Mission Statement

'"We advocate and facilitate action by persons with disabilities and the community to achieve equal access for all."

Disability Advocates began in May 1981 as the Grand Rapids Center for Independent Living. In May 2002, our name changed to Disability Advocates of Kent County so as to better communicate what we do and who we serve. Our agency provides a full array of services throughout Kent county, with a population of 600,000. Disability Advocates of Kent County is a free-standing organization defines its role in the community as a voice for advocacy on a level that has not been felt in this area before.

Disability Advocates believes that all persons:

• Have the right to live as independently as possible.
• Have worth, dignity and capacity to contribute.
• Have the right to affect decisions that impact upon the successes or failures in their lives.
• Have the right to make choices and to have a voice.
• Have the right to share or participate in community activities.