educational experience.
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  • The Center For Family Support (CFS) : The Center for Family Support (CFS) is a nonprofit organization serving both New York and New Jersey, dedicated to providing tailored assistance to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families. Through person-centered programs and services, CFS empowers participants to live fulfilling lives, fostering growth, learning, and community integration.
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  • The NJ State Library Talking Book and Braille Center (TBBC) : The NJ State Library Talking Book and Braille Center (TBBC), offers free, home-delivered services through the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled. TBBC supports New Jersey residents of all ages who struggle with reading standard print or holding a book due to physical impairments, visual impairments, or reading disabilities.
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  • We’ve Got Friends : Their mission is to provide inclusive social spaces for teens with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD), fostering meaningful connections with peers. They offer hangouts and special events that help teens make friends, showcase their talents, build confidence, and strengthen their sense of belonging. Their programs are free for participants and their families, ensuring that friendship is accessible to all, regardless of race, gender, national origin, religion, or economic status.
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  • NJ Division of Disability Services: resource information: https://www.nj.gov/humanservices/dds/resources/index.shtml
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  • Disability Rights NJ: New Jersey’s designated Protection and Advocacy agency disabilityrightsnj.org under federal law. It includes the Assistive Technology Center: at4nj.org
  • Family Resource Network (FRN): The Family Resource Network (FRN) is a comprehensive group of community-based programs and service organizations dedicated to meeting the needs of individuals and families with disabilities in New Jersey.
  • Mental Health Association of NJ: Mission is to strive for children and adults to achieve victory over mental illness and substance use disorders through advocacy, education, training and services.
  • National Alliance on Mental Illness (NJ): NAMI New Jersey (NAMI NJ) is a statewide non-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of individuals and families affected by mental illness.
  • NJ Self Help Group Clearing House: Help people find and form all types of self-help support groups to provide hope, strength and experience to those in need to not feel alone.
  • SPAN Parent Advocacy Network: SPAN is dedicated to supporting children and families facing significant challenges, including disabilities, special health or mental health needs, poverty, discrimination (based on race, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, language, or immigrant status), involvement in the child welfare or juvenile justice systems, geographic location, or other unique circumstances. SPAN offers individual assistance, workshops, and resources, with services available in multiple languages to ensure accessibility for all.
  • American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) : Focuses on advocacy, inclusion, and empowering individuals with disabilities. They work to advance civil rights, economic security, and opportunities for people with disabilities.
  • Autistic Self Advocacy Network : The Autistic Self Advocacy Network is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization run by and for autistic people. ASAN is a national grassroots disability rights organization for the autistic community. We fight for disability rights. We work to ensure autistic people are included in policy-making so that laws and policies meet our community’s needs. We work to support all forms of self-advocacy and to change the way people think about autism. Our members and supporters include autistic adults and youth, cross-disability advocates, and non-autistic family members, professionals, educators, and friends.
  • Child Mind Institute : The organization is dedicated to improving the lives of children and families affected by mental health and learning disorders. As a leading nonprofit in children’s mental health, it provides evidence-based care, delivers educational resources to millions of families annually, trains educators in underserved communities, and develops innovative treatments for the future.
  • LD OnLine : LD OnLine is the leading website on learning disabilities and learning differences. Parents and teachers of children with learning disabilities will find supportive and authoritative guidance on attention deficit disorder, ADD / ADHD, dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia, reading difficulties, speech, and related disorders.
  • NAMI: People with Disabilities : This resource discusses how many people with disabilities experience traumatic stress due to stigma and discrimination, emphasizing the psychological effects that can result from societal barriers and how mental health support is crucial for individuals with disabilities.
  • National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled (NLS) Library of Congress: The National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled (NLS), Library of Congress, administers a free national library program that provides braille and recorded materials to people who cannot see regular print or handle print materials.

For Educators​

Understanding Disabilities (for students)

For Parents

How To Help Kids Talk About Learning Disabilities

Different Kinds of Disabilities:

Additional Resources

Documentaries

Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution (2020)

Film Description: Crip Camp is a powerful documentary about a 1970s summer camp for teens with disabilities that sparked a revolution. What began as a place of freedom and friendship grew into the heart of the disability rights movement, showing how a small camp ignited a nationwide fight for equality.
Where to watch: Netflix | YouTube (Free)
Website: cripcamp.com

Accessing Democracy

Film Description: Accessing Democracy is a 2024 short documentary that follows Monica Wiley, a Black woman with a spinal cord injury, as she talks with voters with disabilities across the East Coast. It shows the everyday struggles they face and how they’re often ignored by politicians—while making it clear what they want in the next president.
Where to watch: YouTube (Free)
Accessibility: ASL, Audio Description, Captions
Website: National Disability Rights Network

Unforgotten: 25 Years After Willowbrook

Film Description: Unforgotten: Twenty-Five Years After Willowbrook is a 1996 documentary that revisits the infamous 1972 exposé of the Willowbrook State School by journalist Geraldo Rivera. Through interviews with former residents and their families, the film examines the lasting impact of the institution’s closure and highlights the ongoing challenges faced by individuals with developmental disabilities.
Where to watch: YouTube

Uncovering Willowbrook: 50 Years Later

Film Description: Explore the haunting legacy of Willowbrook State School, 50 years after Geraldo Rivera’s exposé. This episode reflects on its impact, interviews survivors, and highlights progress toward a more inclusive society.
Where to watch: PBS

Do You Dream in Color?

Film Description: Do You Dream in Color? is a 2017 documentary that follows four blind teenagers as they chase their dreams, from skateboarding to music and education. It sheds light on their resilience in overcoming social and systemic obstacles while striving for a future full of possibilities.
Where to watch: Tubi

Inside Pennhurst Asylum

Film Description: Inside Pennhurst Asylum: Understanding Disabilities Through The Decades is a documentary that explores the history of Pennhurst, a former institution for individuals with disabilities. Through personal stories, historical context, and insights from advocates, the film reveals the struggles residents faced and the efforts to improve their care. It tracks the evolution of disability care, from institutionalization to community-based support, and highlights the legal battles and advocacy movements that helped shape these changes.
Where to watch: YouTube | YouTube (Free)
Website: Pennhurst Memorial and Preservation Alliance

Books

“Disability Visibility: First-Person Stories from the Twenty-First Century,” edited by Alice Wong – A collection of essays focusing on personal stories of people with disabilities.
“Being Heumann: An Unrepentant Memoir of a Disability Rights Activist,” is a memoir written by Judith Heumann, a prominent disability rights activist. In the book, Heumann chronicles her personal experiences growing up with polio and navigating life as a person with a disability in a society that was not yet inclusive or accommodating.
“Pennhurst and the Struggle for Disability Rights,” edited by Dennis B. Downey and James W. Conroy, with a foreword by Dick and Ginny Thornburgh, examines the rise and fall of Pennhurst State School and Hospital. Once considered a ‘model institution,’ it became notorious for abuse and neglect. Through essays and first-person accounts, this book explores Pennhurst’s dark legacy, its role in disability rights advocacy, and the lawsuits that helped end mass institutionalization in the U.S.

Specialized Inclusive Camps

Camp Fatima of New Jersey

Address
P.O. Box 654, Harrison, NJ 07029, but their actual summer camp operates at the Baptist Camp & Conference Center in Lebanon, NJ
Contact
applications@campfatimanj.org
for general/application questions
Population served
Children & adults with special needs (developmental disabilities).
How to apply
To apply for Camp Fatima of New Jersey, you need to use their online platform, CampDoc https://app.campdoc.com/!/dn/login?r=campfatimanj, and click on Sign Up

The Arc of Union County (Camp Star and Little Tykes Camp)

Address
1181 Route 22 East, Mountainside
Population served
Camp Star: children and teens ages 6 to 21 years old with special needs, and their siblings

Little Tykes Camp: children ages 3 to 5 years
How to apply
To apply for The Arc of Union County's Camp Star or Little Tykes programs, email info@arcunion.org

General Camps with Inclusion Support

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