At the Indiana Institute, we work through six centers to address issues across the lifespan and major life areas.
Early Childhood - Where family–community partnerships provide all families the supports they need to nurture, teach, and advocate for their children.
School-Age - Where the capacity of educational systems and universally designed services meet the needs of all students.
Young Adulthood - Where the access is improved and expanded to provide opportunities for competitive integrated employment and community living.
Adulthood - Where individuals participate in all facets of community life and have choice and control over their health and independence.
The Indiana Institute on Disability and Community (IIDC), Indiana’s University Center for Excellence in Disabilities, has fostered a foundation of excellence for community investment in developmental disabilities since 1970. Our mission is to work with communities to welcome, value, and support the meaningful participation of people of all ages and abilities through research, education, and service.
Our work crosses the lifespan and is conducted across six centers.
Early Childhood Center
Created by the Indiana Institute on Disability and Community (IIDC), ID8 is your friendly AI assistant for navigating disability resources. Learn more about ID8 and how it can help you.
Get started by sharing your needs, like “I’m a parent seeking educational support for my child with autism.” Whatever your needs, ID8 is here to help! Launch ID8 now!
What can ID8 do for you?
"The future is bright for people with disabilities in Indiana and the changes underway today will serve as the critical foundation. Though there is much work to do across the state, I am confident that with Indiana’s strong and effective self-advocates, families, advocates, professionals, and policymakers, people with disabilities will have greater opportunities to lead meaningful lives in the community."
The Indiana Institute on Disability and Community has a full-service lending library with a wide variety of resources about disabilities across the lifespan. Regardless of where you live, we are happy to lend our materials to you through the mail or to help you find the answers you need.
We’re open weekdays from 8:00 to 11:30 am and 12:30 to 4:15 pm ET.
For those with disabilities and their families, trying to navigate a complex web of services, programs, and other disability-related community resources can be daunting. FINDER provides 24/7 access to community services, is easy to use, and supports first-time users with a step-by-step guide. For more experienced users, it has advanced search features. Regardless of how information is located, search results are immediately available, and can be saved for future use and shared.
High School Students with Disabilities Achieve Better Outcomes in Inclusive Academic Settings
Indiana high school students with disabilities who spent 80% of their educational time in general education classrooms scored higher on state reading and math assessments and were better prepared for postsecondary education and employment opportunities than their peers in less inclusive settings, according to a new study by Indiana University researchers.
The IIDC’s Indiana Resource Center for Autism (IRCA) is legislatively mandated to do a Needs Assessment Survey every 3 years (IC-12-11-8-3). The purpose of the survey is to identify: (A) the status of services provided to individuals with autism and their families; and (B) the need for additional or alternative services for individuals with autism and their families.
6,964hours of training and technical assistance provided
410training and technical assistance events
83,115people impacted through IIDC-sponsored training events
From the Interdisciplinary Education Training Program (IETP), to our online learning courses, to the many in-person workshops and trainings offered by our Centers, the Institute can help you learn and improve. We also work directly with schools, state agencies, service providers for people with disabilities, and institutions of higher education to address issues and create new plans.
Learn with us
Our centers have compiled resources for educators, other professionals, parents, students, transitioning individuals with disabilities, and policymakers—and you can browse them all in one place.
Browse our resources
We host blogs with writings from people with disabilities, like Adria, to provide insights into disability through the lens of their personal experiences. We also sponsor student groups like the Students on the Spectrum Club for IU and Ivy Tech students, and parent groups of children with autism to provide a foundation for self-directed mutual support.
Connect with your communitiesThe Indiana Institute on Disability and Community (IIDC) has a number of ways that you can connect with us. Newsletters, Blogs, Trainings, Special Events. Opt In!
The Indiana Disability History website, curated by the Indiana Institute on Disability and Community, documents and preserves the memories and experiences of Hoosiers with disabilities, highlighting historic developments in the disability rights movement.
The website uses video, audio, and digital technology to raise awareness of the contributions of movement leaders and pioneers as well as people trying to live ordinary lives. These advocates include both Hoosiers with disabilities and their supporters. They are community activists, family members, educators, professional service providers, public officials, and legislators.
The website offers online exhibits featuring a collection of oral history interviews in video format, with accompanying transcripts, descriptive data, and historical background information. This first-hand testimony illuminates the role of advocacy, and resulting changes in public policy, in the evolution of service provision and cultural attitudes towards people with disabilities.
Indiana Disability History Website
