All of our services are provided with the independent living philosophy as their foundation. For a complete description of the philosophy, click here

There are times when discrimination is general and widespread or affects several or many people, either once or repeatedly. It may be in your specific neighborhood, or regional, or even statewide. The responsible person or entity may be a business owner, a city or county service, or an “institution,” such as a business with dozens of offices, or a branch of the government, or even an entire industry.

The discrimination may come in the form of a societal pattern that no one has analyzed or questioned until now, or perhaps people just “looked the other way.” It might be unintentional, or perhaps it has been rationalized as acceptable because of the “cost savings.” Whatever the reason, it is still discrimination.

When multiple individuals encounter the same barrier(s), it may be most effective and efficient for many people to work together to change the system through group advocacy, which is also known, not surprisingly, as “systems change.”

Our Systems Change Advocate coordinates consumers in ILRC’s service area through a variety of activities, including marches, rallies, letter-writing campaigns and legislative visits. We participate in statewide action groups and empowerment teams, including Access Watch and the Systems Change Network, and contribute to a statewide unified voice representing the disability community.

Legislators of all parties and persuasions, at all levels – local, state and federal – listen when their voting constituents speak up and voice their concerns. And of course, the more voices are heard, the louder the message – increasing the likelihood that change will occur.

Click here to find a list of legislators, addresses and sample letters and e-mails you can customize and send.

Make your voice heard!