For Professionals and Practitioners

This page contains links to selected resources for professionals and practitioners who serve or support people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families. The list includes resources from CCIDS, as well as other trusted organizations, about important topics such as accessibility-planning for inclusion, assistive technology, autism, disability etiquette, diversity and inclusion, early childhood, education, employment, health, housing, recreation, spirituality/spiritual supports, and transition.

Accessibility

Assistive Technology

  • Maine CITE – A program of the Maine Department of Education, designed to help make assistive technology more available to Maine children, adults and seniors who need them.
  • Spurwink ALLTECH – Provides assistive technology (AT) assessment, device demonstrations and short-term loans, sale of used AT, training, and consultations.

Autism

Disability Statistics

  • The Annual Disability Statistics Compendium gathers the most recent national statistics on people with disabilities from various federal programs and agencies. It provides current statistics and time trends related to the prevalence of disabilities as well as key indicators on employment, health, community living, and other outcomes of importance in monitoring the well-being of individuals with disabilities. Published by the Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Disability Statistics and Demographics (StatsRRTC) at the University of New Hampshire Institute on Disability, with funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Community Living, National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR).
  • The Annual Disability Statistics Supplement (307 pg. PDF) is a companion report to the Annual Disability Statistics Compendium. The Supplement presents statistics on the same topics as the Compendium with additional categorizations by demographic characteristics including age, gender and race/ethnicity. Published by the Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Disability Statistics and Demographics (StatsRRTC) at the University of New Hampshire Institute on Disability, with funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Community Living, National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR).

Diversity and Inclusion

  • Diversity & Inclusion Toolkit – Developed by the Association of University Centers on Disabilities to enhance diversity, inclusion, and cultural and linguistic competence in the workforce.

Early Childhood

  • 2018 KIDS COUNT Data Book: State Trends in Child Well-Being (72 pg. PDF) – The 2018 KIDS COUNT® Data Book warns that the 2020 census is mired in challenges that could shortchange the official census count by at least 1 million kids younger than age 5. This discrepancy would put hundreds of millions of federal dollars at risk and, in doing so, under fund programs that are critical for family stability and opportunity. The Data Book also looks at trends in child well-being over a period of six or so years — a time that saw continued improvement in economic well-being but mixed results in the areas of health, education and family and community factors.
  • 2021 Maine KIDS COUNT Data Book (PDF) – Maine KIDS COUNT, a project of the Maine Children’s Alliance, is part of the national KIDS COUNT® network, a state-by-state effort funded by the Annie E. Casey Foundation (AECF) to track the status of children across the United States. Since 1994, the Maine Children’s Alliance (MCA) has published Maine KIDS COUNT products using the most recent data available on the well-being of children in the areas of physical and emotional health, social and economic status, and education. The Maine KIDS COUNT Data Book, produced every other year, is the comprehensive report of the well-being of children in Maine.
  • Growing Ideas Tipsheets and Resources for Guiding Early Childhood Practices – Tipsheets and resources on a variety of topics related to quality inclusive care and education for young children.
  • Maine’s Expanding Inclusive Opportunities (MEIO) Early Childhood Settings Inclusion Toolkit – This toolkit supports early childhood programs in providing high quality inclusive settings for young children and their families.
  • Universal Design in Pre-K and Early Elementary Classrooms (2014) PDF – When universal design is applied to curriculum, teachers consider the potential barriers inherent in materials and activities, and plan many avenues to learning.
  • Visual Supports Learning Links and Checklist (2011) PDF – Free checklist based on a review of current literature, practical knowledge, and reported experiences from early childhood educators.

Education

  • Autism Internet Modules (AIM) – A training project developed by national experts in autism spectrum disorders (ASD) that provides free training modules on evidence-based practices for parents, teachers, paraprofessionals and others.
  • Literacy by Design: A Universal Design for Learning Approach for Students with Significant Intellectual Disabilities (2012) PDF – This study examined the effect of a technology-based universal design for learning (UDL) approach to literacy instruction, Literacy by Design (LBD), on the reading achievement of 16 students with significant intellectual disabilities in Grades K–2.
  • Understanding Accessible Instructional Materials (AIM) and Their Use: Tips for K -12 Educators (2012) (PDF) – Accessible instructional materials reduce barriers and provide rich supports for learning.

Employment

Health

Housing

Mental Health

  • Building An Online Presence: Using Online Media to Promote Community Inclusion (30 pg. PDF) – This toolkit examines how agency programs (or) individuals with mental illnesses can use websites, newsletters, and various social media platforms to connect to mainstream community resources; highlight instances of community participation; and stay active in producing community inclusion-related content on their online media. Produced by Temple University Collaborative on Community Inclusion for Individuals with Psychiatric Disabilities.
  • Using Social Media to Enhance Community Participation (31 pg. PDF) – This manual examines ways in which individuals with mental illnesses can use social media networks to enhance community participation. Social media features and functions are examined as well as specific networks such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, MeetUp, and Yelp. Also reviewed are considerations and risks when using social media. Produced by Temple University Collaborative on Community Inclusion for Individuals with Psychiatric Disabilities.

LGBT Aging and Elders

 Recreation

  • Maine Adaptive Sports & Recreation – Organization that promotes year-round education and training for individuals with physical disabilities in order to develop skills and provide enjoyment through active recreation.

Service Animals

  • Service Animal Resource Hub – The topic of service animals is complex. The ADA National Network has created this page to help provide some clarity. It is broken up into nine different sections addressing specific issues related to service animals.

Spirituality/Spiritual Supports

Technology

  • Technology Integration and Early Childhood Education – How can technology use benefit the early childhood education field? A collection of handouts, tipsheet, articles and links to resources explore this topic. Organizations and individuals interested in sharing these resources are welcome to link to this Tech Integration and Early Childhood Education (ECE) page.

Transition

Updated: 02/07/2023