Disability Resource Group
History - Accomplishments - Other Projects & Programs - Board of Directors - Staff
1992-93: A group of concerned citizens in the disability community began meeting monthly in Atlanta to talk about problems and successes in terms of the implementation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). This group named itself the ADA Exchange. The Southeast Disability and Technical Assistance Center (SEDBTAC) provided some of the leadership and logistical support for this early group.
1994: The ADA Exchange became the ADA technical assistance center for Georgia, using a grant from the SEDBTAC.
1995: The Exchange was incorporated in the state of Georgia and transitioned from a purely ADA-education venture into a more far-reaching entity “Working to bring about full-inclusion of all Georgians with disabilities, in all aspects of the community.” The board chose to expand the original purpose of the Exchange to include training and consulting activities that would not only open doors for people with all disabilities, but that would also build networks between the disability community and other service systems.
2000: The ADA Exchange received its first foundation grant from the Ms. Foundation of New York. Our goal was to ensure that women with disabilities had equal access to domestic violence service system.
2002: The ADA Exchange became a 501(c)3 non-profit.
2006: The ADA Exchange began operating under the name Disability Resource Group in order to better reflect the wide variety of services that we provide and the reality that we often serve people outside our state. DRG is currently the only state-wide organization in Georgia that responds to inquiries about all disabilities.
Since its inception as the ADA Exchange, the organization has continued to grow in mission and membership, both individual and corporate. Here are just some of the ways Disability Resource Group helps the community:
Health & Wellness
In 1999, the ADA Exchange expanded its services to include a statewide
transportation project funded by the Statewide Independent Living Council and
the Campaign 2000 Project funded by the Georgia Council on Developmental
Disabilities. The Exchange received and successfully implemented a one year
grant from the Ms. Foundation with a goal of building working relationships
between the domestic violence service system and the disability advocacy system.
The ultimate objective of this project was to ensure that women with
disabilities had equal access to domestic violence service system.
The Disability Resource Group is also involved in the statewide task force on
health initiatives for under-served women. As a result of our work on this
taskforce, DRG has received substantial grants from the American Cancer Society,
as well as the Susan G Komen Foundation. These grant funds are used both
for training health department staff on disability and customer service, as well
as for education and outreach on the importance of cancer screening for women
with disabilities.
The Emergency Preparedness For All project saw Disability Resource Group working
to educate state and local officials to be mindful of and prepared to serve
persons with disabilities and their needs in disaster planning.
We worked with 13 coastal counties using a grant from the Department of
Human Resources and continue to provide disaster planning resources.
Awareness & Advocacy
The Exchange received two grants to provide training and consultation to the
Georgia Department of Labor Career Centers and Employer Committees to assist
them in fulfilling their obligations under the Workforce Investment Act.
As part of our "Know Your Rights" project, we presented informative and
motivational workshops to high school students with disabilities at 11 high
schools in
"Building One Community," a project funded by the Georgia Governor’s Council on
Development Disabilities and managed by DRG, worked in 8 high schools to
significantly increase inclusion of students with developmental disabilities
into the extra-curricular and social activities of their community.
In 2004, DRG was an integral part of the Georgia Secretary of State’s initiative
to increase participation by voters with disabilities in the election process.
We provided training on disability inclusion to poll officials in every county
in
Immigrant & Refugee Outreach
"Entendiendo Auto Determinacion," informs Hispanic people with disabilities and
their families about self-determination and options for independent living.
We now translate most of our materials into Spanish and these materials are also
posted on our website.
In 2005, we received a grant from the Atlanta Community Foundation to expand on
our Hispanic project – reaching out to recent immigrants and refugees with
disabilities from developing countries. We realized that this population
and the agencies that support them were unaware of the many services and
opportunities to Georgians with disabilities. As a part of this outreach,
we have translated our materials into 8 languages and are conducting disability
awareness training for refugee support agencies.
Disability Resource Group has also worked as a United Way Partner to expand our
Immigrant / Refugee Outreach Program.
This program is now predominately funded through a grant from Fulton County
Human Services.
We are hoping to secure further funding to expand this important outreaches to underserved populations.
Each month, through seminars, calls, emails and meetings, DRG serves
approximately:
- 215 Individuals with disabilities and their families
-
44
Service Providers
-
29
Educators
-
16
Business Groups
-
11
Disability Organizations
-
7 State &
Local Agencies
-
66
Employers
-
4 Policy
Experts, Federal & Non-Federal Partners
Ron Aversa
-
Tameeka Hunter
- GA Tech - Disability Student Services. Chairman of Strategic Planning
Allen Brown
- Bridges Program - Marriott Foundation
Rod Clark
- Retired Executive, GTE/Verizon
Christy Davis
-
Bill Holley
– Director, Multiple Choices Independent Living Center
Tom Riddick
– AT&T
Joanne Weaver
- Center for Visually Impaired
Nancy W. Duncan
- Director
Katie Weaver
- Assistant Director
Erlinda Ramirez
- Immigrant Outreach Coordinator
Sara Takele
– Immigrant Outreach Coordinator
Empish Thomas
- Komen Education Coordinator
Linda Neiheisel
- Komen Education Coordinator
B.J. Morris - Komen
Education Coordinator
For more information, call the DRG Office at (770)451- 2340 or
Email
Nduncan@bellsouth.net
