![Paraquad, Inc.](http://www.danabrowncharitabletrust.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Paraquad_Logo-tagline_RGB.jpg )
Paraquad champions equity and independence for people with disabilities through services, partnerships, education, and advocacy.
79 Employees | 51 Years
Paraquad champions equity and independence for people with disabilities through services, partnerships, education, and advocacy.
Paraquad champions equity and independence for people with disabilities through services, partnerships, education, and advocacy.
Lived experience is the personal knowledge gained through direct, first-hand involvement, and the contributions of those who live with a disability are key to the principle that governs Centers for Independent Living, “Nothing about us, without us.” Founded in 1970, Paraquad officially became a Center for Independent Living (CIL) in 1979. CILs are community-based, cross-disability, nonprofit organizations led by people with disabilities. They provide five core services to address the needs of people with disabilities: information and referral, peer support, independent living skills training, transition services (both from nursing homes to independent living and from youth to adulthood), and advocacy. Paraquad has implemented additional programs, such as Youth and Family Services, Continuing Education for individuals with developmental disabilities, employment services, and health and wellness programs, to create one of the most robust CILs in the country.
Through our advocacy, St. Louis became one of the first cities in the nation to put wheelchair lifts on buses and curb cuts in sidewalks. We also advocated for the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act and the creation of Missouri’s Consumer Directed Services program, which enabled people with disabilities to hire their own caregivers and direct their own care.
Working with the Dana Brown Charitable Trust, we have been awarded grants for programs for our young adults under the age of 18, with programming to assist them with resources and training to live independently and socialize with others their age. These grants have allowed us to offer the following during the academic year: