Disability Resources
RIC's resources for people living with a disability
At the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (RIC), we work to provide resources and information that help people with disabilities work toward attaining their own personal goals. We have a several resources available to accommodate various aspects of life for people with disabilities and their families.
These resources include:
LIFE Center
RIC's LIFE Center (opens new window) is a unique resource center and Web site designed to help people with disabilities and their families become informed, get connected and be inspired. Part library and part virtual network, the LIFE Center, located off the lobby at RIC's main campus, offers a large collection of books, videos, magazines and multimedia learning resources geared toward people with disabilities and their families. Community resources, such as support groups, classes and disability-specific organizations and programs are included in our center to connect you to information that spans key topics of life.
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Medical Information & Care
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Care giving & Equipment
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Housing & Transportation
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Education & Employment
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Support & Wellness
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Recreation & Leisure
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Finance & Law
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Inspiration & Hope
Donnelley Family Disability Ethics Program
RIC's Donnelley Family Disability Ethics program (DFDEP) creates forums for thoughtful examination of issues surrounding disability such as allocation of resources, informed consent, patient autonomy, quality of life, family obligations and disability rights, among others.
The Donnelley Family Disability Ethics Program (DFDEP) is dedicated to transforming the understanding of disability in health care and bioethics. The program serves as a resource for health care professionals, bioethicists, and health care policy makers. DFDEP integrates clinical, bioethics, and disability studies theories and embraces the importance of the “lived experience” of people with disabilities.
Women with Disabilities Center
RIC's Women with Disabilities Center (WWDC) is a partnership between the community and physical medicine and rehabilitation care providers. The Center works to empower women and girls with disabilities to practice self-determination. We enhance the availability, accessibility and quality of medical care and psycho-social support for all women with disabilities.
The Women with Disabilities Center offers an array of programs and services tailored to the unique issues and challenges of life for women with disabilities, including:
- Access to the services of primary and specialty physicians
- Education and advocacy activities
- Peer support groups, including a teen mentoring program to serve the particular challenges of young women with disabilities
- Parenting assistance and other consultation services
- Library and information center, "Resourceful Woman" newsletter and referral network
- Research
- Domestic Violence Services Program and 24-hour hotline: 312-238-7238
Helen M. Galvin Health & Fitness Center
For adults with disabilities, physical fitness is essential to maintaining strength, maximizing function and enjoying the exhilaration and well being that physical activity can bring. The Helen M. Galvin Health & Fitness Center, located near RIC's main campus, offers personalized exercise programs and competitive sports for a nominal fee. The 4,000 square foot center offers state-of-the-art, fully accessible equipment designed to accommodate people of all ages and levels of ability. Free weights, treadmills, stationary cycles, hand cycles and more are available to center members.
Virginia Wadsworth Wirtz Sports Program
Through the Virginia Wadsworth Wirtz Sports Program, RIC offers individual and team sports and other organized activities for people of all ages with disabilities, including training programs for Paralympic-level competition. A variety of different competitive and recreational sports are available for of all ages and abilities, including: