The Supplemental YOYO Resource Manual is designed to serve as a practical reference tool for YOYO interviewers as they conduct interviews with former students. Its primary purpose is to support informed, meaningful conversations about postsecondary outcomes and adult life experiences of individuals with disabilities by providing a centralized list of relevant resources across key life domains.
Aging & Independent Living
Planning for adulthood includes thinking about how youth with disabilities will live, make decisions, and access supports over time. The aging and independent living resources in this section help youth and families learn about community‑based supports, independent living options, and long‑term planning that can support independence and quality of life well beyond high school.
Area Agencies on Aging and Independent Living (AAAIL)
Coordinates information, referrals, and community‑based services that support older adults and people with disabilities in living independently in their communities
Education
Kentucky Supported Higher Education Partnership (KSHEP)
A network of Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs) across the state offering inclusive higher education programs for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities, such as Comprehensive Transition and Postsecondary (CTP) programs.
Kentucky Community & Technical College System (KCTCS): Disability Services
List of disability Resource Coordinators/Service Providers at each college within KCTCS.
College Navigator – National Center for Education Statistics
The IPEDS College Navigator is a research tool that allows access to information about more than 9,000 vocational/technical schools, colleges, and universities in the U.S.
Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority (KHEAA)
Established in 1966 to improve student access to higher education.
National Deaf Center on Postsecondary Outcomes (NDC)
A guide to vocational rehabilitation for deaf youth.
Think College
A national organization dedicated to developing, expanding, and improving inclusive higher education options for people with intellectual disabilities.
Kentucky Adult Education (KYAE)
Kentucky Adult Education provides free adult education services in all 120 counties to help Kentuckians obtain a GED.
Education Connection
The Vocational School Database contains information on private postsecondary vocational-technical schools in all 50 states.
Kentucky Deaf-Blind Project
The Kentucky Deaf-Blind Project provides free statewide technical assistance and training to persons up to 22 years of age with vision and hearing challenges.
Kentucky Students’ Right to Know
This dashboard, which is powered by the Kentucky Center for Statistics, links college majors to the most in-demand jobs in the state, along with typical education requirements, wages, and institutions offering these majors.
Employment
Kentucky Supported Employment Training Project (SETP)
Clear, practical information about supported employment, Employment First, and how to access job‑finding supports and services in Kentucky, helping youth prepare for meaningful work and adult life after high school.
Kentucky Office of Vocational Rehabilitation
The Kentucky Office of Vocational Rehabilitation assists Kentuckians with disabilities in achieving suitable employment and independence.
O*NET Online
A tool for career exploration and job analysis.
Job Accommodation Network (JAN)
The Job Accommodation Network is the leading source of free, expert, and confidential guidance on workplace accommodations and disability employment issues.
Carl D. Perkins Vocational Training Center
The mission of the Carl D. Perkins Vocational Training Center is that persons will achieve sustainable competitive integrated employment, maximize independence, and yet gain self-respect through the provision of comprehensive services.
Competitive Integrated Employment (CIE) Resources
Curated resources that support people with disabilities and their families in planning for competitive integrated employment, with guidance on youth transition, job training, employment rights, independent living, and supported employment options.
Health & Wellness
Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services/Department of Behavioral Health, Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities
Provides information on Kentucky’s mental health, substance use, and developmental disability services, helping families find providers, access crisis and community‑based supports, and navigate statewide resources that promote independence and well‑being.
1915(i) RISE Initiative
A Kentucky Medicaid Home and Community‑Based Services (HCBS) program for adults with serious mental illness that supports recovery and community living through person‑centered services such as housing supports, employment and education assistance, independent living supports, and benefits coordination.
Special Olympics Kentucky Healthy Athletes Initiative
The mission of the Special Olympics of Kentucky Healthy Athletes Initiative is to improve the athlete’s ability to train and compete through better health and fitness.
Kentucky Inclusive Health Collaborative
Provides inclusive, accessible health and wellness information for people with and without disabilities, with a focus on reducing health disparities and promoting lifelong wellness.
Recreation
Kentucky Special Olympics
Offers inclusive sports and recreation opportunities for people with intellectual disabilities, promoting physical activity, confidence, teamwork, and social connection in the community.
U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) “Find a Club – Kentucky”
Helps individuals with disabilities and their families locate adaptive and Paralympic‑style sports clubs across Kentucky, making it easier to connect with inclusive community‑based athletic opportunities statewide.
Bowling Green Parks & Recreation Adaptive Recreation
Inclusive sports and recreation opportunities for children, teens, and adults with intellectual and physical disabilities, including Special Olympics and adaptive sports such as wheelchair basketball, wheelchair tennis, and goalball.
Catalyst Sports (Louisville/Lexington Chapter)
Provides adaptive adventure sports—such as rock climbing, cycling, and kayaking—for people with physical disabilities, using specialized equipment and trained volunteers to promote independence, confidence, and community through inclusive recreation.
Accessible Kentucky
Kentucky Tourism resource that helps people with disabilities and their families plan inclusive trips by highlighting accessible attractions, outdoor experiences, lodging, dining, and travel tips across the state.
Berrytown Recreation Center’s Adaptive and Inclusive Recreation (AIR) program Offers inclusive sports, fitness, and social activities for people with intellectual and physical disabilities, creating welcoming opportunities for community participation alongside friends and family in Louisville
Community Living & Housing Supports
Supports for Community Living Waiver Branch
A home and community-based program funded by the Kentucky Department for Medicaid Services and administered by the Division of Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities.
Mental Health Housing & Homelessness Resources
Information on Kentucky’s mental health housing and homelessness programs, including supportive housing, rental assistance, and transition supports for individuals with serious mental illness to help them live safely and independently in the community
Starfire Council of Greater Cincinnati
Starfire helps individuals identify their strengths, build meaningful relationships, and connect to inclusive community roles through family mentorship and community‑led projects that promote belonging, independence, and reduced social isolation during the transition to adulthood.
Centers for Independent Living (CILs)
Community‑based organizations that support people with disabilities through peer support, self‑advocacy, and independent living skills to promote full participation and inclusion in community life.
The Center for Accessible Living (CAL)
A nonprofit Center for Independent Living that supports people with disabilities through advocacy, peer support, independent living skills, and benefits counseling to promote independence and full community participation.
The Kentucky Statewide Independent Living Council (KY SILC)
A statewide, consumer‑led organization that works with Centers for Independent Living and state partners to advocate for policies and systems that support independence, self‑determination, and full community participation for Kentuckians with disabilities.
Transporation
Kentucky Driver Services
Services provided by the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, such as driver’s license and vehicle registration renewal.
Kentucky Public Transportation Providers
List of public transportation providers by county.
Bluegrass Community & Technical College (BCTC) Class Pass
Free of charge, first come, first serve bus pass for BCTC Lexington campus students.
Kentucky Paratransit Services
Kentucky Paratransit provides transportation services on the University of Kentucky’s campus for students and employees with temporary and permanent mobility impairments.
Central Kentucky Community Action Transportation Services (CKCATS)
Safe and reliable public transportation services available in Breckinridge, Grayson, Larue, Marion, and Nelson counties, and limited services offered in Washington and Hart counties.
Voting
Commonwealth of Kentucky State Board of Elections
Information on voting in Kentucky, including how to register and information on voter rights
Self‑Advocacy, Decision‑Making, & Rights
My Choice Kentucky
Can help you find information on Supported Decision-Making and connect you with people and organizations that may be able to help you and answer your questions.
Kentucky Protection and Advocacy
The mission is to protect and promote the rights of Kentuckians with disabilities through legally based individual and systemic advocacy and education.
KY-SPIN
Helps families and individuals with disabilities understand systems, access resources, and advocate effectively across education, transition, and adult services.
Southeast ADA Center
Provides free information, training, and guidance to help people with disabilities, families, employers, and agencies understand their rights and responsibilities under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and promote accessibility and inclusion.
Financial
Disability Benefits 101
Provides tools and information on employment, health coverage, and benefits. Plan ahead and learn how work and benefits go together.
Social Security Administration
Provides financial protection and supports Americans throughout all of life’s journeys.
Traumatic Brain Injury Trust Fund
Established to provide flexible funding and support to those with brain injuries.
STABLE Kentucky
An investment account available to eligible individuals living with disabilities.
National Disability Institute (NDI)
Free financial wellness tools that can be used to help individuals, families, financial institutions, and community partners improve the financial future of people with disabilities.
Life Plan of Kentucky
Life Plan of Kentucky, Inc. can serve as Trustee for both First Party (the person with a disability’s money) and Third Party (a family member or other person’s money) Special Needs Trust accounts.
Work Incentives Planning and Assistance (WIPA)
Provides free benefits counseling to Kentuckians ages 14 through retirement age who receive SSI and/or SSDI, helping them understand how working or increasing work hours may affect their benefits and health coverage so they can make informed employment decisions.
Kentucky Disability Resource Guide
Kentucky Disability Resource Guide
Helping English-speaking and Spanish-speaking families navigate the sometimes-complex array of services available to people with disabilities.
Other
Do you have other resources you would like to see included? If so, please email us at information@kypso.org.Other