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This is the first post in a multi-part series written by the Disability.gov team to help others learn about the importance of website accessibility and the best practices that are used on Disability.gov.

There are several different types of student financial aid - scholarships, grants, work-study and loans. This guide explains the financial aid options available to students who want to further their education by attending a college or university or a career or technical school. You’ll also learn about how to apply for federal student aid, get information about scholarships for students with disabilities, and learn about other types of financial aid to help pay your tuition, fees and other higher education expenses.

As the demographics shift to reflect an aging population, innovation abounds in the area of developing new assistive technologies to make life tasks easier for an individual with disabilities or for a family caregiver. How can you find out about existing or new technologies? One answer is finding information on the Internet, and a recent online survey of caregivers provides some insight into this question.

As the Commissioner of the Administration on Developmental Disabilities (ADD), I am absolutely committed to making our schools, communities, workplaces and neighborhoods more welcoming and inclusive for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. I believe strongly in supporting approaches that shape attitudes by raising expectations, change outdated or broken systems, engender respect for all people and empower individuals with disabilities to pursue the lives they imagine for themselves. In order to determine the best path forward, ADD is currently embarking on a collaborative process to collect public input for our five year strategic plan through a series of meetings we are calling, “Envisioning the Future.”

Opening Doors: A Discussion of Residential Options for Adults Living with Autism & Related Disorders This report focuses on the residential concerns of adults with autism and related disorders and is designed to advance the development of residential models that offer quality, affordable housing options. The study also looks at current and projected demand for life-long living options that support individuals with autism spectrum and related disorders who are unable to live on their own. This link opens a PDF document. A fact sheet on this report can be downloaded in Word format.

From Disability.gov, this fact sheet provides an overview of the major federal student aid grant programs. The federal government provides grant funds for students attending colleges, including career colleges and universities. Grants, unlike loans, do not have to be repaid. To access the fact sheet in English go to http://studentaid.ed.gov/students/attachments/siteresources/Grant_Programs_Fact_Sheet_04_2009.pdf A Spanish version is available at: http://studentaid.ed.gov/students/attachments/siteresources/spanish/Grant_Programs_Fact_Sheet_04_2009%28es%29.pdf

Who am I? Easy – my name is Evan, that's who I am and that's what I'm called. And yet, for some of my friends, there are still people who would identify them by saying, “Oh, him? He's a “special needs” kid, “a SPED,” – a “retard.” Why are some of my best friends, people who just happen to have intellectual disabilities, identified not by their names, but by their disability? Is it out of ignorance? Is it because people feel some unwarranted and overwhelming desire to label others? Or is the sad truth that these friends of mine are not called by name, because their names are not known?