Resource Directory

Education Resources

• The Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center at Gallaudet University

  The Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center at Gallaudet University is a federally funded center providing elementary and secondary education programs for deaf and hard-of-hearing students. The Clerc Center Online Community provides best-practice videos, research, toolkits and resources for families of deaf and hard-of-hearing children and the professionals who work with them.

  Clerc Center resources include:

  • The Language First Parent Guide, a step-by-step roadmap for parents with children who are deaf and hard of hearing
  • Family-focused activities such as American Sign Language (ASL) classes, bilingual storybooks and more

• Peoria Friendship House/La Familia

  The Peoria Friendship House offers wraparound services to empower families and meet changing community needs. Its services include a program supporting the Latino community, citizenship classes, a food pantry, health support services and youth programs. The Peoria Friendship House also provides:

  • A parent mentor program
  • S.T.E.A.M.S Academy for students focused on science, technology, engineering, arts and math
  • La Familia healing support across the lifespan
  • A financial stability program
  • Pantry on the Move to help reduce barriers to receiving food

• Community Foundation of Northern Illinois

  The Community Foundation of Northern Illinois (CFNIL) provides scholarships, including scholarships for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and grants to charitable organizations in Boone, Ogle, Stephenson, and Winnebago counties. Visit CFNIL’s scholarship opportunities page to learn more.

Family Resources

• Special Father's Network

  Special Father’s Network is a dad-to-dad mentoring program for fathers raising children with special needs.

  The program connects new fathers with special needs children to another father (a Mentor Father) who has experienced a similar situation. The program matches Mentor Fathers as closely as possible based on the child’s special needs, gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic group and relationship to the child e.g., .father, stepfather, grandfather).

  The Special Father’s Network is available through the 21st Century Dads Foundation, which raises awareness and resources for greater father involvement and seeks to inspire dads to be present, caring and nurturing.

• Illinois Respite Coalition

  The Illinois Respite Coalition (IRC) is a not-for-profit organization of caregivers and respite providers dedicated to supporting families and ensuring access to quality respite services for the residents of Illinois. The IRC assists caregivers by connecting them to resources in their area, providing training on respite topics and having funding available for emergency respite. The IRC helps caregivers of individuals across the lifespan with any disability.

  The Emergency Respite Care Program offers funding and resources to support caregivers who are not receiving any respite services and have an urgent need for respite care in the absence of any other funding source.  Emergency respite care may be for an unplanned or planned event for reasons including:

  • Caregiver illness (physical, mental or emotional)
  • Caregiver hospitalization
  • Work-related situation
  • Reduction of stress level

  The website gives examples of qualifying circumstances and information on how to apply. See the emergency care flyer for more details. (The flyer is also available in Spanish.)

  For more information, contact:

  • The Illinois Respite Coalition at (866) ILL-RESP (455-7377), ext. 101, or email irc.programassistant@gmail.com.
  • Spanish-speaking callers may call (866) 866-ILL-RESP (455-7377), ext. 103, or email cnava@illinoisrespitecoalition.org

• Almost Home Kids

  Almost Home Kids provides a bridge from hospital to home through an innovative community-based care system for children with medical complexities. It responds to the needs of families, trains caregivers, offers respite care, advocates for accessibility and inclusion and educates healthcare professionals.

  Almost Home Kids offers transitional, respite and respite transportation care. It has locations in Chicago, Naperville and Peoria.

Medical/Health Resources

• Get Covered Illinois - The Official Health Marketplace

  If you are looking for health insurance for yourself or your family, or if you own a small business or lead a nonprofit organization this website is the official site in Illinois for signing up for health insurance.

• Cook for Love

  Cook For Love is a nonprofit organization providing support, resources and education to individuals, families and clinicians managing phenylketonuria (PKU). The site empowers members of the metabolic disorders community to improve their health through cooking and education.

  Cook for Love’s website includes:

  • Recipes for creating low-protein foods
  • Information about low-protein products to keep in your pantry
  • Step-by-step instructions
  • Videos for making meals and treats

• Complex Care at Home for Children

  The Complex Care at Home for Children website aims to provide an educational resource for parents and caregivers of children with medical complexity. The site offers information and tools to help facilitate daily care, ensuring a safe environment for the child and family. Topics include:

  • Tracheostomy and other types of respiratory care
  • Peritoneal dialysis
  • Enterostomy care
  • Enteral nutrition
  • Parenteral nutrition
  • Intravenous antibiotic therapy
  • Intermittent bladder catheterization