Starkloff Disability Institute

Founded in 2003 by Max and Colleen Starkloff, the Starkloff Disability Institute works on changing societal attitudes and perceptions about people with disabilities through activities that send a positive message about living with disability in order to create a world that welcomes disabled people. The Institute does this through various projects which disseminate a positive message about living with disability:

* The Disability Studies Initiative
* The Disability History Project
* Universal Design Summit
* Direct Action
* The Next Big Step

VISION

When people understand disability, they will join our efforts to make it possible for people with disabilities to enjoy full participation in the communities where they live. GOALS

Our goals include the following:

* Using public dialogue to expose the misconceptions that prevent people with disabilities from taking charge of their own lives.
* Disseminating a positive message about living with disability in the St. Louis region.
* Creating educational programs to inform various segments of the St. Louis community about disability and preparing the next generation to view disability as a normal part of life.
* Developing leadership opportunities for people with disabilities in the St. Louis region.
* Conducting research in areas that will further our mission to prepare ourselves to provide information and advocacy with respect to public policy, community planning, and social justice.
* Working with disabled and non-disabled individuals and organizations - employers, churches, businesses, governments, foundations, politicians, schools, medical professionals, and others - to develop attitudes and actions that will ensure that people with disabilities have the opportunity for full participation in society. These goals are grounded in the Values that define the Starkloff Disability Institute. Values and Beliefs

* Attitudes can be changed, just like policies and laws.
* Changing attitudes may well be the single biggest barrier standing between people with disabilities and full participation in society.
* Changing attitudes must be … THE NEXT BIG STEP

The work of the Starkloff Disability Institute is grounded in the following values:

* All people should have equal opportunity to live, work, and participate fully in society.
* People with disabilities should be perceived as equals in society.
* Most people with disabilities and their families should know that they can make the choice to live more independently.
* Public policy impacts the ability of people with disabilities to live independently.
* We have a responsibility to train disabled leaders to advocate effectively for disability rights issues.
* The study of disability history and culture are essential to understanding the role of disability in our society.
* There is individual and systemic discrimination against people with disabilities, which must be acknowledged if we are to understand its impact and work to eliminate it.
* People with disabilities don't want pity; they want acceptance, support, and full engagement with life.
* It is our responsibility to educate corporations and public and private entities on ways to include people with disabilities. History

Max and Colleen Starkloff established the Starkloff Disability Institute in October 2003 to take their work in the field of disability in a new direction. After founding Paraquad, Inc. in 1970, one of the nation's leading independent living centers, the Starkloffs wanted to dedicate the balance of their careers to enhancing opportunities for disabled people to achieve acceptance, independence, and full engagement with life. Many non-profit independent living centers and other disability oriented organizations, in the St. Louis area and the nation, work to improve the lives of people with disabilities through direct service activities that prepare them to live independently, and advocate for services that promote access to housing, transportation, education, personal assistance services, health care and employment. For more about independent living centers, see www.ilru.org. In short, these organizations help people with disabilities get out into the world. How SDI is different from Paraquad and other disability focused organizations.

* Paraquad and other disability focused organizations teach people with disabilities to live independently in society.
* SDI teaches society to accept people with disabilities. Prior to the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act in 1990, President George H. Bush said, "People with disabilities are the poorest, least educated, and largest minority in America." At that time, two thirds of Americans with disabilities between the ages of 16 and 64 were not working at all, although most said that they wanted to work. Seventeen years later, in spite of significant improvements won through ADA, President Bush's description remains accurate. FACTS:

* 18+ percent of America's population is disabled. That's more than 1 out of 5 of our families, friends, and neighbors.
* 69 percent of disabled people, age 16 - 64, are unemployed. Compare that to our current US unemployment "crisis" of 7 percent.
* People with disabilities continue to be the highest unemployed and underemployed of any social category - by far. While 92 of the Fortune 100 companies have workplace diversity policies, disability is not consistently a diversity measure. Only 32 of these policies expressly mention people with disabilities.