10th Anniversary Advocacy Day for Access & Independence at the South Carolina Statehouse
In Person and Streamed Live Online
COLUMBIA (April 5, 2024) – The SC Access & Independence Network, in association with the SC Statewide Independent Living Council, will host their 10th Anniversary Advocacy Day for Access & Independence on Tuesday, April 16, 2024, from 10 am to 12 pm at the SC Statehouse. The event will also be streamed live online to viewers worldwide.
The annual Advocacy Day for Access & Independence will allow the disability community, advocates, and supporters to rally and call on South Carolina lawmakers to address barriers to independence for people with disabilities. 2024 issue area of focus is Community Living. Community Living will be defined by the ways that barriers to employment, transportation, housing, and disability rights impact the ability of disabled people to live fully integrated in their communities.
The goal of the rally on the North Steps of the Statehouse will be to unlock the barriers to independence people with disabilities experience. The rally will include several speakers with disabilities and their political and business allies. Speakers include SC Senator Katrina Shealy, SC Senator Tom Davis, and leaders and advocates from the disability community. The disability community is ready to see an end to discrimination against people with disabilities and increased access to employment, transportation, and housing, as well as assurance that their rights will be protected. These issues are explored in the attached handout.
Advocacy Day for Access & Independence was created as part of the State Plan on Independent Living with the support of over 50 organizations statewide to unlock the barriers that prevent people with disabilities from having equal access and opportunity. Policies regarding people with disabilities across our state encourage dependence on state programs and the government instead of promoting independence and inclusion. South Carolinians with disabilities are often discriminated against in education, employment, voting, parenting, and daily life. Advocacy Day for Access and Independence will hold the megaphone as disabled people rally on these issues, with the goal of improving the lives of disabled and nondisabled South Carolinians alike!
The official issue area booklet contains details on the barriers that impact people with disabilities and calls to action on how South Carolina lawmakers can move the state forward. The booklet is attached to this notice and can also be found on our website https://unlockingbarriers-sc.org/barriers
“We Want Access! We Want Independence! We Want Equality!” Search www.unlockingbarriers-sc.org for more, and follow our hashtag #BarrierFreeSC on social media. Find our official Facebook page at SC Access & Independence Network.
Participants may register for this free event at www.unlockingbarriers-sc.org/register or by calling 800-681-7715 or via the TTY line at (803) 779-0949.
ABOUT ABLE SOUTH CAROLINA
Able SC is a disability-led organization seeking transformational changes in systems, communities, and individuals. Since 1994, we’ve remained a consumer-controlled, community-based, cross-disability nonprofit that seeks to make South Carolina a national model of equity and inclusion for all people with disabilities. To learn more about Able SC’s programs and services, please visit www.able-sc.org.
ABOUT SOUTH CAROLINA STATEWIDE INDEPENDENT LIVING COUNCIL
The South Carolina Statewide Independent Living Council (SILC) is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting Independent Living for people with disabilities throughout the state. SILC members are appointed by the Governor of South Carolina. Federal regulations requires at least 51% of SILC members be people with significant disabilities. The South Carolina Statewide Independent Living Council (SILC) promotes the independent living philosophy of consumer choice, peer support, self-help, self-determination, equal access, and individual and systems advocacy.
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