Our History

Our story began as early as 1977 when, as a result of a Federal mandate, each state was required to provide a means of protection and advocacy for people with disabilities. In Georgia that mandate birthed the Georgia Advocacy Office (GAO). The GAO had at its helm many compassionate and forward thinking people who had a consciousness about human rights and a profound understanding of the deep-seated devaluation of people with disabilities.

By the end of that year the GAO would initiate several advisory boards throughout the state of Georgia comprised of people from local communities that would consider a means of voluntary citizen participation, apart from the legal and paid advocacy of the GAO itself. These advisory boards, with the financial support of the GAO, produced local, independent citizen advocacy programs as a way to provide protection and advocacy for their neighbors with developmental disabilities.

In 1978, the Atlanta Citizen Advocacy office was opened for business. In 1980 the DeKalb Citizen Advocacy office was opened. Atlanta Citizen Advocacy, Inc. incorporated June 21, 1991. DeKalb Citizen Advocacy, Inc. incorporated June 12, 1989. Both organizations officially became independent 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organizations.

On December 9, 2005 DeKalb Citizen Advocacy, Inc. merged with Atlanta Citizen Advocacy, Inc. As a result of this strategic alliance, the corporate structures and resources of both entities were combined. The name was changed to Citizen Advocacy of Atlanta & DeKalb, Inc. The decision to merge the organizations was deemed practical as both offices were only a few miles apart, and parts of DeKalb County and Atlanta overlap. We are extremely pleased with how this move has enhanced Citizen Advocacy in both geographic area.

January 2008 marked 30 years of Citizen Advocacy in Atlanta & DeKalb. We celebrated this milestone by proudly telling the stories of ordinary citizens who continue to provide vigorous and powerful protection and advocacy fo their neighbors who have developmental disability labels.

Throughout the year we highlighted some of these relationships through a series of vignettes told from the perspective of both the citizen advocate and the protégé
(where possible.) A few of the stories we have told began as early as 1978 with the opening of the southwest Atlanta office.

Please click on Stories to review these and other vignettes. We hope these stories reflect the uniqueness and diversity of protégés, the wide range of advocacy roles, the plethora of experiences by all involved, and the relevance of citizen advocacy both then and now.

It is impossible to mark 30 years of Citizen Advocacy in Atlanta and DeKalb without acknowledging those pioneers who envisioned a community in which people who have disability labels would be included in ordinary community life.

Webster's defines a pioneer as a person who goes before, preparing the way for others, as an early settler or scientist doing exploratory work.

That certainly does describe those individuals like Patricia Powell, John O'Brien, Elizabeth O'Berry, Roberta Malavenda, Dr. Wolf Wolfensberger, and others whose combined knowledge of the profound devaluation of people with disabilities, and increasing consciousness about human rights, stood against the culture and politics of the day to proclaim that people with disability labels could be better protected by voluntary citizen participation.

Click here for more history:

http://www.youtube.com/user/CitizenAdvocacy

Citizen Advocacy of Atlanta & DeKalb, Inc.

376 Oakdale Road NE Atlanta, GA 30307