Five Questions: Greg Greven

Q: What are the goals of the Southwest Center for Independent Living?

A: One goal is information referral; if someone calls in and wants to find a company that installs van lifts, we can refer them. We do advocacy work, both personal and systemic. If a person calls me and has acquired a disability and is having trouble with their job now, I can help them. We also do systemic work, speaking to organizations, businesses and schools about what we do. We do a lot of peer counseling (and) we also do assistive technology – if someone is hard of hearing, we can hook them up with a light that flashes that lets them know the phone is ringing.

Q: What is the purpose of the Council on Disability?

A: The council advises local state agencies on, for instance, the (Americans with Disabilities Act). Part of what we’re doing now is looking at a lot of the government buildings that may not be accessible, especially courthouses. I’m getting in touch with the (American Institute of Architects) ... to make them more aware and advocate for accessible design in building. ... That’s just a small piece of the pie. It’s anything from advocating for service animals to even the programs in government agencies.

Q: How did you get involved with advocacy for the disabled?

A: I was in a car accident 20 years ago. I bruised my spinal cord, which was enough to paralyze me, so I use a wheelchair now. As soon as I got home from rehab, I was called by churches and organizations to come speak about disabilities and how they affect people. During college, I started a nonprofit called Choices, where I spoke about everything from life choices and the consequences of them to disabilities after the fact. It was a natural progression; my life just went in that direction.

Q: What are the biggest issues facing the disabled community?

A: The main issues are housing and transportation. Health care is another big one – some people fall through the cracks and aren’t covered, and we scramble around with other agencies – (Ozarks Area Community Action Corp.), Catholic Charities – to help find resources for these people. Resources are drying up everywhere. People don’t realize that everything is built in as a safety net – you could have a disability tomorrow, if you step out your front door and a car hits you or you fall on the sidewalk. That’s why we need to keep those programs going.

Q: SWCIL has an event coming up Aug. 1 called Freedom Fest. What is it?

A: It’s a celebration of the ADA, which was signed into law about 1990 under George Bush. There’ll be a lot of information about how it has progressed through the years and the changes happening now. … The point is to bring awareness to the act and what it means to help people with disabilities.

Interview by Jeremy Elwood.[[In-content Ad]]