St. Clair Resources
Project Mobility is a nonprofit organization that offers recreational events using specialized bicycles for people with disabilities. Its professional staff works with families, rehabilitative professionals and organizations to promote better health, independence, and most of all the freedom of mobility for people with physical disabilities.
Project Mobility also does an Adaptive Bike Giveaway.
Preparations for Caregivers During COVID-19 and Beyond
Parents and caregivers of children with medical complexity often focus solely on their child’s health and wellbeing. But what happens when the parent/caregiver gets sick?
It’s a crucial question that families must consider. Advance preparations can help parents/caregivers reduce stress, lighten their mental load and protect the child’s health and safety during a family illness and other emergencies.
Pediatric doctors from Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago provide advice on how to start these conversations with your pediatrician during the pandemic and beyond.
Parent Guide to Special Education
“Educational Rights and Responsibilities: Understanding Special Education in Illinois” is a guide for parents, teachers, administrators and others to learn about the educational rights of children who receive special education and related services due to disabilities that affect their ability to achieve academically.
Special education laws and procedures are complicated and can be difficult to understand. This guide from the Illinois State Board of Education will clarify some of the procedures of special education. It contains information about many of the most common topics related to the broad special education landscape, from identification and evaluation to transition planning and complaint procedures
The Illinois Department of Public Health provides coronavirus disease (COVID-19) travel recommendations and guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to help inform residents of potential risks associated with traveling during the pandemic.
The information indicates countries and U.S. states with increased risk of COVID-19 based on case rates.
COVID-19 Preparedness Tool for Families and Caregivers
The Stanford Health Literacy Lab in collaboration with families and providers developed the COVID-19 Preparedness Tool for Families and Caregivers to help families of children with special healthcare needs with rpreparing for and responding to COVID-19 in a variety of settings.
The user-friendly tool, also available in Spanish, provides tips for home, healthcare settings, schools and work. It also offers advice for coping with family stress.
Coronavirus Economic Stimulus Payments
The passage of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act authorized the creation of stimulus checks for individuals and families under certain income thresholds. Most Illinoisans are eligible for these stimulus checks, though many did not receive them, leaving millions of dollars unclaimed.
Get My Payment IL Coalition is available to answer any and all stimulus payment questions. It provides a step-by-step process to follow in order to receive a stimulus check.
SNAP Online Purchasing Program
The Illinois Department of Human Services is offering online purchasing for more than 1.8 million Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) customers across a million households.
Online SNAP will give families easier access to food during the COVID-19 crisis and beyond. Busy parents will no longer have to stress about how they can pick their kids up from school and make it to the grocery store before dinner. And those working multiple jobs or the late shift won’t have to rush to make it before the store closes. All families will have another option to independently secure the food they need.
PTSD During a Pandemic for Parents with Medically Fragile Children
It’s not uncommon for parents and caregivers of children with neurologic conditions to experience PTSD.
In this video from the Child Neurology Foundation, a caregiver and a psychologist discuss the impact that this has – especially during times of isolation and stress like the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Benefits.gov is an online resource to help you find federal benefits you may be eligible for in the United States. The Benefit Finder questionnaire can help you find benefits you may be eligible to receive – such as healthcare and medical assistance, financial assistance, loans and disaster relief – and direct you to the agency to apply.
The ADA National Network provides information, guidance and training on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).