About Us - MADIL

INDEX Staff

INDEX helps people with disabilities find the information they need. We collect and keep up-to-date information on programs, providers and services in Massachusetts that have something to offer to people with disabilities. INDEX is a project of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver Center at the University of Massachusetts Medical School.

Mission

INDEX’s mission is to improve the lives of people with disabilities and those that serve them. We provide information and referral; technical assistance; training; online education; and technology services.

INDEX provides, to the public, free information about programs, providers, and services for people with disabilities living in Massachusetts.

INDEX recognizes that accurate information is a basic prerequisite for making informed decisions. We use our expertise in information technology, our experience in the field of disabilities, and our long history of collaborating with disability-related, nonprofit, and state agencies to provide people with disabilities and their families the information they need to maximize their independence and productivity in our community.

Funding

INDEX was founded in 1986 with grants from the federal Administration on Developmental Disabilities and the Massachusetts Developmental Disabilities Council. Since that time, INDEX has been continuously funded by state agencies of the Executive Office of Health and Human Services as the primary comprehensive resource for information on disabilities in Massachusetts. See a list of our current- and former funders.

Massachusetts Developmental Disabilities Network

INDEX, as part of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver Center, is one of four organizations that form the Massachusetts Developmental Disabilities Network. The network promotes self-determination, independence, productivity, integration, and inclusion in all facets of community life for people with developmental disabilities and their families. The network partners accomplish this mission through advocacy, education, research, and dissemination of information.

Technical Assistance for Nonprofits

INDEX Technical Services builds and hosts Web applications and online-learning solutions, all accessible to people with disabilities, for nonprofits and government agencies in Massachusetts and throughout the United States. Read more about these services on the INDEX Technical Services website.

Team

Our team is dedicated to providing disability-specific information to everyone. We have extensive backgrounds in human services and/or information technology. Contact us for help.