| | Fishing the Information and Referral Systems Many non-profit and government agencies which serve people with disabilities and their families offer an Information and Referral or Information and Resource service. There is also a membership organization called the Alliance of Information and Referral Systems (AIRS). This is the professional association for over 1,200 community Information and Referral (I&R) providers and Information and Referral/Assistance (I&R/A) providers, primarily in the United States and Canada. I&R staff should be able to direct you to resources, furnish leads to assistive technology prescribers and funders in your area, give you new ideas and insights, and, in general, put you in touch with agencies and people who can help you find the information you need. Some non-profits sponsor assistive technology projects whose staffs will be able to advise you. Others provide resource guides on their websites such as this one from United Cerebral Palsy. Communities have 2-1-1 Information and Referral Call Centers which are free information and referral lines for health, information and community services. If your state has a technology project funded by the U.S. Tech Act (Technology-Related Assistance Act, PL-100-407), you may find an I&R service there as well. To locate Tech Act resources in your state, contact the RESNA Technical Assistance Project, 1101 Connecticut Ave. NW, Suite 700, Washington, D.C. 20036; (202) 857-1140; or on the Web, click here for a list of state assistive tech project locations, contacts and phone numbers. . |
