General Resources
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.
Special Needs Chicago Transportation Services
Special Needs Chicago provides individuals with physical and/or cognitive challenges throughout Chicago and the suburbs with wheelchair-accessible transportation.
Special Needs Child Passenger Safety Resource Center
The Special Needs Child Passenger Safety Resource Center, funded by the Illinois Department of Transportation, educates parents and caregivers of children with special needs on the importance of proper child passenger safety. The Special Needs Child Passenger Resource Center’s main location is at OSF Children’s Hospital of Illinois in Peoria. A satellite site is located at LaRabida Children’s Hospital, in Chicago. Its services include:
- A resource center for nurseries and organizations across Illinois that provides over-the-phone and in-person consultation and guidance for proper car seat usage and optimum safety.
- Education to parents, groups, hospital staff and certified child passenger safety technicians on changes in national guidelines and new seat choices.
- Proper selection, installation and fitting of special needs restraints for parents and their children.
- A short-term loan program to provide seats to parents in need.
Learn more on the Special Needs Child Passenger Safety Resource Center website.
Special Opportunities Available in Recreation (SOAR) in Bloomington-Normal
SOAR is a community-based therapeutic recreation program. Leisure, social and developmental skills are emphasized to promote the highest level of recreation participation possible.
Check the website for eligibility, transportation options, and the calendar of events.
The City of Bloomington and Town of Normal sponsor S.O.A.R through their Parks and Recreation departments.
Special Recreation Associations in Illinois
The Special Recreation Associations Network of Illinois (SRANI) is a network of therapeutic recreation agencies. Special Recreation Associations provide community-based special recreation services to children and adults with disabilities. You can see a list of special recreation cooperatives available in Illinois.
For more information, visit the SRANI website.
Specialized Equine Services and Therapeutic Riding in Southern Illinois
Specialized Equine Services and Therapeutic Riding (SES) at Giant City Stables provides opportunities for people with physical and/or emotional disabilities to improve their well-being through riding and working with horses. Children age 4 and up and adults are welcome.
SES at Giant City Stables is a non-profit organization. Scholarships and grants are available for eligible families. For more information, please call (618) 529-4110 or email rachelle@sestherapy.com.
Sports for Kids Recreation and Camp Programs
The Tengelsen Family Foundation Sports for Kids program promotes fitness, independence, friendship and fun for kids ages 7 to 17 with a diagnosed physical impairment. Kids can try a wide range of year-round adaptive sports and arts, social, and cultural recreation and camp programs.
Opportunities include:
- Year-round programs
- Junior competitive sports
- Weekend programs
Springfield Park District – LEAP Program
LEAP offers adaptive recreation programs for individuals with disabilities.
The St. Louis Dental Center offers comprehensive special care dentistry for patients with intellectual, physical and emotional disabilities and other special healthcare needs. It is a partnership of A.T. Still University (ATSU) and Affinia Healthcare.
The center’s special care suites include a wheelchair lift. The center accepts Medicaid and most dental insurance plans. Discounts are available to uninsured patients.
Links to state government and state agencies.