Disability community is powerful. Whether you're looking for connection, solidarity, shared strategies, or just other people who understand, this section helps you find your people—online, in-person, or both.
Peer support is often more valuable than professional support. We understand our own lives. We solve problems together. We celebrate victories and navigate challenges with people who share similar experiences or identities.
This section maps online communities, in-person groups, disability-specific networks, and youth spaces across different disabilities and backgrounds. We center communities led by disabled people themselves, especially those from the Global South and multiply-marginalized communities.
Find your people online. Includes Reddit communities, Discord servers, Facebook groups, Twitter/X Disability Twitter, Mastodon disability spaces, forums (WrongPlanet, etc.), and international platforms. Each entry includes accessibility notes and community culture.
Spaces for specific disabilities and identities: AAC users, Blind and low vision communities, Deaf and DeafBlind communities, neurodivergent people, chronic illness and pain communities, intellectual and developmental disability self-advocacy networks, Mad Pride, and psychiatric disability peer support.
Finding local peer groups, Independent Living Centers, disability advocacy organizations, cultural and hobby-based meetups, support groups, and alternatives to traditional disability services.
Resources for disabled teenagers, college disability groups, transition-age youth networks, and young adult disability organizing. Includes information on leadership development, mentorship, and representation of youth in decision-making.
Online disability communities are powerful, and they're also sometimes targets for harassment, surveillance, or exploitation. Safe online community guidelines include:
If a space doesn't feel safe, you're not obligated to stay. Disability is for disabled people.
Learn more about creating accessible spaces →
Different situations benefit from different types of community:
Recently diagnosed or newly disabled: Look for "newly disabled" or "recently acquired disability" groups. These often focus on adjustment, grief, and reframing.
Navigating benefits or housing: Find affinity groups through advocacy organizations or government disability services. Many people are navigating the same systems.
Specific disability with limited population: International online communities exist for rare diseases and rare disability combinations. Start with online spaces and develop local connections.
Multiple disabilities or intersectional identities: Look for multiply-marginalized spaces (disability + race, disability + LGBTQ+, etc.) These are often smaller and harder to find but deeply validating.
Family and caregiving: Peer support for parents of disabled children, siblings, partners, and formal caregivers exists in various forms.
Independent Living Centers are nonprofit organizations run by and for disabled people. ILCs provide peer support, advocacy, skills training, and independent living services. Most are organized by region.
Typically ILC services include:
If you can't find a community that fits your needs, you can start one. This doesn't require formal training or lots of resources.
Starting a peer group might mean:
Accessible community means:
If a community space is not accessible, you can advocate for change or find an alternative.
Strong community spaces have disabled people in leadership, especially:
If you don't see your people in leadership, it's an access issue, not a reflection of who should be there.
Know a community space that should be listed? Have feedback on accessibility of listed communities? Want to share your story about peer support?
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Maintained by: DisabilityWiki Community Connections Team
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