We, the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote general welfare and ordain the blessings of liberty to ourselves, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.
The Preamble to the Declaration of Independence is an inclusive statement and based on that premise The National Alliance OF The Disabled holds that persons with disAbilities are not excluded from the protections of the Constitution or The Bill of Rights. However, the promise for inclusion of persons with disAbilities that was brought about by federal legislation beginning with the Rehabilitation Act of 1974 and then finally signed into law with the passage of the American with Disabilities Act (ADA) in 1990, is now slowly being deprived of fuel and is beginning to dim.Today, the disAbled are still seeking the same thrings guaranteed ALL people under our Constitution; life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. In this, the 21st Century, the disAbled are still fighting for something as simple as equal access. Fighting to keep federal funding: IDEA, ADA, Medicare/Medicaid in place. Fighting against preconceived ideas of what a disAbility and being disAbled is really all about; history supporting the notion that federal and local officials, legislators and the general public have their own ideas of what disAbled persons should be doing and how they should be cared for. It is this notion that needs to be changed. However, the change can only come through a UNITED community of persons with disabilities acting through a single organization that will effectively communicate the need and reasons for change. That is why the National Alliance OF The Disabled (NAOTD) was formed.
The Mission of NAOTD is to serve as a collective voice of persons with disAbilities to assure that their rights to equal access to every facet of life; promised by the Preamble to The Declaration of Independence and protected by the Constitution are not diminished or denied.NAOTD intends to be the voice of reason in a world of extremes. The disabled community needs to be represented by persons with disAbilities. The decisions made for the disAbled must be made by the disAbled and then communicated to the public and private sectors.
The simple vision, focus and purpose of the NAOTD is to work and strive to change perceptions to see the ABILITIES of persons with disabilities, the dignity of self- determination and the economic and social rationale of inclusion. Only through our own self-empowerment; advocating for our rights, education of the non-disabled, by SPEAKING UP and SPEAKING OUT, can we hope to bring about effective change.
The NAOTD holds that the issues that impact the lives of persons with disAbilities CAN ONLY BE fully understood by persons with disAbilities and therefore SHOULD BE addressed and communicated ONLY by the disAbled. This communication should not only be directed toward federal, state and local governments, but also to any organization that NAOTD feels should be brought to accountability for discriminatory actions involving the disAbled. Only by joining together and taking an ACTIVE role in our own lives, sweeping away the obstacles that deny access that still keep the disAbled behind barriers, in the decisions that affect us, can we accomplish the work that needs to be done to keep the the promise of the Preamble alive.
