Peoria Resources
The Illinois Deaf and Hard of Hearing Commission has a list of Service Animal Resources. Information includes Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements, programs that provide animals and more.
Epilepsy Alliance America is a national organization providing support, care and service to those with epilepsy, their families, caregivers and communities. The organization’s services and supports include:
The Epilepsy Advocacy Network (EAN) seeks to optimize the quality of life of individuals with epilepsy and seizure disorders by promoting community education and awareness, self-advocacy and empowerment, and helping all individuals gain proper access to care. EAN services and supports include:
- Case coordination (epilepsy)/assistance with education services
- Clinic visits
- Support groups
- Financial, transportation and medication resources
- Yearly camp for people ages 8 to 24 with epilepsy
- Seizure response training
It is an affiliate agency of the Epilepsy Alliance of America.
Affordable Health Insurance is a patient resource center that helps individuals learn about a wide variety of health insurance options. Information is available for each state and includes Affordable Care Act (ACA) enrollment deadlines, subsidies and how you can qualify for Medicare, Medicaid or Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). The site also provides information on:
- Different types of health plans
- Comparisons
- Provider reviews
- Benefits/coverage/specialized support for vulnerable youth with mental health issues
- Other resources
TAG Oral Care Center for Excellence in Chicago
TAG Oral Care Center (TAG OCC) provides free dental care to eligible, underserved adult patient populations. TAG OCC is located in Chicago’s West Loop neighborhood near public transportation and Interstate 90/94.
To qualify for free dental care, patients must be:
- Illinois residents
- Eligible for Medicaid or uninsured with a household income not greater than 200 percent of the federal poverty level
More details are available in the TAG OCC flyer. Interested patients can see if they qualify to make an appointment by calling (866) TAG-OCCE/ (866) 824-6223 or visiting TAG OCC’s website.
Chicago Autism Network and Therapy Assistance Grants
The Chicago Autism Network is a nonprofit dedicated to helping locals find and afford effective autism therapy and supports.
The network offers therapy assistance grants for anyone living in Illinois with a current autism diagnosis. It also holds free monthly Autism Parent Workshops.
The Chicago Autism Network also provides a statewide Autism Services Directory to help families connect with services that meet their needs closer to home.
Supporting Children With Limited Verbal Skills Tip Sheet
This Supporting Children With Limited Verbal Skills tip sheet from the Illinois Early Learning Project provides strategies that are helpful to all children but are particularly helpful for those with limited verbal skills.
IEL offers a wide variety of one-page, easy-to-read tip sheets covering a wide range of topics for parents and teachers of young children.
All tipsheets are available in Spanish and English. Selected tipsheets are available in Polish, Korean, Chinese, Arabic, Russian and French.
Illinois Medicaid Managed Care Transportation Toolkit in English and Spanish
The Illinois Medicaid Managed Care Consumer Benefits Transportation Toolkit is a step-by-step guide to help you get to medical appointments. The toolkit flyer provides a code to scan with your smartphone for quick access and contact information on who to contact if you don’t know which Medicaid Health Plan you have.
Use the transportation toolkit to learn:
- How to set up a ride
- What additional rides your plan covers
- What to think about when planning ahead
The flyer and toolkit are also available in Spanish:
- Miembro MCO guía de transporte folleto
- Guía de beneficios de transportación para el consumidor de Medicaid Managed Care de Illinois
The following organizations developed the toolkit: Illinois Association of Medicaid Health Plans (IAMHP), FIMR Community Action Team, Aetna Better Health of Illinois, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois, CountyCare Health Plan, Humana, Meridian and Molina Healthcare.
Accessible Festivals is dedicated to making live music and recreational events fully accessible for people of all abilities. Partnering with festivals and friends in the industry, Accessible Festivals provides free tickets, a calendar of events and a variety of programs that encourage accessibility and inclusion.
It also offers the Dan Grover Memorial Ticket Grant Program for individuals impacted by newly acquired, temporary or lifelong disabilities to apply for free access to their favorite events like concerts, festivals, and conventions.
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.