Community & Peer Support
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.
About This Section
Section titled “About This Section”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.
Pages in This Section
Section titled “Pages in This Section”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.
Quick Start: Finding Your Community
Section titled “Quick Start: Finding Your Community”By Platform
Section titled “By Platform”- Want real-time chat? → Online Communities (Discord, etc.) →
- Prefer forums and threaded discussions? → Online Communities →
- Looking for in-person connection? → In-Person Community →
- Want disability-specific spaces? → Disability-Specific Peer Groups →
By Disability/Identity
Section titled “By Disability/Identity”- You’re Autistic → Neurodivergent communities →
- You’re Deaf or DeafBlind → Deaf and DeafBlind communities →
- You’re blind or low vision → Blind and low vision communities →
- You’re neurodivergent (ADHD, dyslexia, etc.) → Neurodivergent communities →
- You have chronic illness or pain → Chronic illness communities →
- You have psychiatric/mental health disability → Mad Pride & psychiatric disability peer support →
- You use AAC → AAC user communities →
By Age/Life Stage
Section titled “By Age/Life Stage”- You’re a student or in college → Youth & Student Communities →
- You’re transitioning to adulthood → Youth & Student Communities →
- You’re a young adult → Youth & Student Communities →
Safety in Online Community Spaces
Section titled “Safety in Online Community Spaces”Online disability communities are powerful, and they’re also sometimes targets for harassment, surveillance, or exploitation. Safe online community guidelines include:
- Verification: Most disability spaces ask for verification before joining (to prevent non-disabled people from infiltrating spaces)
- Confidentiality: What’s said in community stays in community
- Accessibility: Spaces should accommodate different communication styles, sensory needs, and energy levels
- Consent: Community decisions are made with disabled people, not for them
- Accountability: Communities address harm and take feedback seriously
If a space doesn’t feel safe, you’re not obligated to stay. Disability is for disabled people.
Learn more about creating accessible spaces →
Finding Peer Support Specific to Your Situation
Section titled “Finding Peer Support Specific to Your Situation”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 (ILCs)
Section titled “Independent Living Centers (ILCs)”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:
- Peer counseling (by disabled people)
- Information and referral
- Advocacy
- Skills training (budgeting, communication, etc.)
- Community organizing
- Equipment loan closets
- Social groups and events
Starting Your Own Group
Section titled “Starting Your Own Group”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:
- Finding 2-3 other people with shared experience
- Meeting monthly or weekly (online or in-person)
- Sharing resources and strategies
- Organizing around a common goal (advocacy, learning, social connection)
Accessibility in Community Spaces
Section titled “Accessibility in Community Spaces”Accessible community means:
- Communication access: ASL interpreters, CART (captioning), AAC-friendly spaces, plain language
- Physical access: Wheelchair accessible locations, accessible parking, accessible bathrooms, seating options
- Sensory accommodation: Low-sensory spaces, not overwhelming crowds, fragrance-free, lighting options
- Energy accommodation: Flexible attendance, shorter meetings, break options, recording provided
- Childcare/dependent care: On-site or subsidized childcare options
- Scheduling: Multiple times/days, not assuming 9-5 availability
- Cost: Free or sliding scale
- Virtual options: Online participation available for people unable to attend in-person
If a community space is not accessible, you can advocate for change or find an alternative.
Representation and Leadership
Section titled “Representation and Leadership”Strong community spaces have disabled people in leadership, especially:
- Multiply-marginalized disabled people
- People from the Global South
- People from rural areas
- People who are low-income
- Disabled people of color
- Culturally Deaf people
- Intellectually disabled people with self-advocacy experience
If you don’t see your people in leadership, it’s an access issue, not a reflection of who should be there.
Contributing to This Section
Section titled “Contributing to This Section”Know a community space that should be listed? Have feedback on accessibility of listed communities? Want to share your story about peer support?
Maintained by: DisabilityWiki Community Connections Team
Questions? Contact us →
Contribute to This Page
Section titled “Contribute to This Page”Have lived experience or expertise that could strengthen this page? We especially welcome perspectives on models not well represented here, including those from the Global South and Indigenous communities.
This page centers disabled people’s expertise and is informed by disabled-led organizing globally. For questions or to suggest additions, see How to Contribute.