DIA at SEPTA January 2006

About Us

Disabled In action, Inc. (DIA) was founded in 1973 by persons with disabilities on the strong conviction that society was excluding them from full and equal participation.  They also felt many of their needs and concerns relative to their disability were not being addressed or met adequately.  For these reasons a strong advocacy group was believed necessary to bring about desired changes.  Furthermore, it was believed that persons with disabilities are their own best advocates in defending their civil rights.

 

 

The purpose of the organization is to advocate  improvements in the physical well-being and the social conditions of  disabled people.  DIA does this by providing information on civil rights and empowerment strategies in order that disabled persons have the resources to cause effective and productive change in their lives.

 

DIA, also, defines and identifies barriers to full and meaningful social integration by the disabled community and advocates for the removal of such obstacles.  The overall goal of  DIA is to ensure that persons with all types and degrees of disabilities have access to opportunities of their choice and be able to realize the freedom and privileges embodies in their basic civil rights.

 

The membership and constituency of DIA consists of persons with various types and degrees of disabilities.  The membership and constituency include persons from all different racial and ethnic backgrounds, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic level.

 

DIA has been the motivating force behind many progressive projects in Philadelphia and Pennsylvania, and the country, relevant to persons with disabilities.   Such accomplishments which are credited to DIA’s planning and advocacy include:

 

· The founding and initial development of Liberty Resources the Independent Living Center of Philadelphia one the largest in the country.

 

· Sponsored the initial development for Disabled Women and Girls’ Network in collaboration with Women’s Bureau of the U.S. Department of Labor

 

· Championed the cause of Accessible multi-modal public transportation, advocating for the initial curb cuts throughout the City of Philadelphia

 

· Passage of the city Ordinance in1983 mandating that all building over four stories high have Braille and large-print markings on the elevators. 

 

· DIA established state program for Attendant Care in 1986.  

 

· DIA won lawsuits relating to accessible public transportation which established national policies. 

 

· DIA was directing involved pressing for the passage of the American with Disabilities Act (ADA) and invited to the White House when President Bush signed ADA into law. 

 

· In 1989, began working with  ADAPT and develop local chapter which continues to the present. 

 

· In 1994, we won a precedent setting lawsuit against City of Philadelphia that made new curb cuts and repaired old ones whenever a city street is resurfaced.

 

· Disabled in Action sued the Office of Housing and community development and in a settlement the city created the DIA initiative of a one million dollar Housing Modification program and it continues still this day and now is 5 Million and largest in the country. 

 

· In 1996, we received a grant from the Development Disabilities Planning Council of Pennsylvania to work on educating consumers about their rights in Public Housing in Pa.

 

· We created the Pennsylvania Coalition for Disability Rights in Housing and we are going strong to this day.  In 2000 DIA became part of a new coalition called Philadelphia Affordable Housing Coalition to increase housing resources for people who make $20,000 or less and in June of 2003 won $10 Million from the City of Phila. To increase Adaptive Mod Program from 2.3 to 5 Million, increase Basic System Repair Program and increase Rental Production program. 

 

· In September 2003,  DIA co-chaired the Free Our People March, where 200 disabled people mostly in wheelchair marched 144 miles from Philadelphia to Washington D.C. to bring attention to the struggle for disabled people to remain free in this country and not be institutionalized. We want to let people and the country know about federal legislation called MiCASSA.