Helping Hand is a nonprofit organization empowering children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities across Chicagoland through person-centered education, therapy, residential and employment programs.

Helping Hand programs and services, include:

• An outpatient clinic
• School
• Community day services
• Residential living services
• Employment program

For more information, call (708) 352-3580 or email info@helpinghand-il.org.

Best Buddies in Illinois offers one-to-one friendship, integrated employment and leadership development programs for individuals with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).

Best Buddies offers chapters throughout Illinois. Programs and opportunities include:

• Best Buddies Friendship program, which offers social mentoring while improving the quality of life and level of inclusion
• Best Buddies Jobs program, which helps secure jobs for people with IDD.
• Best Buddies Leadership Development programs, which educate and empower people with IDD to be leaders, public speakers and advocates

For contact information, visit the Best Buddies in Illinois staff directory page.

The Caregiver Action Network’s Families, Addiction & Mental Health Network (FAM) is committed to helping and supporting caregivers, families, and patients navigate specialized supports and resources.

FAM recognizes the diversity and specialized support caregivers need to navigate substance use disorders and mental health care. FAM can connect caregivers with tailored tools and news to help navigate the complex mental healthcare landscape and advocate for their loved ones, and take care of their own health. FAM also provides educational articles, webinars, training, and other resources with lessons from fellow caregivers, healthcare professionals, social workers and others.

For more information, fill out the Contact form on FAM’s website.

Streator Unlimited Inc.’s Illinois Epilepsy Support and Resources provides services to anyone of any age with epilepsy or a seizure disorder who resides in its service area of central and northwest Illinois. Its services include:

• Peer support and support groups
• Caregiver support
• Help to navigate insurance and benefits
• Medical service support
• Access to counseling
• Vocational support
• Help to coordinate transportation

For more details, email epilepsy@streatorunlimited.org or call (815) 673-5574.

Friends of Man is a non-profit that uses 100% of donations for charitable assistance. The charity receives applications requesting mobility equipment, prosthetics, home modifications, medical equipment, hearing aids, basic needs and much more from referring professionals. Referring professionals include caseworkers, case managers, healthcare workers, social workers, school counselors, teachers and clergy who apply on behalf of their patients and clients.

In addition to the assistance listed above, Friends of Man can provide assistance nationwide for adaptive equipment, assistive technology, lift chairs, mobility equipment, orthopedic braces and shoes, stairlifts, vehicle adaptations and wheelchair ramps.

More details are on the Friends of Man Eligibility page.

Parents of Extraordinary Children (PEXC) is a nonprofit that aims to inform, empower, support and help advocate for families of children and young adults with disabilities within the southeast side of Chicago.

With the help of volunteers and representatives from city-wide organizations, PEXC provides opportunities for Individualized Education Program (IEP) training, learning to navigate the special education process, understanding terminology, initiating the process of evaluation,  the transition to adulthood and more.

PEXC has a Sensory Space and Resource Center and offers an “All Inclusive Support Group” on a monthly basis for families.

For more information, call (312) 600-5479 or email admin@pexc10thward.com.

New Lenox Transportation Service provides safe, affordable and reliable transportation for all New Lenox Township residents. Transportation is provided within the New Lenox Township and Village, Monday through Friday, from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Rides are also available to the Mokena, Frankfort and Joliet areas for medical and physical therapy appointments or employment for New Lenox Township residents ages 22 years and older with disabilities. You must make reservations by telephone.

Transportation office hours are 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. To schedule a ride, please call transportation services manager Debbie Cunningham at (815) 485-6431.

The League of Chicago Theatres works with Chicago-area theaters to make live theater performances accessible to everyone. The league provides a calendar of upcoming performances based on specific access requirements and disabilities.

The calendar includes touch tours, American Sign Language (ASL)-interpreted, audio-described, open-captioned, sensory-friendly and Spanish subtitled performances.  Sensory-friendly performances are relaxed and sensory-friendly theatre experiences aimed to be more accessible for individuals on the autism spectrum or others with cognitive/developmental disabilities.

For more information, contact the League of Chicago Theatres at (312) 554-9800 or info@chicagoplays.com.

West40 serves 38 school districts and three co-ops in West Cook County. West40 provides a wide range of in-school advocacy,  student-centered programs and links to community resources to help students and the people surrounding them succeed.

West40 offers:

• A community resource page with links to help with food, mental health needs, special education and more
• The Heart 2 Heart Program for students in grades K-12 in the Alternative Learning Opportunities Program (ALOP)
• Family engagement, immigration and other networking and support resources

Call (708) 449-4284 or use the West40 Contact Us form for more information.

North West Housing Partnership (NWHP) programs cover a broad area of the suburban northwest, west and Chicagoland area. It offers a variety of housing and handyman programs for seniors 60 years and older and people with disabilities, 18 or over, in need of simple repairs in the communities of:

• Arlington Heights
• Buffalo Grove
• Mount Prospect
• Palatine
• Rolling Meadows
• Des Plaines
• All of Palatine and Wheeling Townships
• Oak Park Township (including Oak Park and River Forest).

NWHP also offers:

• Housing workshops and seminars
• Handyman and CAPABLE (Community Aging in Place Advancing Better Living for Elders) programs for people with disabilities ages 18 and up
• The Home Repair Accessibility Program (HRAP) in Cook, Kane and DuPage counties, funded by the Illinois Housing Development Authority (IHDA), to help homeowners address home accessibility issues that affect the health or safety of their families

For more information, visit the Contact Us page on NWHP’s website.