While the US federal law does a lot, there are specific things that Indiana can also do for folks with disabilities. It's one of the cool things about the separation between federal and state laws; sometimes, you can get more bang for your buck than national minimum.
The Indiana State Personnel Department has a page where you can review the ADA and offically request reasonable accomodations from your employer, as you are entitled to! They also break it down into manageable chunks what is the responsibility of the disabled worker to share and do and what is the responsibility of the employer to share and do.
One of the really cool things about how this website is set up, specifically, is the ADA toolbox. It breaks up federal resources, state resources, and general ones for people with disabilities to have a starting point when looking at what is available to them. However, their marketing team isn't the best, so most people don't know that this exsists unless you go digging. It's hard to find it without the link. So, it's linked here for you :)
Indiana Disability Rights is another government platform where they have a a team of people who can help with a variety of things realted to disability. From going out to helping people in the Indiana community to giving presentations about the various types of things disability can impact, they have a lot of valuable tools for people who are struggling to find help. One of the bonuses of this website is that they have a lot of their stuff in Spanish as well as English to help reach the large percentage of Americans who prefer to speak and read Spanish. They have so many handouts and templates for things like housing accomodations and education, but they also have a team of people focusing on the mental health aspect of disability. The Mental Health Advisory Counsel meetings are free to attend and they encourage people to go. If you're interested, you should check it out!
These are just some things that the Indiana State Government offers its residents, but they don't do the best job at promoting it. In my experience, one of the hardest things about navigating life as a disabled person is knowing where you can get resources from. If you're new to this or don't have other people in your life who have gone through this, you won't know where to start. If we can all label and promote our resources a little more clearly, maybe we can help each other a little fast. At least, that's what I hope.
Comments