Community Education and Awareness Training (PAVE)

Mission: PAVE seeks to break down social and political barriers that exist against people with disabilities.

People Advocating for the Voice of Equality (PAVE), formerly Women Advocating for the Vision of an Educated Society (WAVES), was formed in the 1980s by Services for Independent Living (SIL) to educate the community about disabilities. Presentations were given throughout the area and members spoke about their abilities and disabilities.

Today, PAVE has grown to be a diverse group of individuals with both visible and non-visible disabilities. PAVE is available to speak to businesses, civic and religious groups, schools or other interested individuals or organizations free of charge. Each program is specifically tailored to the needs of the requestor, but topics of discussion may include adaptive equipment, disability etiquette, independent living, people first language, personal stories and what having a disability really means. A question and answer session is also provided at the end of each presentation.

Would you like PAVE to speak to your group or are you interested in joining the PAVE team? Please contact Services for Independent Living at the Columbia Office to learn more!