Celebrating 56 Years Of Instigating Hope
THANK YOU!
Celebrating 56 Years of
Instigation Hope!
For more than five decades, DIA’s leadership and youth advocates have kept the challenges faced by low-income people with disabilities at the forefront of public conversation. Our work has addressed critical issues, including accessible housing, equitable education, transportation barriers, and employment discrimination. Through education and advocacy, we continue to push society and policymakers toward justice, inclusion, and lasting change.
Who are we?
Disabled In Action Atlanta, Inc. (DIA) is a pioneering organization dedicated to advancing inclusion, equity, and opportunity for children and adults with disabilities living in poverty. Throughout our history, we have consistently broken new ground—championing the voices and needs of a community too often overlooked within the broader Disability Rights Movement.
Our roots trace back to 1970, when Rev. Calvin Peterson founded the Advanced Association for the Physically Handicapped (A.A.P.H.) and secured its charter from the State of Georgia. The A.A.P.H. remains the oldest and only nonprofit organization in the nation founded and operated by people born with disabilities.
In 1986, the A.A.P.H. evolved into Disabled In Action Atlanta, Inc., establishing its first Board of Directors: Rev. Calvin Peterson, Mose B. Kleckly, Carrie Morris, and Noble Clark.
All of our lives should be lived in a way that inspires others—today and for generations to come. I am deeply grateful to the Creator for blessing me with a life of purpose and productivity. My prayer is that each of us embraces a spiritually rich life, rooted in giving and uplifting others.
Our lives are meant to reflect the God within us, activated daily through our actions, our compassion, and our commitment to serve. Your contributions to this powerful, soul-stirring journey will impact children with disabilities and their families for generations. Together, we can model and affirm the belief that nothing is impossible.
Board of Directors
Rev Calvin Peterson Founder, CEO
Shaila Sawyer, Secretary
Dariane Jacobs
Yolanda Oglesby Parent Representative
Kaleb Austin Harris
Youth Representative
Tangi Forman
Parent Representative m
Dr. Rev. P. Livett
Spiritual Leader for
Coorperate Sponsor KES Inc
Honoring our ancestors who took care of loved ones
​Ms. Lizzie Harris
Mrs M. White
Pastor Herman Haynes
Rev E. T. Kemp
James Brown
Brother John Burdine
Sister T Fraiser
Brother Zakure
Rev Dr Herman Haynes
Brother Alvin Dollar
Celebrating Parents with children who have disabilities
Getrude Peterson
Mrs T. Gainer
Mr Yancy
Mr. John Harris
Rev Paul Settles’s
Laverne Settles
Alberta Settles
Bishop WBGK Harris
Sister N’jere Alghanee
Meet Rev. Peterson
Founder, Advocate, Speaker, and Author
Rev. Calvin Peterson’s life has been—and continues to be—a powerful testament to resilience and faith. He became the first African American male born with a severe disability, and using a wheelchair, to graduate from his high school. Although many of his classes were located on the inaccessible third and fourth floors, he persisted and excelled.
Determined to further his education, Calvin persuaded the State of Georgia to support his studies in New York, where he went on to graduate from Long Island University. His remarkable journey, along with the many challenges he overcame, is captured in his inspiring autobiography, Nothing Is Impossible.
To learn more about his story and impact, visit his featured interview:
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“I was 8 years old. I crawled into my mom’s lap and asked, If you die before me, who will take care of me? She answered in an authoritative tone, God will take over!”
-Rev. Calvin Peterson
Without question the need for the caregiver or parent caregiver of a child born with a disability to have some “me time” is paramount. Gertrude Peterson was overwhelmed from the stress of being a single parent caregiver and passed away before she was 50 years of age. Being a caregiver or a parent who is the caregiver of a child born with a disability brings with it a measure of stress that few truly realize. And, even if they see it, comprehending the impact is rare. Such caregivers and parent caregivers give so much of themselves that they very often deprive or deny themselves mentally, physically, and emotionally. The pressure can become so extreme to the point where turmoil consumes the caregiver’s soul. Suicide becomes an option, just as alcohol and drugs become an option. If any of these become manifest, then not only will the child have to think of ways to manipulate through their disability, but they will also face the harsh reality of abandonment and possible abuse. Thus, the purpose of this campaign is to generate enough funds to pay for an all-expense paid vacation for caregivers or parent caregivers as well as compensation for childcare while they are on a well-deserved vacation. This is an annual event. Disabled In Action will engage in a process to determine who will receive the vacation. Additionally, DIA will be researching ways to make the stress relief sessions available to a larger number of caregivers and parent caregivers.
THE GERTRUDE PETERSON
CAREGIVER
STRESS RELIEF FUND