Many disabled and mad people have had harmful experiences with mainstream crisis systems—police wellness checks, forced hospitalization, or services that ignore disability.
This page focuses on peer-based and disability-informed supports where they exist.
- Warmlines – Non-emergency support by phone, text, or chat.
- Peer respite / crisis houses – Short-term, voluntary, community-based places to stay.
- Mad, neurodivergent, and survivor collectives – Online and offline spaces that share crisis resources.
- Disability community networks – Mutual aid groups, Discord servers, and social media spaces that organize around care.
¶ Examples (to be expanded by region)
Contributors are invited to add:
- State or provincial peer warmlines
- Mad pride and psychiatric survivor organizations
- Crisis collectives run by and for Deaf, autistic, neurodivergent, or chronically ill people
- Disability-led mutual aid projects that include crisis response or emergency funds
For each resource, please include:
- Region/country
- Who it’s for
- Contact method (phone, text, chat, web)
- Any warnings (for example, if they ever call police without consent)
Because formal options may be limited, many disabled people build personal crisis webs, such as:
- A small circle of people you can message when things are bad
- Agreements about what kind of support is helpful (listening, distraction, logistics)
- Shared documents with your meds, allergies, access needs, and emergency contacts
- Local groups for food, rides, child care, or short-term financial help
Disability communities often emphasize mutual aid over one-directional charity.
¶ Safety and consent
When adding resources to this page, please:
- Respect privacy and safety (no doxxing)
- Note clearly if a service may contact police, emergency services, or family without consent
- Recognize that what feels safe for one person may not be safe for others (especially for Black, Indigenous, migrant, undocumented, or trans people)
The goal is not to promise safety, but to share options and context so people can make informed choices.