Arkansas Can Do Committee is a collaboration of individuals with disabilities, their family members and representatives from agencies and organizations interested in disability issues.

Membership | Funding

Our purpose is to increase the positive perceptions of all people regarding the vitality, importance and value of persons with disabilities. This purpose is being accomplished through implementation of a statewide multimedia campaign and educational workshops on “people-first language” and disability etiquette. Arkansans with disabilities determined the need for this project through an assessment designed to identify and prioritize issues important to people with disabilities. They determined that negative attitudes and stereotypical images are the main problems faced by persons with disabilities, keeping them from being fully included in everyday life. Increasing the positive perceptions of the general public regarding people with disabilities was given top priority through the assessment process. It was determined that if the general public could see people with disabilities as productive, contributing members of society, focusing on what they “can do,” then other issues would be easier to address. The Arkansas Can Do Committee was created as a sub-committee of the Consumer (Advisory) Committee of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS), Partners for Inclusive Communities. Additional consumers and organizational representatives were invited to participate, and membership quickly expanded to include consumers and representatives from various organizations with an interest in disability issues. See Membership for a list of current members and the organizations represented.