Advocacy Day for Access & Independence

Annual Statehouse Rally Day to Unlock Barriers for People with Disabilities in South Carolina
Brought to you by the SC Access & Independence Network

Burnt orange illustration of an open lock with the state of South Carolina as the keyhole followed by large orange text that reads, 'Advocacy Day for Access & Independence'

Tuesday, April 8, 2025

Make your plans now to join us at the South Carolina State House as we call on the state to Unlock Barriers, advocate for disability rights, and share our mission for a Barrier-Free SC!

Advocacy Day for Access & Independence was first created as an initiative in the State Plan for Independent Living in 2014, its inaugural gathering attracted over 300 South Carolina residents in May 2014. Since then, support has grown to over 50 organizations statewide all unified in an effort to ensure people with disabilities have equal access and opportunity.

People with disabilities face unnecessary and discriminatory barriers to full and integrated community participation. Advocacy Day for Access and Independence will shine a light on the barriers in hopes of improving the lives of all South Carolinians.

Event Details

Tuesday, April 8, 2025
10 am - 12 pm

South Carolina Statehouse North Steps
1100 Gervais Street
Columbia, SC

Accessible Shuttle to and from Parking Available

Advocacy Day for Access & Independence is the ONLY event in South Carolina that's breaking down barriers for ALL South Carolinians with disabilities. Since its inaugural gathering in May 2014, support has grown to 50 organizations statewide all unified in an effort to ensure people with disabilities have equal access and opportunity.

At Advocacy Day for Access & Independence, we're focusing on the issues that South Carolinian's with disabilities care most about. Inclusive Community Living is key to our independence! Employment, Transportation, Housing, and Healthcare all affect our ability to be fully included in the community. Our lawmakers have a role to play in how we access our communities. We can imagine a future where these barriers are unlocked, and our lawmakers hold the keys!

Issue Areas:

2025 Issue Area Booklet for Lawmakers

  • The issue areas in the booklet linked above come directly from people with disabilities living in South Carolina.
  • These priorities present barriers.
  • Our lawmakers hold the keys to unlocking each of these barriers. Read the full booklet to learn about how our lawmakers can unlock these barriers.

What do we do with the booklet?

  • We present the booklet to our lawmakers before Advocacy Day.
    • The booklets each have a small locked padlock attached to them.
    • After Advocacy Day, we provide lawmakers with postcards written by people with disabilities.
    • These postcards have keys attached to them. Those keys unlock the padlocks on their booklets
    • Lawmakers can then use the words written by people with disabilities on the postcards to symbolically unlock the barriers presented in the booklets
    • This powerful symbol shows our lawmakers how people with disabilities self advocacy is a powerful tool. As we say, “nothing about us, without us!”

 

 

Countdown to Advocacy Day for Access & Independence!

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Graphic featuring logos of 50 supporting organizations: Able South Carolina AccessAbility Babcock Center Beginnings SC Beyond BASIC Life Skills Billion Strong Brain Injury Association of South Carolina Carolina LIFE Clemson LIFE Coastal LIFE Columbia College Columbia Urban League Columbia YMCA The COMET Converge Collective Delta Alpha Pi Disability Next Door Disability Rights SC Equip Leadership Group Family Connection of SC Gullah GeeChee Chamber of Commerce Harriet Hancock Center Hire Me SC Lions Vision Services Mental Health America, SC McGuireWoods Consulting National Federation of the Blind National MS Society Palmetto Animal Assisted Life Services Pacer LIFE Palmetto Council of the Blind REACH College of Charleston SC Assistive Technology Program SC Association of the Deaf SC Commission for Minority Affairs SC Department of Mental Health SC Developmental Disabilities Council SC Inclusive Post-Secondary Education Consortium SC NAACP SC Spinal Cord Injury Association SC Statewide Independent Living Council SC Youth Leadership Forum Thrive Upstate Together SC University of South Carolina Aphasia Lab University of South Carolina School of Medicine- Center for Disability Resources Upstate SC LGBT Chamber of Commerce Walton Options for Independent Living WinthropLIFE Women's Rights and Empowerment Network Work in Progress Inc. York CAN