Written by: Riley Hurt
January 20th, 2025 is Martin Luther King Day, and it is recognized as a National Day of Service. Many honor Dr. King’s legacy through service and volunteerism and demonstrate how joining together in service can benefit your community. This MLK day is considerably meaningful to me as it coincides with the U.S. presidential inauguration. In recognition of how impactful stories about service and volunteerism can be, I am sharing my experience with disability advocacy.
A global pandemic, historic wildfires, and dangerous ice storms have ravaged my home state of Oregon since 2020. Emergency management efforts fell short of the needs of disabled Oregonians, and there was no outlet or platform for us to express our concerns. I turned my frustration into a question: how do we get people to hear us?
With the help of a mentor, I created a place for community members with disabilities to connect with emergency management officials. In 2022, I developed a Core Advisory Group in my home county. This group serves as a platform to bring together disabled community members and emergency management professionals. The hope was that communication between the two groups could spark collaboration. Unfortunately, it was very difficult to find funding for ASL interpretation and CART services.
I explored funding opportunities and looked to other Core Advisory Groups in the U.S. for guidance. I learned that many were funded and supported by Centers for Independent Living (CILs). CILs are non-residential, community-based programs that support the independence of disabled individuals through advocacy, peer mentoring, and skills training. CILs provide many benefits to the disability community, including supporting policy changes to include the needs of disabled individuals.
Due to state budget limitations, my home county does not have a CIL. This was problematic, considering my county housed the capital city of Oregon and was one of the most populated cities in Oregon. The absence of a CIL motivated me to apply to join the Statewide Independent Living Council (SILC), which is the Governor-appointed coordinating body for Oregon’s Independent Living Services . My goal is to ensure the Oregon Independent Living Network (CILs and SILC) can advocate for funding to cover all areas of Oregon. Eventually, I hope to bring the Core Advisory Group to a CIL in my county.
I was motivated to make a difference in my community, and I hope you can too. Service and volunteerism are needed in our communities, and something as simple as picking up litter along a sidewalk can make a difference.