New Website Links People With Disabilities to Peer...( Bridges Network of Peers Parents and ...),Health

Bridges Network of Peers, Parents and Professionals Shares Experience

Dealing with Bureaucracies for Education, Employment, Recreation, More

WASHINGTON, Dec. 2 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- TASH Inc., a leading international disability association working on equity, diversity, and quality of life for people with significant disabilities announces the official launch of Bridges -- a free peer-to-peer resource directory accessible to people with disabilities, family members, educators, advocates and professionals.

Established by a generous grant from NEC Foundation of America, Bridges is designed to help the members of the disability community, particularly those with complex support needs, get in touch with experienced peers regarding over twenty topics including access to health care, long term financial planning, inclusive education advocacy support, employment, inclusive community recreation and self determination.

"People with disabilities and their families are usually on their own to wade through complicated federal, state and local bureaucracies. They have to figure out how to receive and maintain important services and benefits without access to complete or accurate information. With a grant from NEC Foundation of America, we have created Bridges so that people with disabilities can get help from experienced peers, often located close by, when dealing with complex bureaucracies. Bridges is easy to use, it's free, and is available to anyone," said Barbara Trader, executive director of TASH, Inc.

Users can log-in at www.TASH.org to access Bridges, enter a zip-code, select an area of interest from a menu, and start networking with experienced self-advocates, parents and professionals. To date, 120 volunteers are involved as on-line resources in this peer-to-peer network.

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