Lehigh Valley Arts Council

The Arc provides a variety of quality programs and services and serves as a clearinghouse of information on help that is available for people with disabilities across our community. They provide individuals and families the services and support they need to help people with intellectual and developmental disabilities live full and productive lives.

Programs & Trainings: (in-house & off-site)

• Provides an overview of intellectual/developmental disabilities
• Communication/Interaction with people with I/DD
• Advocacy
• Person-Centered Thinking
• Behavioral Supports
• ADA Impact
• Various service-specific or disability-specific training

The Center for Vision Loss will provide a comprehensive set of preventative, rehabilitative, support and social services enabling blind and visually impaired clients to achieve their personal goals and restore quality of life consistent with those goals.

Programs & Trainings: (in-house & off-site)

• Training and sensitivity for working with people with vision loss; for example, how to assist as a sighted guide, sensitivity training, courtesy tips for interacting with people with vision loss, can address questions about integrating people with vision loss into cultural institution.

The Epilepsy Foundation Eastern PA is leading the fight to end epilepsy and overcome challenges created by seizures by focusing on education, support and advocacy. They offer a range of free services and programs to improve the quality of life and empower those who are affected by epilepsy and their caregivers. They also support research to accelerate cures for the epilepsies, support the training and work of new pediatric neurology/epilepsy specialists, and also seek to educate the general public – those that work with, care for, serve, do business with, educate or encounter people with epilepsy during their daily lives – to better understand epilepsy/seizure disorders.

Programs & Trainings: (off-site)

• Epilepsy Educational Conferences & Workshops
• Seizure Trainings and Recognition Programs
• Legal & Medical Referrals
• Children & Family Services
• Adult Resource Services
• Young Adult Initiative and Camp Achieve
• First Aid
• Art Therapy

Recovery Partnership provides individuals and their families with a method for voicing their praises and concerns regarding the behavioral health services they may receive; a toll-free peer line for individuals in Northampton County; peer mentoring services to individuals receiving behavioral health services; certified peer specialist services; and a safe, culturally sensitive environment to individuals in Northampton County who are coping with or recovering from mental illness.

Programs & Trainings: (in-house)

• Mental Health Sensitivity Trainings
• Recovery Committee Meetings
• CSP Committee Meetings
• Northampton County Peer Line: 1-855-PA-PEERS (727-3377)

Freelance American Sign Language Interpreting, Theatrical ASL Interpretation, Open Captioning Services, Accessibility Technology Consultations, and Audio Description Services. As an EIPA Certified Interpreter, Robert provides Educational Interpreting through CIU20 and has been assigned to the Bethlehem School District for the the past 9 years. He has his Bachelors of Information Systems Degree from Muhlenberg College and served several years as the Adaptive Technology Specialist and Web Master for Muhlenberg College.

Via of the Lehigh Valley is a non-profit human service agency that provides services for children and adults with disabilities like autism, cerebral palsy and Down syndrome.

Programs & Trainings: (in-house & off-site)

• Developed based on the needs of the community (e.g. autism, cerebral palsy, Down Syndrome)

The Lehigh Valley Center for Independent Living (LVCIL) serves people with disabilities, and their family members, living in Lehigh and Northampton Counties. LVCIL empowers persons with all types of disabilities to achieve independence in an inclusive community.

Programs & Trainings: (in-house & off-site)

• Americans with Disabilities Act (Basics, Title I, Title II, Title III)
• Sensitivity
• Person-First Language
• The Many Faces of Disability
• Let’s Talk about Disability
• Disability in America: The Impact of Social Paradigms and Legislation
• Empathy Not Sympathy: Interacting Respectfully with People with Disabilities
• Everyone is Different: A Review of Types of Disabilities
• “Are There Wheelchairs in Heaven”: A Different Perspective on Disability
• About Non-Obvious Disabilities: Legal, Practical, and Human Considerations
• In Their Shoes: Accessibility from Another Perspective
• Serving Customers with Disabilities: 10 Reasons for Reaching Out & Expanding Your Market