Agreement to these terms

These Terms of Service explain the rules for using www.bridge-to-independence.com and the free resources we offer through it. By using our website, you agree to these terms. If you do not agree, please do not use the site.

Bridge to Independence is a nonprofit organization that provides free resources to families who have a loved one with a disability. In these terms, "we," "us," and "our" mean Bridge to Independence, and "you" means anyone who visits or uses our website.

Our Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and protect your information, and it is part of these terms.

Information, not professional advice

Our website and resources share general information to help families learn and find support. They are not medical, therapy, behavioral, legal, or financial advice, and they do not replace care from a qualified professional who knows your loved one.

Every person and family is different. Please talk with a doctor, therapist, or other qualified professional before making decisions about diagnosis, treatment, education, or care.

Using our website or contacting us does not create a provider-patient or other professional relationship. If you or someone you care for is in danger or having a medical emergency, call 911 or your local emergency number right away. For a mental health crisis in the United States, call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.

Using our website

You may use our website for personal, educational, and other lawful purposes. If you are under 18, please use the site with a parent or guardian.

Please do not misuse the site. This means you may not break the law, harass or harm others, post false or misleading information, or pretend to be someone else. You also may not try to hack, disrupt, or overload the site, spread viruses or spam, or use automated tools in ways that harm it.

We may limit or end access for anyone who violates these terms or puts our community at risk.

Our content and free resources

The content on our website, including our guides, ebooks, audiobooks, videos, graphics, and logos, belongs to Bridge to Independence or to the creators who let us use it. It is protected by copyright and other laws.

You are welcome to download, print, and share our free resources for personal, educational, and other non-commercial purposes. Families, teachers, therapists, and other professionals may share them with the people they support. Please share them free of charge and credit Bridge to Independence.

Please do not sell our resources, change them, remove our name, or present them as your own. To use our content another way, such as in a publication or a paid training, contact us for permission first.

If you believe something on our site uses your work without permission, contact us and we will look into it promptly.

What you share with us

When you send us a message, story, photo, review, or comment, you confirm that you have the right to share it. Please do not share anyone else's private information, including a child's, without permission from that person or their parent or guardian.

If you share content for us to publish, such as a family story, you give us permission to use it to support our mission. We may edit it for length and clarity. We will ask before publishing your name, photos, or details that could identify your family, and you can ask us to remove your story from our website at any time.

We may remove any content that breaks these terms or that we believe could harm someone.

Donations

Bridge to Independence is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, and our federal tax ID number (EIN) is 93-2666352. Donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law, and you will receive a receipt for your records. Please talk with a tax advisor about your own situation.

Donations are generally final. If you made a mistake, such as an incorrect amount or a duplicate gift, contact us within 30 days and we will work with you to correct it.

If you set up a recurring gift, you can change or cancel it at any time by contacting us. Changes take effect with the next scheduled gift.

Unless you tell us otherwise, we direct each gift where it is needed most to support our mission. If you give to a specific program that becomes fully funded or ends, we will use your gift for a similar purpose.

Other websites and services

Our website may link to other organizations, providers, and businesses. It may also include tools from other companies, such as donation forms and embedded videos.

We share these links to help families find support. We do not control these sites or services and are not responsible for their content or practices. A link does not mean we endorse a provider or business, so please review the terms and privacy policies of any site you visit.

Accessibility

We want everyone to be able to use our website, including people with disabilities. We work to follow widely used accessibility guidelines and keep improving the site over time.

If you have trouble using any part of the site, or need a resource in another format such as large print or audio, please contact us. Tell us the page and the problem, and we will work to fix it or get you the information another way.

Disclaimers and limitation of liability

We work hard to keep our information accurate and up to date, but we cannot promise that it is complete, current, or right for your situation. Our website and resources are provided as is and as available, without warranties of any kind, to the fullest extent the law allows. We also cannot promise that the site will always be available, secure, or free of errors.

To the fullest extent the law allows, Bridge to Independence and its board, staff, and volunteers are not liable for indirect, incidental, or consequential damages. This includes damages from your use of our website or resources. If we are found liable for anything, our total liability to you will not be more than $100.

Some places do not allow certain disclaimers or limits on liability, so some of these may not apply to you.

Indemnification

If you misuse our website or break these terms, you are responsible for what happens as a result. If someone makes a claim against us because of it, you agree to protect Bridge to Independence and its board, staff, and volunteers. This includes covering resulting losses and reasonable legal fees.

Changes to these terms and our website

We may update these terms from time to time. When we do, we will change the Last updated date at the top of this page. If you keep using the website after changes take effect, you accept the updated terms.

We may also change, pause, or stop offering any part of the website or our resources at any time.

Governing law

These terms are governed by the laws of the State of Nebraska, without regard to its conflict of law rules. If a dispute comes up, please contact us first so we can try to resolve it informally. If we cannot, any legal action will be handled in the state or federal courts located in Nebraska.

General terms

If any part of these terms is found unenforceable, the rest will still apply. If we do not enforce a part of these terms right away, we have not given up the right to enforce it later.

These terms, together with our Privacy Policy, are the full agreement between you and Bridge to Independence about using our website.

Contact us

If you have questions about these terms, please email us at [contact email]. If you need these terms in another format, such as large print or audio, contact us and we will provide it.