Handicap Awareness and Support League (HASL)

Location: Grants Pass, OR.

Handicap Awareness and Support League (HASL) was established as the result of a grass root, community-based movement in 1986. It exists today as an Oregon non-profit organization. We are governed by a community board of directors, of which at least fifty-one percent have a disability. Our service delivery area is Josephine and Jackson counties in Southern Oregon.

Today, HASL is known to the community as HASL Center for Independent Living. Our sole governing mission is to maximize the quality of life for people with disabilities and seniors by promoting a philosophy of self-respect and self-determination through equal access and equal opportunity that empowers people to live as independently as they choose. It is achieved through HASL's provision of peer mentoring, advocacy, information and referral, and independent living skills training.

In the beginning HASL's funding was derived from donations and fund raising efforts, and through reliance placed on volunteerism. At present, we are funded through a discretionary grant from the Department of Education under the Rehabilitation Services Act. We also receive funding from the State Independent Living Council and we still heavily rely on donations and volunteers.

We work in partnership with a variety of other service providers to meet the needs of our consumers. They include, but not limited to: Oregon Vocational Rehabilitation Services, Rogue Community College, Providence Hospital, Southern Oregon Wheelchair Sports and Recreation (SOWSR), Commission for the Blind, Oregon Disabilities Commission, Oregon Health Sciences University, Portland State University, Oregon Law Center, Seniors and People with Disabilities and The Job Council.

HASL Center for Independent Living is consumer-driven by demand, need and desire for representation by and for Seniors and People with disabilities.

The Independent Living movement advocates for the independence, self sufficiency and dignity of everyone. It is a belief in the adaptive, resilient nature of human beings. Independent Living insures that all people "can live independently, enjoy self-determination, make choices, contribute to society, pursue meaningful careers, and enjoy full inclusion and integration in the economic, political, social, cultural, and educational mainstream of American society." If you would like to exert as much independence as possible in your life as you age, and maybe experience illness or encounter accidents, call us or stop by our office. HASL Center for Independent Living.