National Resource Center for Parents with Disabilities
There are nearly 9 million parents with disabilities in the U.S. -- 15% of all American parents. In 1998, TLG became the first National Center on Parents with Disabilities, funded by the National Institute of Disability and Rehabilitation Research, U.S. Department of Education. Our National Center continues TLG's overall mission of empowering parents and potential parents with disabilities by disseminating disability-appropriate information regarding parenting to parents, disability advocates, and legal, medical, intervention and social services providers. Our Center's overall goal is to increase information and support more disability-appropriate resources for parents with disabilities and their children throughout the U.S.

In addition to Mothers and Fathers with Disabilities, our national resources are also available to other family members such as grandparents and other relatives who live in the household and are involved in nurturing and raising children in the family. Nationally, there is an especially dramatic increase in the number of number of grandparents who are primary caregivers of their grandchildren, and TLG is committed to ensuring that grandparents and other family members are recognized and included in all our Center's activities concerning parents with disabilities.

Our National Center staff provide individualized consultation and training regarding a wide variety of parenting issues including custody, adoption, adaptive parenting equipment, pregnancy and birthing. Each year, we respond to several thousand requests for information. Requests for information, consultation or training can be made via toll-free telephone (voice or TTY), email, letter or FAX. In addition to providing consultation and training, our Center's other major activities include: developing and disseminating numerous publications and training materials concerning parents with disabilities; maintaining a national clearinghouse of nearly 3,000 articles, reports, videos, curricula, and periodicals concerning parenting with a disability; and, coordinating a national network of parents with disabilities. Our National Center has also hosted two international conferences (in 1997 and 2002) on parenting with a disability. These conferences were attended by several hundred parents, advocates, professionals and family members from most U.S. states as well as several other countries including: Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, Japan, Kenya, Nepal, Northern Marianas Islands, Philippines, Sudan, Sweden, Uganda, United Kingdom, Uzbekistan and Zimbabwe. These conferences included workshops and presentations given by internationally-recognized experts in their field and provided the opportunity for networking and in-depth dialogue among parents, researchers and practitioners.

TLG's National Parent-to-Parent Network
TLG's National Parent-to-Parent Network connects parents with disabilities who want to share their experiences and learn from one another.

Research
TLG has conducted numerous regional and national research projects concerning parents with disabilities. All of our research is conducted from a non-pathological and disability community perspective. Some of our past research projects have included a national survey of parents with disabilities, a national study of Parents with Disabilities and their Teenage Children, Developing an Occupational Therapy Evaluation and Training Module to Guide Practice with Parents with Physical Disabilities, studies focused upon specific parental disabilities and/or specific ages of their children, and developing and evaluating adaptive babycare equipment for parents and grandparents with disabilities. We will be posting research findings and highlights on this website shortly. Currently, we are conducting a national research project: An Analysis of Evaluations of Parents with Cognitive Disabilities Who Are Involved in Child Protection Systems.

Adaptive Equipment
TLG is nationally recognized for designing and fabricating baby care equipment for parents and other caregivers with disabilities, as well as studying the impact of this equipment on parenting. Our research has shown that such equipment can have a positive impact on parent/infant interaction, in addition to reducing difficulty, pain, and fatigue. By reducing the physical demands of care-giving, the equipment can also be instrumental in preventing secondary disability complications.

Through the Looking Glass recently completed a three-year field-initiated project to develop an evaluation assessment tool and training for occupational therapy students and clinicians to inform their work with parents with physical disabilities. The Baby Care Assessment (BCA) for Parents with Physical Limitations or Disabilities project was funded by NIDRR, and was based on 14 years of TLG's clinical experiences and a series of previously funded NIDRR grants regarding adaptive babycare equipment. The Baby Care Assessment (BCA) for Parents with Physical Limitations or Disabilities: Occupational Therapy School Curricula is now avaliable.

Nationally, TLG provides individualized consultations concerning adaptive equipment through its National Resource Center. We have also developed several publications and training materials on adaptive babycare equipment including Adaptive Baby Care Equipment: Guidelines, Prototypes & Resources. This publication includes: guidelines for problem-solving baby care barriers; photographs and descriptions of prototypes and resources for adaptive baby care equipment; adaptive baby care techniques; adaptive baby care equipment checklist; commercial product safety commission guidelines; video and training curriculum for OTs; and local and national resources.

Within the Bay Area, TLG provides adaptive baby care equipment as well as an equipment lending library for parents, expectant parents or parenting grandparents with physical disabilities.

Training
TLG provides professional training regarding diverse parents with disabilities, deaf parents and parents with medical issues. Under our first National Resource Center (1998-2003) we trained more than 24,000 parents, advocates and professionals. Additionally, we have numerous videotapes of diverse parents with a diverse range of disabilities which can inform expectant or new parents with disabilities as well as to educate professionals.

Bay Area Parents with Developmental Disabilities / Intellectual Disabilities
Parents with developmental disabilities who are Regional Center clients residing in Alameda or Contra Costa counties can receive individualized home based services during pregnancy and parenting.

Bay Area Parents with Disabilities & Deaf Parents

We provide home-based parent/child intervention, family support, and parenting education for families of parents with physical or visual disabilities, as well as parents with other diverse disabilities or medical issues. We also provide home-based early intervention and family support services for Deaf parents and their hearing infants and young children.

Bay Area Parent Support Groups
TLG facilitates Bay Area support groups for parents with physical or visual disabilities. These support groups meet regularly and are facilitated by professionals who are also parents with disabilities.

Photos: Rene Buchgraber

Additional resources and information regarding Parents with Intellectual Disabilities

For more information contact: