Legal Services and Protection & Advocacy Organizations
- Georgia Advocacy
Office (GAO): The GAO is Georgia’s
Protection & Advocacy (P&A) agency, and is part of the
federally-funded P&A system and the National
Disability Rights Network (NDRN). GAO is a private,
non-profit corporation whose work is mandated and authorized by Congress
and the State of Georgia. The office provides legal and technical
assistance to people with developmental disabilities, and works with self-
and community-advocates to protect the rights of Georgians with
disabilities.
- Atlanta
Legal Aid Society (ALAS): Atlanta Legal
Aid is a non-profit law firm that provides free civil legal services to
low-income individuals. ALAS is funded in part by the Legal Services
Corporation.
- Georgia Legal
Services Program (GLSP): GLSP
supplies free civil legal services to Georgians who can’t afford to hire a
lawyer. GLSP is funded in part by the Legal Services Corporation.
Disability Independent Living Organizations
- Statewide
Independent Living Council of Georgia (SILC):
SILC is Georgia's non-profit organization that works to remove barriers to
independent living for people with disabilities and to increase necessary
support services. It is a part of the National
Council on Independent Living.
- Georgia Centers for Independent Living: These are
the non-profit organizations that are run by people with disabilities on
behalf of people with disabilities advocating for independent living.
- disABILITY LINK: disABILITY
LINK is a metro Atlanta Center for Independent Living that advocates for
self-determination and individual choice, aiding individuals with
disabilities to live as they choose.
- Disability Connections: Disability Connections is a Center for Independent Living in middle Georgia that assists people with disabilities in finding independent living arrangements in the community.
- Access2Independence: Access 2 Independence is the Center for Independent Living for 9 counties in West Central Georgia.
- Bainbridge Advocacy Individual Network (BAIN): Southwest Georgia Center for Independent Living.
- Disability Resource Center: Northeast Georgia Center for Independent Living.
- Northwest Georgia Center for Independent Living: Center for Independent Living for Northwest Georgia.
- Living Independence for Everyone (LIFE): Center for Independent Living for Southeast Georgia.
- Multiple Choices: Center for Independent Living in Northeast Georgia.
- Walton Options for Independent Living: Center for Independent Living in East Georgia.
Georgia University Centers for Excellence in Developmental
Disabilities
- University of Georgia Institute for Human Developmental & Disability (IHDD):
IHDD works with people who have disabilities and others, to ensure
that all people can achieve their highest capacity and quality of life.
- Georgia
State Center for Leadership in Disability (CLD): CLD's
"mission is to translate research into sustainable community
practices that contribute to independent, self-determined, inclusive, and
productive lives for people with disabilities and their families."
Aging
and Disability Resource Centers (ADRC)
- Georgia’s
Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC):
ADRC houses information for and connections to long-term supports and
services for elderly adults and people with disabilities.
State Medicaid Agency & Information
- Georgia
Department of Community Health
- Georgia Medicaid Provider Manuals
- DFCS
Medicaid and other Public Benefits Manuals
- Medicaid
Waivers: General information about Medicaid Waivers in Georgia
from the Department of Community Health.
- Medicaid.gov (Georgia’s page)
- Georgia Gateway
State Disability Agencies
- Department of
Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD):
DBHDD supports individuals with mental health and substance abuse issues,
and to assist individuals with intellectual and developmental
disabilities.
- Georgia
Department of Human Services (DHS): DHS
provides resources to promote self-sufficiency and independence and
protect Georgia’s vulnerable children and adults.
- Division of
Family and Children Services (DFCS): DFCS helps
abused and neglected children, supports low-income families, and aids
out-of-work parents.
- Georgia Department of Education Special Education
Services and Supports: Georgia’s DOE supports schools with
providing special education and related services to students with
disabilities.
- Division of
Aging Services (DAS): DAS is a
subdivision of the Department of Human Services (DHS) that works
specifically with elderly individuals.
- Office of
Disability Services Ombudsman: The office promotes the rights
of individuals with disabilities and works to resolve issues that
adversely affect people with disabilities.
- State of
Georgia ADA Coordinator’s Office: This office manages the
state of Georgia’s services and support in accordance with the Americans
with Disabilities Act (ADA).
- Georgia
Vocational Rehabilitation Agency (GVRA):
GVRA maintains five independent programs designed to help individuals with
disabilities obtain gainful employment.
- Georgia
Department of Community Affairs (DCA):State
agency with authority over state and federal funded housing for much, but
not all, of the state.
Crisis Services and Warm Line
- Georgia Crisis and Access Line (GCAL):
GCAL is a confidential hotline which any person can call on behalf of
themselves or a loved one to seek urgent help.
- Behavioral
Health Link (BHL): BHL is a 24-hour hotline
ready to help with problems related to mental illness, drugs, or alcohol.
- Georgia Suicide Hotlines: Georgia has
its own host of suicide prevention hotlines, available to call and talk to
any time of any day.
- Georgia Crisis Response System: The
Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD)
maintains its own crisis hotline for issues related to developmental
disabilities.
- Mental Health Warm Line: This warm
line is for non-crises where Georgians can call if they need someone to
talk with. 1-888-945-1414.
Services for Senior Citizens
- Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs):
The Division of Aging Services (DAS) maintains 12 AAAs which coordinate
community-based services for elderly Georgians based on location in the
state.
- Georgia Council
on Aging (GCOA): GCOA works to educate
and advocate for aging Georgians to improve their quality of life.
- Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program: These
ombudsmen are advocates for elderly Georgians both in inpatient facilities
and in personal care homes in the community.
Regional Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Center
- Southeast
ADA Center: This is one of the ten regional centers that
make up the ADA
National Network that coordinates compliance with the ADA.
Developmental Disabilities
- The Arc Georgia:
The Arc Georgia is the state’s branch of the The Arc of the
United States, and strives to support people with intellectual
and developmental disabilities, enabling them to live and work in the
community.
- All About
Developmental Disabilities (AADD): AADD
works to support families of and people with intellectual and
developmental disabilities to help them live full and meaningful lives.
- Georgia Council on
Developmental Disabilities (GCDD): GCDD
promotes public policy in the interest of people with developmental
disabilities.
- Georgia
Association of Community Service Boards (GACSB):
GACSB promotes information and actions to enhance the quality and
availability of developmental disability and mental health services in
Georgia. Community Service boards provide many of the mental health
and developmental disability services in the state, although there are
many other organizations that provide these services as well.
- United Cerebral Palsy:
When it was founded in 1965, this organization worked to aid individuals
with cerebral palsy, but now does so for a wide variety of intellectual
and developmental disabilities.
- Georgia Crisis Response System: The
Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD)
maintains its own crisis hotline for issues related to developmental
disabilities.
- Department of
Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD):
DBHDD supports individuals with mental health and substance abuse issues,
and to assist individuals with intellectual and developmental
disabilities.
Mental Health Services
- Georgia Mental
Health Consumer Network: This organization aids individuals
with disabilities in living full and meaningful lives.
- NAMI Georgia:
NAMI Georgia is a part of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)
and endeavors to educate people about mental illness, advocate for people
with mental illness, and support funding for research into mental illness.
- Mental
Health America of Georgia (MHA): Mental
Health America of Georgia is the state’s leading nonprofit organization
dedicated aiding individuals with mental illness.
- Department
of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD):
DBHDD supports individuals with mental health and substance abuse issues,
and to assist individuals with intellectual and developmental
disabilities.
- Georgia
Association of Community Service Boards (GACSB):
GACSB promotes information and actions to enhance the quality and
availability of developmental disability and mental health services in
Georgia. Community Service boards provide many of the mental health
and developmental disability services in the state, although there are
many other organizations that provide these services as well.
- Department of
Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD):
DBHDD supports individuals with mental health and substance abuse issues,
and to assist individuals with intellectual and developmental
disabilities.
Physical Disabilities
- SOURCE Medicaid Waiver (Service
Options Using Resources in a Community Environment): A primary care
management program, available to frail, elderly, and disabled Georgians.
It links beneficiaries’ primary medical care with community services,
allowing people to receive nursing home-level care while in their own
homes or communities. For some very low-income participants, this program
can also provide non-medical personal care, in addition to the normal
medical services.
- CCSP
Medicaid Waiver (Community Care Services Program):
Provides community-based support services to eligible individuals, in
place of institutional placement in a nursing home. Individuals can
contact the Area Agency on Aging (AAA) for an assessment. The toll-free,
statewide phone number is 866-55-AGING (866-552-4464). If the
individual is eligible for CCSP, a care coordinator will work with the
person to develop a comprehensive care plan and arrange services.
- ICWP Medicaid Waiver (Independent
Care Waiver Program): Helps adult Medicaid recipients with physical
disabilities, as well as people with traumatic brain injuries, to live in
their own homes or communities, instead of a hospital or nursing home. To
begin the application process, call the Georgia Medical Care Foundation
(GMCF) at 888-669-7195.
- Georgia Project for Assistive Technology (GPAT):
GPAT is a Georgia DOE program that supports local schools in providing
devices and technology to assist students with disabilities.
- Tools for Life:
Tools for Life is a Georgia Tech program dedicated to providing Georgians
of any age or disability with the tools and technology they need to
succeed in life.
Traumatic Brain Injury Services
- Brain
Injury Association of Georgia: A non-profit dedicated to
helping individuals with traumatic brain injuries and their families.
- ICWP Medicaid Waiver (Independent Care Waiver
Program): Helps adult Medicaid recipients with physical disabilities, as
well as people with traumatic brain injuries, to live in their own homes
or communities, instead of a hospital or nursing home. To begin the
application process, call the Georgia Medical Care Foundation (GMCF) at
888-669-7195.
- Brain and Spinal Injury Trust Fund Commission:
Assists individuals with brain and spinal injuries in achieving
successful, independent living.
Addiction and Substance Use Disorder Services
- Georgia
Council on Substance Abuse: Advocates for and facilitates
connections between people and families with substance abuse issues.
- Addictive Diseases: This subdivision of
DBHDD deals with issues related to addictive diseases.
- Georgia
Association of Community Service Boards (GACSB):
GACSB promotes information and actions to enhance the quality and
availability of disability services in Georgia.
Low-Income Housing Services
- Georgia
Housing Search: A database of housing in the state of
Georgia.
- Georgia
Low-Income Housing: Dedicated to helping people in
need find available and affordable housing.
- Housing and Urban Development: The
federal agency tasked with providing low-income people with affordable
housing.
- Georgia
Housing Search: A database of housing in the state of
Georgia.
- Housing Choice Voucher Program: Also
known as Section 8, this is a housing rental system that assists
low-income individuals with safe and affordable housing in the private
market.
Education
- Parent to Parent of
Georgia: Parent to Parent of Georgia works to connect parents
of children with disabilities to other parents who are in or have been in
similar circumstances, to help them find community resources and get
advice on various issues.
- Georgia Coalition for Equity in Education:
Coalition of disability, educational, mental health, child welfare,
juvenile justice, civil rights and parent and youth advocacy groups from
across Georgia who joined together around our shared concerns about the
Georgia Network for Educational and Therapeutic Supports (GNETS) program.
