Message from the Executive Director

Looking Ahead with Great Anticipation

My young niece wrote to me and asked, "What is ARISE? Is it good, and are the people there nice?"

I began my explanation of ARISE by saying that we are an Independent Living Center, an organization run by and for people with disabilities and their families. We work to protect the rights of people with disabilities, and ensure that every person has the opportunity to participate fully in the community.

ARISE has grown from a small but enthusiastic group of advocates in 1979 to a team of more than 500 staff members who engage in advocacy and provide services in Onondaga, Oswego, and Madison counties through 50 programs, with two programs serving an 8-county region.

ARISE also benefits from the talents and gifts shared by caring volunteers and community partners, who believe that all individuals should be able to work, live in housing of their choosing, receive an education that meets their needs, access public places and spaces, receive counseling that will help them thrive, share their creative and other talents, and participate in recreation.

ARISE has achieved many incredible accomplishments and that certainly lets my niece know that ARISE, with the help of many, is good and getting better all the time.

Tom McKeown