197 organizations
How disability services work in Georgia
Two honest truths up front: real help exists, and the waits for some of it are long — so start applications early and use the faster doors meanwhile.
Independent living: centers like disABILITY LINK in Atlanta are run by and for people with disabilities — practical help with housing searches, benefits, equipment, and peer support, usually free and without waitlists. Home- and community-based waivers (NOW/COMP for developmental disabilities, others for physical) pay for real support at home, but Georgia's waitlists run years — apply now regardless. Income: SSI/SSDI denials are normal the first time; appeal, and get a disability attorney — they only get paid if you win, from back pay.
What to expect when you call: be ready to describe daily-life impact ("I can't stand long enough to cook"), not just diagnoses — services are matched to function, and plain descriptions work best.
The Job Accommodation Network (JAN) is a free national service, funded by the U.S. Department of Labor, that helps people with disabilities get the support they need to work. You can call or email them to talk one-on-one with an expert about workplace accommodations, your rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and how to ask your employer for changes that help you do your job. The help is confidential and there is no cost.
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InCommunity is a nonprofit that helps people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) in the Atlanta area live full, independent lives. They offer adult day programs, help finding and keeping a job, places to live with support, respite care to give caregivers a break, and family support funding for things a loved one needs. Founded in 1979, they have served more than 10,000 Georgians.
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Refugee Family Assistance Program (RFAP) is a Stone Mountain nonprofit, started by refugee women, that helps refugee and immigrant families settle and thrive in metro Atlanta. They focus on supporting families who have a child or relative with a disability, and they also run programs for refugee women, elders, and people who want to learn how to buy a home. Help includes case management, school and disability advocacy, interpretation, and free housing counseling.
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This is the U.S. Department of Justice's ADA Information Line, run by the Civil Rights Division's Disability Rights Section. You can call free to ask how the Americans with Disabilities Act protects people with disabilities, get plain answers about your rights, and learn how to file a complaint if a business or government office treats you unfairly. Accessibility specialists answer your questions, and all calls are private.
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This Able Veteran is a nonprofit in Carbondale, Illinois that pairs U.S. military veterans living with PTSD with custom-trained service dogs. Veterans come for a free three-week Trauma Resiliency Program that teaches coping skills and matches them with a dog trained to sense and ease anxiety, nightmares, and panic. They also run training academies for people who want to learn to train service dogs.
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This is the Atlanta walk-in library of the Georgia Library Service (GLS, also called GLASS), the state's regional library for the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled. It lends free talking books, braille books, and large-print magazines to Georgians who are blind, have low vision, or cannot hold a book or turn pages because of a disability. They also offer assistive technology and a free mail-order delivery so you can borrow books without leaving home.
Downtown4 services
American Veteran Advocacy (AVA) is a veteran-owned business run by VA-accredited claims agent Hans Wolf. They help veterans and their families file and appeal VA disability compensation claims, with a focus on Special Monthly Compensation (SMC) and traumatic brain injury (TBI) cases. AVA works by phone and serves veterans nationwide; it is not a local Atlanta office.
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DBHDD is Georgia's state agency for mental health, substance use, and intellectual/developmental disability services. Its Georgia Crisis and Access Line (GCAL) answers calls 24/7 at 1-800-715-4225 and connects people to crisis counseling, mobile crisis teams, open crisis or detox beds, and urgent appointments. You can also call or text 988 for help any time.
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The Blinded Veterans Association (BVA) is a national veterans group with an active Atlanta chapter that helps veterans who are blind or losing their vision. They help veterans file VA benefit and disability claims for free, connect with other blinded veterans through peer support, and join adaptive sports, recreation, and community events. They also offer scholarships for blinded veterans and their family members.
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The Disability Rights Legal Center (DRLC) is a nonprofit law center based in Los Angeles, California — the oldest disability-rights law center in the country, founded in 1975. It uses civil-rights lawsuits and advocacy to fight discrimination against people with disabilities and people affected by cancer, working mostly at the state and national level. It is not a local Atlanta organization and does not have a Georgia office.
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disABILITY LINK is a Center for Independent Living that helps people with disabilities of all ages live independently across metro Atlanta. They offer free help with assistive technology and equipment loans, housing and home modifications, employment, peer support, advocacy, transportation training, and moving out of nursing facilities into the community. Many services are free and you can take part in person or remotely.
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FODAC (Friends of Disabled Adults and Children) is a nonprofit that helps people with disabilities stay mobile and live independently. They give out free or low-cost refurbished wheelchairs, walkers, hospital beds, and other home medical equipment, and they also build wheelchair ramps, modify vehicles, and run a community thrift store. To get equipment, you call them first to check what's available and to be matched by your height and weight.
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This is the Fulton County government department that runs outpatient mental health, substance use, and developmental disability services for adults, teens, and children — including people without insurance. They provide counseling, psychiatric care, medication-assisted treatment for opioid use, day programs for people with developmental disabilities, school-based services, and court-related mental health programs across several service centers in the county. Call the main number to find the right program and set up an appointment; walk-ins are also accepted at the centers.
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Empowerline is the Atlanta Regional Commission's Area Agency on Aging and the local Aging and Disability Resource Connection (ADRC). It is a free, one-stop "front desk" you can call to get connected to help with aging, disability, caregiving, and health needs across metro Atlanta. Specialists give free guidance and link you to vetted community programs like home care, meals, benefits, and senior centers.
Kirkwood5 services
DBHDD is Georgia's state agency that oversees public services for mental health, substance use and addiction, and developmental disabilities. It runs the state's crisis system (call or text 988, or the Georgia Crisis and Access Line at 1-800-715-4225) and funds local providers, five state psychiatric hospitals, and support programs across Georgia. Anyone in a mental health, substance use, or developmental disability crisis can call 24/7 to be connected to help.
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Georgia Lions Lighthouse Foundation helps Georgians who have no insurance or low income get eye and hearing care. They give free or low-cost eye exams, glasses, eye surgery, and hearing aids through their Chamblee clinic, mobile clinics, and a tele-eye-care program. (Note: this listing was mislabeled as 'Atlanta Recovery Center' — it is NOT a substance-use program; it is a vision and hearing nonprofit.)
Ridgedale Park7 services
This is one of Fulton County's three day programs (Training Centers) for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, run by the county Department of Behavioral Health & Developmental Disabilities. The center helps adults build everyday living skills, social and communication skills, and work skills (from volunteering through pre-vocational training) so they can be more independent and active in the community. To join, you must first qualify for a Georgia DBHDD waiver (COMP or NOW).
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This is one of Fulton County's three Training Centers (day programs) for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The Central Training Center helps people learn daily living skills, job and vocational skills, communication, and how to take part in their community. To join, you first need approval through the state (DBHDD) with a COMP or NOW waiver, then you set up a tour and intake interview with the center.
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Empowerline is the Atlanta Regional Commission's Area Agency on Aging and the metro Atlanta Aging and Disability Resource Connection (ADRC). It is a free "front desk" that helps older adults, people with disabilities, and family caregivers find and connect to services for their home, health, and daily life. Trained staff give free advice and connect you to thousands of community providers, Medicare help, caregiver support, and senior centers.
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This is Fulton County's public behavioral health agency. They offer counseling, psychiatric care, and treatment for mental health, addiction, and substance use for adults, children, and teens, plus services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Care is free or charged on a sliding scale based on income, and no one is turned away because they cannot pay.
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