Several of us at East Valley Moms are parents to children who are differently abled. Supporting this community is a passion of ours. In the spirit of being a resource for every mom, we present the East Valley Moms 2023 Arizona Disability Guide filled with links and information to make the journey of raising our amazingly unique kids an even more joyful and supported adventure!
XO,
East Valley Moms
Special Olympics Arizona
Special Olympics Arizona provides year-round sports and athletic training in multiple Olympic sports and competitions for children and adults with disabilities. Each valley city has its own team!
Ability 360 Sports & Fitness Center
Ability 360 Sports & Fitness Center provides adaptive sports, recreation, aquatic, and fitness programs to those with disabilities.
Arizona Disabled Sports
Arizona Disabled Sports provides spots team and recreation experiences for children with intellectual disabilities and differing levels of physical ability.
City Adaptive Programs
Each East Valley city provides adaptive programs or Therapeutic Recreation to meet the needs of children and adults with various disabilities. The programs include sports, arts, life skills, and community outings.
Special Needs Planning LLC
Special Needs Planning, LLC helps families navigate the maze of legal and financial complexities associated with planning for the financial future for children or dependents with special needs.
Arizona Autism Coalition
The Arizona Autism Coalition supports Individuals on the Autism Spectrum and their families by providing resources, collaboration, and advocacy.
Ryan House
Ryan House is an incredible facility offering families respite care and therapeutic activities.
Hope Kids
Hope Kids produces fun events that include the whole family and is well known for supporting the whole family – especially physically and neurotypical siblings.
Therapeutic Living Community
TLC has a big dream and is working hard to get there: creating a living, working, and thriving space for those with disabilities and their families. Currently, they are hosting once monthly social/nightlife event for adults with disabilities (plus one free caregiver), called Club TLC, in Mesa!
The Arc of Tempe
The Arc of Tempe is an organization that creates community-based programs for those with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
The Down Syndrome Network
The Down Syndrome Network provides programming for children, teens, and adults with Down Syndrome, and their families. Support groups are available for parents and siblings as well.
STARS
STARS is a facility catering to individuals with intellectual and development disabilities by providing creative classes and community field trips. They also help participants develop real-life job skills and help place them in jobs throughout the valley.
Night to Shine
For special teens ages 14 and up, Night to Shine is an amazing opportunity to live the full Prom experience. Volunteer opportunities are also available.
The Foundation for Blind Children
The Foundation for Blind Children serves blind and visually impaired children and their families, including a parent support group.
Raising Special Kids
Raising Special Kids is an organization that supports families with training, information, and individual assistance so parents can become effective advocated for their children with special needs.
Believe Beyond Ability
Believe Beyond Ability is an incredible resource to help adapt almost any toy to your child’s particular needs.
Civitan
Civitan Foundation provides services such as the Adult Life Learning Program that teaches independent living skills, helps pursue individual passions, and integrate into the community. They also offer week longer camp sessions throughout the summer. They also provide employment training and help individuals with disabilities find a job that best fits their needs.
The Suzy Foundation
The Suzy Foundation assists families with the financial burden of assistive devices that are not covered by insurance.
School Support Services
All schools support Individualized Education Program (IEP) through the Special Education program administered by the District/Charter. Each school has an IEP Team that includes the student, parents, faculty, teachers, and counselors. The team considers the individuals strengths, skills, needs, and goals when determining the appropriate needs for each child. Contact your school for more information about what is offered through your district.
For additional insight from our team on this, check out the following posts:
- Feeling Frustrated with IEPs
- What Special Ed Lawyers Wish Parents Knew
- The Journey to Speech Therapy
- 15 Things to Know About Dyslexia
Division of Developmental Disabilities (DDD)
This division is a part of DES (Department of Economic Security). They provide support and services to those with developmental disabilities including Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Epilepsy, and other intellectual disabilities.
If you would like to know more or have questions, comment or send us a message on our Instagram and we’ll put you in touch with a mama who is in the know!
