Back to our Roots: The Year it all Began
By Shelby Butler, empower: abilities
I sat down with Ann Morris, the first Executive Director of empower: abilities, to help paint a picture of where it all started. She shared some photos and after she paused, she began to share.
We started out in late 1985 as the Springfield Coalition for Disability Rights. We were the 5th center for independent living to receive grant money and open up in Missouri. A CIL is defined by four core services and having 51% of staff and 51% of the board are those with disabilities. Consumer control is another important element where the individual guides their own services through the goals they set for themselves. The services required are still advocacy, peer support, information and referral, and independent living skills with the addition of transitions in recent years. Today there are almost 500 CILS across the United States. We were set up to cover 21 counties. “It was a lot of work but so glad we were helping people,” said Morris.
Then in 1986 that same group of people who had wanted to organize a group to advocate for the removal of barriers for people in the area with disabilities now had grant money and a place to work. There were no curb cuts and ramps and people were really struggling to get around. We started in downtown Springfield which quickly became our stomping grounds. “I so much appreciate the work of Doris Ewing and others who helped write the grant and get us off the ground. In the beginning we all chipped in. I remember mowing the grass in my heels and cars driving by taking a second look,” shared Morris.
Ann Morris was named Executive Director of the Springfield Coalition for Disability Rights, which became the Southwest Center for Independent Living. Ann hired an administrative assistant who kept the office running and started calling businesses to get the word out and gather support. They quickly moved to a bigger location and took steps to make modifications to their building and teach others how to do it, too. They had to. Most requests came in about no curb cuts throughout the city and no way to get over them. If you used a wheelchair or you were blind very few things were accessible. Ann traveled to a small town close by to talk about making changes and why. The response was that “no one ever came in to that town’s downtown.” Ann simply replied, “because they can’t”. The man she was talking about simply replied, “well I never thought of that.” That’s when things began to change.
They hired more people who had disabilities and grew their efforts. Serving 21 counties was a big task. They started using volunteers and people came right away like there had been nothing else like it. The group started going to Washington, DC once a year and advocated for the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act, which was proposed by the National Council on the Handicapped, which became the National Council on Disability in 1988. The ADA would not officially pass until 1990. In 1986 the need for the ADA was very evident. Transportation wasn’t accessible and many programs had not been able to serve those with disabilities because of lack of access.
That year the Mayor of Springfield, George Scruggs, cut the ribbon at the Open House on July 31st and read a proclamation declaring that day as "Independent Living Day." Our community finally had a mission to break down barriers, and Morris, along with the group of other engaged citizens, set out to do just that.
Today, as we protect the ADA and all the work that has been done before us, we remind ourselves that we have to keep on educating the general public and those in decision making roles that people with disabilities need to be included and not left out. We need to work hard to share these stories with the youth, who will become the next leaders, and how their voice matters. When talking with Morris I can hear the pride and joy she feels from all the groundwork laid. We are so proud of the work our community did to start our organization and are honored to keep the work going. Included are some of the visual memories Ann shared. One quote that stuck out came from a corporation we all are very familiar with. “At McDonald’s, we believe the only thing that can truly disable a person is the loss of opportunity.” We believe this, too!