Education Resources
The Autism Program of Illinois (TAP)
The Autism Program of Illinois (TAP) Service Network is a collaboration of five universities and 10 organizations that together operate 20 centers across the state to provide services to children, families, educators, childcare providers, and medical professionals.
Illinois residents can participate in TAP’s Advocating for Supports to Improve Service Transitions (ASSIST) Training Program. The training features twelve modules focused on helping families advocate for adult services on behalf of their child or young adult on the autism spectrum. Each module features an expert-led presentation and time for discussion.
Topics include:
- Guardianship and alternatives to guardianship
- Medicaid waiver services
- Social Security benefits
- Health insurance
- Special needs trusts
- Post-secondary education and employment
The Center for Enriched Living
The Center for Enriched Living (CEL) provides a wide range of services to enrich the lives of teens, adults and seniors with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). CEL programs include social, recreational and employment programs, events, adult day programs, and mental health and wellness support to people with IDD, their families and caregivers.
CEL is independently funded and partners with the community for donations, regular volunteers, advocacy and collaborations that support people with IDD.
For questions, please contact (847) 948-7001 or info@CenterForEnrichedLiving.org.
The Decibels Foundation supports children with hearing loss from birth through the time that they enter a mainstream educational environment and beyond. Using a family-centered approach to hearing loss programs, the Decibels Foundation helps the children by first helping their parents learn how to raise a child with a hearing loss, then helping school systems understand what it takes to educate a child with hearing loss.
The Decibels Foundation’s Resources page offers key information on:
- Associations and programs
- Articles and books
- Simulated demonstrations of listening with hearing loss and devices
- Cochlear implant resources
- Education and accessibility
- Speech and language support
- Social and emotional support
- Apps and more
For questions, contact the Decibels Foundation at (978) 637-2622 or info@decibelsfoundation.org.
The Early Years Project is a free online toolkit from the Illinois Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Program featuring easy-to-follow videos, activities and resources. Parents, caregivers, and educators can use these materials to help foster sensory development in young children, from birth to 6 years old.
The Early Years Project toolkit aims to supplement home visiting and early education programs. It includes information on developmental milestones, activities, resources and more in four areas:
- Hearing
- Vision
- Communication
- Language
The Guthrie-Koch Scholarship for Individuals with Certain Metabolic Disorders
The Guthrie-Koch Scholarship from flok is for individuals with one of several metabolic disorders. The scholarship is for students who demonstrate character, academic achievement, and engagement with their community, and who are pursuing post-secondary educational or vocational opportunities. Students from any country can apply. Scholarship applications open by mid-December each year. Applications are due in mid-March.
To be eligible for the scholarship, applicants must have one of these metabolic disorders:
- Classical HCU
- Maple Syrup Urine Disease (MSUD)
- An Organic Acidemia
- Phenylketonuria (PKU)
- Tyrosinemia
- Urea Cycle Disorder (UCD)
For questions, please contact flok at (973) 619-9160 or email info@flok.org.
The Kinda Guide is designed to be a weekly survival guide for parents and families that will include expert tips on remote learning, parenting advice, virtual camp activities, simple meal and snack ideas and at-home family adventures.
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
The Odyssey Project at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
The Odyssey Project offers free University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign courses in the humanities to income-eligible adults in east-central Illinois. Odyssey students can earn up to eight transferable college credits in an environment designed to support non-traditional students, especially those whose education has been interrupted for whatever reason.
The courses include free textbooks and course materials, access to computers, bus fare to and from class and more.
Visit the Odyssey Project website for more details and program fact sheets in Spanish, French and Simplified Chinese.
The Parent Advocacy App for Families of Deaf or Hard-of-Hearing Children
The Parent Advocacy app is a free application for families of children who are deaf or hard of hearing attending Individualized Education Program meetings, 504 Plan meetings and more.
The app aims to help you understand your child’s rights and prepare to work with the school in your child’s best interests.
The Penguin Project provides a supportive environment for children with a wide range of disabilities to explore the performing arts. The program encourages children and young adults ages 10 to 24 to discover their creative talents, build self-confidence and make new friends by rehearsing and performing a modified version of a well-known Broadway musical. The young artists work side-by-side with age-level “peer mentors” through four months of rehearsals and the final performance.
The project has several chapters in Illinois. Visit The Penguin Project website for more details.