Disability Rights & Resources is a Center for Independent Living headquartered in Birmingham. We provide several core services, as well as additional services to help individuals with disabilities living in 20 counties in central Alabama. We are not a residential facility nor a HUD voucher provider. We do not offer housing opportunities or vouchers for housing. Our mission is to “empower individuals with disabilities to FULLY participate in their community.”
After reading over the list below, we invite you to fill out our application for services, and one of our staff members will follow up with you.
Core Services:
Information and Referral:
Find answers to your questions about living with a disability. Get information about disability rights, resources, groups or programs that may help you, a family member, or a business.
Independent Living Skills:
Learn the skills you desire to have to be independent everyday and/or to live on your own .You can pick the areas on which you want to work, like budgeting, cooking, running your home, communication, transportation, relationships ,or even how to speak up for yourself.
Advocacy:
Learn how to advocate for yourself and have your voice heard while acting for change that offers equal opportunity for people with disabilities. We can help you contact your government officials, write letters or make phone calls ,travel to Montgomery for special events or just figure out how to stand up for your rights in your own life.
Peer Support:
Learn problem-solving solutions, share successes and build relationships with other individuals with disabilities who may share your needs/concerns. Learn about new topics, such as healthy living, couponing , and job skills, while making new friends and being part of a team.
Transition into the Community:
Receive assistance relocating from an institution into your own place. Get help learning about the things you will need to be successful – such as finding housing, setting up utilities, and arranging and getting support from others.
Nursing Home Diversion:
Help prevent entering a nursing home by identifying problems that threaten your independence and solutions that work for you.
Youth Transition Services:
Extra help for individuals 14-21 who are in school or have just exited school. Get help understanding your disability at any age, discovering what is important to you, and how to set goals for yourself.
Other Services:
Work Incentives Planning & Assistance:
Learn how working will affect your federal and state benefits, including SSI & SSDI, Medicare & Medicaid, SNAP/food stamps, and Veterans benefits. Benefits Counselors will explain how earnings from work will affect your Social Security benefits and how Social Security Work Incentives can enable you to ease the transition to work without immediately losing your benefits.
Home Modification:
We help people with disabilities both inside and outside of Birmingham city limits by making their homes more accessible. Geographic, disability, age and income limits may apply.
Within the City of Birmingham, we assist low-income home owners with disabilities to make their homes more accessible. The mission of this program is to allow people to get in and out of their home safely and use their bathroom as safely and independently as possible.
For those outside of the City of Birmingham, we assist low-income homeowners over the age of 62 to reduce risk of falling or injury at home, improve general safety, increase accessibility, and improve functional abilities.
Empower Me!
Empower Me is a self-advocacy program from students aged 16-22. We teach students with disabilities to speak up for themselves to reduce risks of abuse & neglect and provide sessions related to transition, independent living, and employment. Our curricula include On Ramp T’NT and Ignite – Students ages 16-22 learn transition skills, independent living skills, and career exploration; Advocacy in Action – Led by a person with a disability, this 3-session toolkit introduces students to the world of self-advocacy with an emphasis on transition, independent living, and employment; and additional lessons on personal safety, balance of power in relationships, sexual abuse/harassment, and dating violence. Click HERE for more information.
MAP
In a partnership with Jefferson State, MAP is designed to give students the basic knowledge and understanding of the Information Technology industry and the many pieces that work together to provide IT in various ways. Participants can gain Information Technology MAP Certification that signifies to a company the attainment of the competencies received; gainful employment in the IT sector; opportunities for advancement in a current job; 1 credit towards a college-level course at Jefferson State Community College; and 15 additional Digital Literacy certificates under the following three categories: Essential Computer Skills, Essential Software Skills, and Using Technology in Daily Life. Click HERE for more information.
Advocates at Alabama Statehouse
Note: Disability Rights & Resources is a Center for Independent Living. It is NOT a residential facility nor a HUD voucher provider. We do not offer housing opportunities or vouchers for housing. We are happy to provide accessible housing resources, help individuals transitioning into an independent living situation, and offer independent living skills training through our information & referral and peer support services.
