Family Support

Family Support The Individual & Family Support assistance program assists Alabamians statewide. Family Support (Individual & Family Support of South Alabama, Inc.)

In 1992, because Alabama families had many unmet needs, a grassroots coalition sprang up across Alabama to examine and redirect the way we provide supports and services to children and adults with developmental disabilities. The FACES (Families and Consumers Establishing Supports) coalition, which included people with disabilities, their family members, friends, and advocates was created. They emb

raced a powerful statement of values and goals for the State of Alabama, and 1993 saw the passage of Act 93-334 which created the Individual & Family Support program. The state was divided into five regions, each with a volunteer regional council made up of individuals with disabilities and parents of children with disabilities. Regional councils were directed to incorporate as nonprofits, and administer the program in their area through the work of local councils. was created in January, 1994, as a nonprofit corporation designed to serve ten counties in the southern portion of the State. Assistance is provided to individuals and families statewide through volunteer councils using state funding, contracts, grants and donations. In 2009 Family Support established a new Board of Trustees to add a level of intensity and commitment to the organizations’ plans, goals and objectives.

09/01/2026

The chair he built costs about 150 dollars. The shop version costs thousands.

Zac Waters is 13 and lives in Lehi, Utah. He spent this summer printing, about 300 hours of it, so that a toddler he had never met would have a wheelchair.

The design is not his own. It comes from MakeGood, a New Orleans nonprofit that gives away plans for assistive devices for free. Zac found the chair on their YouTube channel and printed, tested and assembled the parts at home. He chose pink because it is her favorite color, added a tray and a removable cup holder, left room at the back for heavier medical equipment and made the footrest and headrest adjustable so the chair grows with her.

The reason MakeGood publishes the plans is money. The shop version runs into thousands of dollars, insurers often refuse to pay, and every couple of years a child has grown out of the one they have. Their printed version costs around 150 dollars in materials on a home machine. In his own words, the project brought together his two favorite things: printing, and helping people who need it.

Sources: KTVX/ABC4, MakeGood, PR Newswire

08/29/2026

Lateral Ableism 101 ✨👨🏼‍🦽‍➡️👨🏻‍🦼✨

Image description: a colorful accessibility-themed infographic on a white background titled “What is Lateral Ableism?” in large black lettering outlined with bright pink. Decorative stars surround the title. At the upper left and upper right are cartoon illustrations of women who use wheelchairs; the woman on the left wears a green shirt and dark green pants, while the woman on the right wears a bright pink shirt and red pants.

Below the title, the infographic defines lateral ableism in several lines of black text:
“Lateral ableism describes a type of discrimination that occurs amongst members of the disabled community or between disabled individuals. Lateral ableism differs from traditional ableism, as it involves discrimination from peers within the same group and not from non-disabled people or from systems.”

A pink-outlined heading underneath reads: “Examples of lateral ableism include:”

Three colored text boxes appear across the bottom:

Green box on the left: “Minimizing or invalidating the lived experience of a fellow disabled person.”

Pink box in the center: “Projecting one’s own internalized ableism onto others within the community.”

Green box on the right: “Questioning the validity of those with invisible disabilities or who do not ‘look disabled.’”

At the bottom center, the creator’s handle appears in gray text.

07/29/2026
07/04/2026

Happy 4th of July wishes to all the families who have championed the rights of children with disabilities.

05/10/2026

On Mother's Day, we acknowledge the tireless efforts of mothers caring for children with special needs. Your perseverance and love make you authentic heroes.

05/01/2026
04/05/2026

From our family to yours, Happy Easter.

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1050 Government Street
Mobile, AL
36604

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