The primary definitions of the term “mission” refers to the vocation or calling of a religious organization to go out into the world and spread its faith. The origin of the word itself is from 16th-century Latin. Many religious organizations possess, as a tenet, an expectation that they provide charity to the “needy.” To this day, even the service sector’s corporate/business definition of “mission” carries that 16th-century concept into the 21st Century.

Historically, people with disabilities have, at best, been considered among the “needy” of our communities and, at worst, burdensome, invisible, or disposable. Recipients of a charitable mission were expected to be receptive and grateful, and thus powerless. We therefore have an obligation to further the progress made by leading disability activists by distinguishing the people we “serve” from the role of a passive recipient of another’s good will to, instead, people with the personal power and agency to make choices for themselves and to contribute to and impact their communities. Shifting this role and implementing the changes it requires of us in the nonprofit world necessitates creation of the appropriate societal infrastructure. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) has gone a long way in improving equal access to persons with physical disabilities. Progress for persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities is further behind. The word “impact” demonstrates the audacity with which we carry out our intentions and sets forth the direction with which we undertake our work.