Logo for World Institute on Disability

World Institute on Disability

Ability Central funds will support WID to develop a user friendly, accessible, inclusive and self-directed virtual training series designed to disrupt traditional service provision, and enhance person directed strategies for people with communication disabilities within health and medical services.

Berkeley

84,960

2024

https://wid.org/

Training Healthcare

Logo for society for the blind

Society for the Blind

Ability Central funds will support Society for the Blind to create a replicable Leadership Development Program (LDP) for Ability Central grantees and other nonprofits to use to develop future leaders. It will include materials, an online module, consulting, and milestones for measuring progress.

Sacramento

61,356

2024

https://societyfortheblind.org/

Workforce Development

Logo for San Francisco State University

San Francisco State

Funds will support a SFSU and SKERI collaboration to extend YouDescribeX (YDX; an AI supported video accessibility tool) to public health videos. We will process ~1200 public health videos through YDX AI and revisions from sighted volunteers will be used to train YDX on this type of content.

San Francisco

100,000

2024

https://www.sfsu.edu/

Digital Accessibility

Logo for QWOCMAP

QWOCMAP

Ability Central funds will support Queer Women of Color Media Arts Project – QWOCMAP to deepen its Film & Freedom Academy workforce development project through its Filmmaker Training Program to expand career, job, and educational opportunities in film for Sick & Disabled LBTQIA+ BIPOC.

San Francisco

80,000

2024

https://qwocmap.org/

Workforce Development

Logo for Mychal's Learning Place

Mychal's Learning Place

Ability Central funds will support Mychal’s Learning Place’s expansion of our social enterprise business and job training program, allowing us to:
– reach our 40+ person student waitlist in Year 1 (and 200-300 total students by Year 5)
– double the number of employees with ID/DD

Hawthorne

80,000

2024

https://www.mychals.org/

Workforce Development

Logo for Lighthouse for the blind and visually impaired

LightHouse for the Blind

Ability Central funds will support LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired to develop modules and implement training for San Francisco Bay Area healthcare providers to strengthen and improve service provision for individuals who are blind, low vision, or DeafBlind.

San Francisco

100,000

2024

https://lighthouse-sf.org/

Training Healthcare

Logo for Kid Power International

Kidpower

Ability Central funds will support Kidpower to develop a Workpower training team and program with and for people with disabilities that prepares them to use emotional safety, positive communication, advocacy, and personal safety skills to get jobs and to be safe and successful at their workplaces.

Santa Cruz

100,000

2024

https://www.kidpower.org/

Workforce Development

Logo for Hearts for Sight Foundation

Hearts for Sight Foundation

Ability Central will support Hearts For Sight to: 1) Expand therapy and peer support services with trained VIP clinicians, 2) Increase resource workshops, 3) Promote Telehealth. Support will contribute to improving mental health services that will enhance VIPs’ quality of life.

Temple City

27,000

2024

https://heartsforsightfoundation.org/

Training Healthcare

Logo for Community Emergency Response Volunteers of the Monterey Peninsula (CERV)

CERV

Ability Central funds will support the Patient Provider Communication Network to multiply its reach by reorganizing, diversifying and augmenting usability of resources that are relevant, respectful, and readily accessible to healthcare providers and people with communication disabilities.

Monterey

75,000

2024

https://www.cerv501c3.org/

Training Healthcare

Logo for Center for Independent Living

Center for Independent Living

Ability Central funds will support the CIL to expand two leadership and career development programs for people with communication disabilities through integrating paid internships opportunities: 1) Accelerate – a youth job readiness program; and 2) paid Disaster Preparedness Peer Ambassador Program.

Berkeley

100,000

2024

https://thecil.org/

Workforce Development

Logo for Autism Society Inland Empire

Autism Society Inland Empire

Ability Central funds will support the Autism Society Inland Empire to develop tailored training that provides valuable and practical insight for supporting individuals with Autism and other developmental disorders to ensure they can access quality medical care.

Corona

100,000

2024

https://ieautism.org/

Training Healthcare

Logo for down syndrome connection of the bay

Down Syndrome Connection Bay Area

To implement the next phase of our Mental Health & Wellness Alliance, to provide training and support of mental health professionals, enabling people with Down Syndrome and other intellectual or developmental disabilities to better access services, communicate their mental health needs, and receive effective therapies.

Danville

$ 100,000

2023

https://dscba.org

Training AT and AAC Professionals

Logo for SFSU

San Francisco State University - YouDescribe

Support a collaborative SFSU and SKERI team to finalize the AI supported video accessibility tool, YouDescribeX, deploy and launch the public facing services; (1) the GPU server to run AI/Deep Learning modules; (2) AWS for web interfaces; and (3) training resources. The funds will also support (4) PIs’ time; (5) graduate students; and (6) user study participants.

San Francisco

$ 99,836

2023

https://cs.sfsu.edu/ilmi-yoon

Facilitating Research and Innovation

Logo for Kid Power International

Kidpower

Developing and providing “train the trainer” programs that will prepare over 400 Safety Powers Leaders and Safety Ambassadors in California to teach personal safety, leadership, and advocacy skills with and for people with communication disabilities in their families, schools, organizations, and workplaces.

Monterey County

$ 100,000

2023

https://kidpower.org

Training AT and AAC Professionals

Logo for Ignite

IGNITE

Developing, presenting, and maintaining twelve (12) online train-the-trainer workshops focused on creating materials that are accessible to people with disabilities, including people who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) techniques. Deliverables include workshops, recordings, and workbooks.

Mammoth Lakes

$ 58,414

2023

https://ignitefutures.org

Training AT and AAC Professionals

Logo for Disability Voices United

Disability Voices United

To create a train-the-trainer project that develops self-advocates with communication disabilities into leaders in order to train professionals in areas where communication access is vital and to ensure their inclusion. We will create a Self-Advocates Speakers Bureau to promote their inclusion at conferences and other trainings.

Manhattan Beach, CA

$ 86,710

2023

https://disabilityvoicesunited.org

Training AT and AAC Professionals