• American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AAIDD)
is an American non-profit professional organization that advocates on behalf of those with mental retardation. AAMR has members in the United States and 55 other countries.
• American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD)
is a non-profit organization in Washington, DC., which advocates for the legal rights of people with disabilities.
• Bundesarbeitsgemeinschaft: Werkstätten für behinderte Menschen (BAG:WfbM)
advocates the needs and interests of people with severe disabilities. Since its foundation in 1975 the association established a network of contacts towards
politicians, civil servants and other non-governmental organisations dealing with issues related to the integration of persons with disabilities in active life.
• Disabled In Action of Metropolitan New York (DIA)
was founded in 1970. It is an American organization that primarily serves the physically disabled and focuses on advocacy and services. The group concerns itself with lobbying for new legislation that would provide for and defend the civil rights of people with disabilities and with the enforcement of current legislation.
• Disabled Peoples' International (DPI)
was established in 1981 and was the world's first successful cross-disability endeavour to convert the talk about full and equal participation of persons with disabilities into action. It is headquartered in Ottawa, Canada and has a presence in more than 130 countries. DPI's goal is to achieve full participation of all persons with disabilities in the mainstream of life, through promotion and protection of their human rights, and focus particularly on developing countries.
• Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund
was founded in 1979 and directed by people with disabilities and parents of children with disabilities, DREDF advances the civil and human rights of people with disabilities through legal advocacy, training, education, and public policy and legislative development.
• European Disability Forum
is an independent NGO that represents the interests of 80 million Europeans with disabilities. EDF is the only European platform run by persons with disabilities and their families.
• European Society for Mental Health and Deafness (ESMHD)
is an international Non-Government Organization for the promotion of the positive mental health of deaf people in Europe. ESMHD was established by a group of concerned people from four European countries in 1986.
• Inclusion International
is a global federation of family-based organizations advocating for the human rights of people with intellectual disabilities worldwide, with 200 member federations in 115 countries.
• International Disability Alliance (IDA)
was established in 1999 as a network of global and, since 2007, regional disabled people’s organizations (DPOs).
• Mental Disability Advocacy Center (MDAC)
is an international human rights organization founded in Hungary in 2002.
• Mental Health Europe (MHE)
is a non governmental organisation committed to the promotion of positive mental health and well-being, the prevention of mental health problems, the improvement of care, advocacy for social inclusion and the protection of the human rights of (ex)users of mental health services and their families and carers.
• National Association of State Directors of Developmental Disabilities Services, Inc. (NASDDDS)
is a non-profit organization, established in 1964 to improve and expand public services to people with mental retardation and other developmental disabilities. The Association's goal is to promote and assist state agencies in developing effective, efficient service delivery systems that furnish high-quality supports to people with developmental disabilities.
• National Disability Rights Network (formerly National Association of Protection and Advocacy Systems) (NDRN)
promotes national policy which enables individuals with developmental disabilities the opportunity to make choices regarding the quality of their lives and be included in the community.
• Rehabilitation International (RI)
is an international disability rights organization with a secretariat based in New York. Founded in 1922, RI has more than 700 member organizations in 90 countries. A major focus of its activity since 1999 has been work towards establishing the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
• World Institute on Disability (WDI)
is an internationally recognized public policy center founded in 1983 by leaders of the Independent Living Movement, WID's program work focuses on issues and problems that directly affect people’s ability to live full and independent lives.
• UN Human Rights Bodies: Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD)
is the body of independent experts which monitors implementation of the Convention by the States Parties.
• Disability Rights Commission (DRC)
was established by the British Labour government in 1999. At that time, the DRC was the UK's third equality commission alongside the Commission for Racial Equality and the Equal Opportunities Commission.
• National Association of Developmental Disabilities Councils (NACDD)
promotes national policy which enables individuals with developmental disabilities the opportunity to make choices regarding the quality of their lives and be included in the community.
• National Council on Disability (NCD)
is an independent federal agency charged with advising the President, Congress, and other federal agencies regarding policies, programs, practices, and procedures that affect people with disabilities. NCD is comprised of a team of fifteen Presidential appointees, an Executive Director appointed by the Chairman, and eleven, full-time professional staff.
• National Council on Independent Living (NCIL)
is a membership organization that advances the independent living philosophy and advocates for the human rights of, and services for, people with disabilities to further their full integration and participation in society.