About NC DAN
The NC Disability Action Network (NC DAN) was started by a group of individuals with disabilities who had a vision. They wanted bring members of the disability community together to claim their power as citizens and take ACTION as a unified force on issues of local, state and national concern for North Carolinians with disabilities.
In 2002, NC DAN was funded as an in-house project of the NC Council on Developmental Disabilities. Since that time, NC DAN supported the grassroots efforts of North Carolinians with disabilities in the following ways:
- (Membership) established a membership of more than 800 individuals in 78 North Carolina Counties and collaborated with more than 20 grassroots organizations led by people with disabilities;
- (Communication) developed the beginnings of an accessible communication system to disseminate information from and about grassroots efforts;
- (Training) sponsored, co-sponsored, advertised and linked individuals to training opportunities that increased knowledge of disability issues and enhanced advocacy skills to address those issues;
- (Legislative action) Linked individuals with disabilities to local or state committees, boards, task forces or advisory groups / recruited NC DAN members to attend local and statewide community forums and public policy meetings / supported rallies and other efforts to promote specific legislative issues; and
- (Collaborative efforts) developed collaborative efforts with local and statewide grassroots groups and initiatives led by people with disabilities.
While NC DAN supported grassroots efforts, there remained the need for NC DAN to be firmly rooted in the grassroots disability community. In order for NC DAN to grow and truly represent the grassroots disability community, it needed to be an independent organization.
NC DAN is now on its way to becoming an independent non-profit organization. Over the next few month NC DAN will become a 501c3 and will continue its work of empowerment.
