The IDEA Partnership is dedicated to improving outcomes for students and youth with disabilities by joining state agencies and stakeholders through shared work and learning. This dedication has been operationalized in the collaborative work on Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) of 12 partner organization representatives, nine national and state technical assistance providers, and a number of state and local organizations and agencies. Members of this ASD collaborative work group represent a range of roles at all levels of the education system as well as coming from geographic locations from across the United States. Together with the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), these partners form a community with the potential to transform the way we work.

For most blind computer users, surfing the internet or catching up on e-mail means reading just one line at a time, because commercially available braille displays can’t show full pages of text. Researchers from North Carolina State University now say they have devised a display that would allow visually challenged users to read a full page at a time — and at a much lower cost than existing displays.

American DanceWheels Foundation (ADF) is the home of the first American Style Wheelchair Ballroom and Latin Dance Program in the world. Our mission is to provide people of all ages and abilities the opportunity to partner dance by pairing one person with an ambulatory disability with an able bodied partner.

Washington, DC (April 2, 2010) – Autism Speaks, the nation’s largest autism science and advocacy organization, today joined with grassroots advocates to celebrate the passage of three more state autism insurance reform bills this week in Iowa, Kansas, and Kentucky. The effort to end autism insurance discrimination nationwide has gained new momentum with these recent victories, combined with President Obama’s enactment this week of the Health Care Education and Affordability Reconciliation Act of 2010, which contains a provision including behavioral health treatment as part of the essential benefits package required in certain health plans.

HELENA - Montana's Capitol joined buildings around the world to raise awareness about autism on Thursday night.

This mass of flesh in the wheelchair - obese, constricted, imperfect - is Chris Johnson's body. It is, he says, "his monster." It's a cruel joke of Mother Nature, explained in words such as "cerebral palsy" and delivered in humorless punch lines that, instead of laughter, can leave him lonely, melancholy and despairing.Chris Johnson knows them all. But know this about Johnson - the brain damage that he experienced at birth 30 years ago relegated his body to a wheelchair but did not limit the boundaries of his mind.As proof, he will roll across the stage May 22 at Augustana College's commencement ceremony, a double major in French and English with a 3.95 grade-point average and a story of inspiration.

Tony Rodriguez, now 32, recently graduated from the world’s largest piano technology school in half the time it takes others. And if that weren’t in and of itself something spectacular, consider this: Tony Rodriguez has battled his whole life with autism.

Life after a spinal cord injury is filled with the challenge of accepting your injury, coping with your limitations and adjusting to an entirely new way of seeing the world. Here, six men and women talk about their lives after a spinal cord injury.

Nagging doubts, compulsions, concerns of contamination, obsessive hoarding: the symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder are numerous and varied. What is it like to live this way? How does one maintain a normal life? Six men and women speak about their battles with this disorder.

Multiple sclerosis can be an insidious disease, affecting many parts of the body and gradually causing serious disability. What is it like to live with MS? Eight men and women speak about their experiences.

More than 3 million people in the U.S. have some form of epilepsy. While seizures come in various forms, those with epilepsy cope with similar issues: social stigma, complex treatment options and a feeling of powerlessness. Eight men, women and children discuss what it's like to live with epilepsy.

Less than 20 years ago the median life span for people with cystic fibrosis was 29. Today, with new treatments and earlier diagnosis, those with the inherited disorder are living longer, more fulfilling lives. But with complicated, time-consuming treatments and frequent lung infections, life with cystic fibrosis can be difficult. Six men and women speak about their experiences.

What is it like to have bipolar disorder? To be labeled "crazy"? How do you balance the ups and downs? Here, in their own words, are the stories of nine men and women living with bipolar disorder.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, affects parts of the nervous system that control voluntary muscle movement. The average life span of someone with A.L.S. is five years after diagnosis. Here, six men and women speak about how their lives have changed as a result of this devastating illness.

The challenges faced by those with A.D.H.D. -- weighing the decision to take stimulant medication, facing those who doubt your disorder and adapting to your symptoms -- are daunting and deeply personal. Here, in their own words, are the stories of adults and children coping with A.D.H.D.

Characterized by sudden jerking movements and uncontrollable tics and vocalizations, Tourette’s syndrome is a strange, often misunderstood condition. What is it like to live without full control of your body? Seven men and women talk about living with the twitches of Tourette’s.

The autism-spectrum disorders encompass a wide range of symptoms, from social awkwardness to a complete inability to interact and communicate. Here, six men and women speak about living with an autism-spectrum disorder.

The VSA Teaching Artist Fellowship program seeks to identify, engage, and support teaching artists with disabilities in the visual and performing arts. VSA recognizes the value of teaching artists in integrating the arts into education. Teaching artists with disabilities also serve as role models of diversity, expression, and inclusive learning in the classroom.

The Commission's mission is "to promote the ABA's commitment to justice and the rule of law for persons with mental, physical, and sensory disabilities and to promote their full and equal participation in the legal profession." The Commission consists of 15 members appointed by the ABA President-elect on an annual basis. It meets bi-annually at its headquarters in Washington, D.C. to map out future plans and to direct its current activities.