INARF Annual Awards Feature: The Justin Dart Personal Achievement Award

INARF is pleased to offer our members the opportunity to recognize their outstanding Direct Support Professionals (DSPs), executive leadership, community partners and persons with disabilities through the INARF Annual Awards and the Costa N. Miller Scholarship presented at the INARF Annual Conference. In the weeks leading up to the Annual Conference, we'll feature details about each award and some notable award recipients.

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Justin Whitlock Dart, Jr. was an American activist and advocate for persons with disabilities, helping pass the Americans with Disabilities Act and co-founding the American Association of People with Disabilities. The Justin Dart Personal Achievement Award recognizes a self-advocate whose determination and passion had led to a high degree of personal fulfillment. Nominees must be working with an INARF member agency and have maximized their skills to achieve chosen goals. This award is a perennial favorite during the Annual Awards Luncheon, with friends, family, and support staff onhand to celebrate the winner's accomplishment.

William LaCour, the 2013 Award winner, was nominated by Noble of Indiana. William is a portrait of success, using Noble of Indiana's Community Employment Service to connect with Bright Ideas, a company specializing in promotional products. Twenty years later, LaCour works every day and jokes that Bright Ideas would be lost without him. As a result of confidence gained on the job and through the support of co-workers, he and his wife live independently and make their home in Indianapolis. William is a shining example of how persons with disabilities can achieve their dreams, and truly exemplifies the spirit of Mr. Dart and other forefathers of the disability equality movement.

Please click here to nominate yourself or a colleague for the Justin Dart Personal Achievement Award and to learn about other award opportunities for outstanding self-advocates, program staff and executives.