Resource Directory /

Chicago Home Care Resources

  • CommunicationFIRST

    CommunicationFIRST advocates to ensure everyone has the support they need to express themselves effectively and be heard. Organization members include people of all ages with over two dozen known and unknown expressive communication-related conditions, congenital and developmental disabilities, and conditions acquired later in life. CommunicationFIRST resources include:

    • “The Words We Use” style guide
    • Tips for online meetings with augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) users, by AAC users
    • The “See us. Hear us.” film series
    • The AAC Counts Project

  • Legal Aid Chicago

    Legal Aid Chicago provides free legal assistance in civil cases to people living in Chicago and suburban Cook County with limited income or special legal needs. It focuses on helping in the following key areas:

    • Family and safety –  where personal safety and financial stability are at risk
    • House and apartment – protecting safe and affordable housing for tenants and homeowners
    • Money and debt –  protecting income and assets from unfair collections and fraud
    • Work and employment rights – protecting the rights and benefits of workers and reducing barriers to employment
    • Health, disability and basic needs – accessing and protecting benefits for basic human needs
    • Immigration – obtaining protected status for victims of crime, including U-visa, VAWA (for victims of domestic violence) and T-visa (for victims of human trafficking)

  • Camp Sunshine for Children with Life-Threatening Illnesses and Their Families in Maine

    Camp Sunshine helps children with life-threatening illnesses and their families find hope, community and a safe space for recharging together. Located in Maine, the camp offers medical support and free, year-round camping sessions for children ages 21 and under, their siblings, parents and caregivers. Campers come from all over the United States, Canada, and other parts of the world. Bereavement sessions are also available for families who have experienced the death of a child from a supported illness.

    Camp Sunshine offers sessions of varying lengths throughout the year. Supported conditions and diagnoses include:

    • A brain tumor, cancer and retinoblastoma
    • Kidney disease
    • Sickle cell disease
    • Hematologic conditions
    • Phenylketonuria (PKU) and more

  • Homocystinuria (HCU) Network America

    Homocystinuria (HCU) Network America provides free resources and connections for people impacted by this rare genetic disorder that affects the body’s ability to process the amino acid homocysteine. HCU Network America supports a wide range of research and provides educational resources, connections and practical tools to help patients and their families navigate living with HCU.

    HCU Network America resources include:

  • ASL Nook (American Sign Language Nook)

    ASL Nook (American Sign Language Nook) is an online hub featuring fun and casual videos to help deaf children, hearing family members and students learn ASL. Founded by two Deaf people from hearing families, ASL Nook aims to fill a gap for new parents and to teach ASL using authentic, real-life situations.

    ASL Nook is free and provides short ASL videos focusing on topics such as:

    • Eating at a restaurant
    • Zoo and sea animals
    • Favorite stories
    • The weather
    • Health and more

  • Pediatric First Aid and Safety Training for Teachers and Caregivers

    The American Academy of Pediatrics’ “Pediatric First Aid and Safety Training for Teachers and Caregivers” online course is for anyone who works with or cares for infants and children. The six-unit training provides caregivers with an understanding of first aid and safety procedures, recognizing everyday medical emergencies and providing care for an injury or illness until professional help arrives.

    Each unit takes about an hour to complete. You can complete the course at your own pace. The course costs $25 and is available through March 30, 2028. It covers:

    • Administering mental health first aid
    • Effectively communicating with emergency responders
    • Disaster planning
    • Identifying and managing common pediatric medical emergencies
    • Using first aid equipment and child-specific procedures for cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR)

  • Sertoma Star Services in Illinois

    Sertoma Star Services (SRS) is a not-for-profit community organization dedicated to challenging the limits and changing the lives of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and mental illness in the Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana areas. Services include vocational, educational, therapeutic, recreational and residential programs.

    Sertoma Star Services programs include:

    • Special recreation services for children, teens and adults
    • Community living and home-based services
    • Life skills enrichment program for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities
    • Janitorial and e-recycling vocational training and long-term job opportunities for adults

  • Illinois Teachers of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing

    The Illinois Teachers of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (ITDHH) focuses on promoting the professional growth of teachers and the quality of education for people who are deaf and hard of hearing throughout Illinois. The organization hosts an annual conference and provides annual scholarship opportunities for teachers and students.

    ITDHH annual scholarship and grant opportunities for Illinois students and teachers include:

    • The “Hazel Bothwell Memorial Scholarships and Grants For Educators of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing” provides funding to teachers to help strengthen learning and educational services for children who are deaf and hard of hearing. You must be a current ITDHH member to apply.
    • The “Jacki Marcus Memorial Scholarship for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students” is for high school seniors planning to pursue a two- or four-year college degree. 
    • The “Pierce-Scherer Student Scholarship for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students” is for high school seniors planning to attend a vocational or trade school.

  • Sertoma Organization for People Affected by Hearing Loss

    Sertoma provides information and support to people at risk of or affected by hearing loss. National and local chapters across the United States support hearing health through a variety of programs and activities. Sertoma services include annual scholarships, access to amplified hearing devices, teen and college-level service programs, the “Adopt-an-Agency” program and more.

    Sertoma offers two scholarship programs:

    • The Scholarship for the Hard of Hearing or Deaf is open to students with clinically significant bilateral hearing loss. Graduating high school students or undergraduate students pursuing four-year college degrees in any discipline are eligible for the scholarship.
    • The Communicative Disorders Scholarship is for graduate students pursuing advanced degrees in audiology or speech-language pathology from institutions in the United States. The program awards these scholarships in the spring to help offset the cost of tuition, books and fees incurred during the following school year.

    See Sertoma’s website for eligibility requirements. The program accepts applications between Nov. 1 and March 31 each year.