Hello Toneworks fans and friends! Anusha here. As I get ready to wrap up my internship, I want to share some of the resources that I have found invaluable during these past few months of constant blogging, Instagramming, Tweeting, and Facebook posting. Today’s blog post will be dedicated to sharing a list of my favorite blogs and websites both for parents/caregivers of people with special needs, and for music therapists. These sites contain a variety of narratives, from funny and personal, to upbeat, and intervention-focused.

For Anyone: 

The Mighty: This website is a one-stop shop for all things neurodiverse. On The Mighty, you can find articles, reviews, and editorials by, for, and about people living with disabilities, diseases, or mental illness. You can even register to create your own personal news feed that features conditions or narratives that are of particular interest to you.

Autistic Self Advocacy Network: The Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN) works to advance the goals of disability rights movement with specific regard to Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Their slogan, “Nothing About Us, Without Us!” refers to the fact that the non-profit organization is run by and for autistic people. ASAN actively advocates for systematic change at a policy level and ensure that people with Autism are heard. Their website is a fantastic resource for news, books on self-advocacy, Autistic culture, and related topics, and reports and brief materials.

For Parents:

Love That Max: Love That Max was started in 2008 by a mother of three children, one of whom has cerebral palsy. It is currently the #1 disability blog by traffic ranking. The content, all written by Max’s mom, has been featured on Time.com, Upworthy, The Huffington Post, CNN.com, Mashable, Today.com, Yahoo, The New York Times’ blog The Motherlode, AOL, MSN.com, MTV.com and The Daily Mail, and more! Max’s mom’s writing style is witty, personal, and completely honest. She has a habit of finding the silver lining in what many would consider to be sad or frustrating situations.

Have Wheelchair Will Travel: This blog is an awesome resource for parents who have or need help making travel plans. It discusses the adventures of planning a trip with kids who have disabilities. Written by a mom of a son who has cerebral palsy, the blog reviews wheelchair-friendly attractions and tips for how to get the most out of your family adventures. The information featured on this blog comes from years worth of traveling experience and tons of research.

For Music Therapists: 

Listen and Learn Music: Probably one of the best-known blogs for music therapy resources, Rachel Rambach’s page is full of tips, tricks, advice, and personal stories. As far as organization, planning, and preparedness goes, Rachel is the epitome of what a lot of new music therapists aspire to be. If you’re ever desperately searching for an intervention last minute or a new song to inspire you when you hit an intervention slump, this is a wonderful place to start.

Kat Fulton: The genius behind Music Therapy Ed, Kat Fulton, has a website and blog of her own. If you search into the depths of Kat’s blogs you’ll find a lot of intervention ideas and session planning tips. Even more meaningful, in my opinion, are her insights and self care tips for music therapists, and her resources about developments in the music therapy field.

These are just six of my favorite blogs and websites–the full list is huge! What are your favorite blogs about/for/by people with disabilities? And of course, don’t forget to check out the Toneworks blog to find interventions, announcements, parent resources, and self-care tips. Thanks for reading!