Who We Are

We are a non-profit organization dedicated to creating a better world by serving those in need and advocating for equality and justice.

Our History

At Ability1st we are a team. We work together, debate strategy, and cheer each other on. We are passionate about what we do and inspired by our mission to empower people with disabilities to live independently and enhance their quality of life.

More Of Our History

In 2018, we celebrated 40 years of service to people in our community living with disabilities and changed our business name to Ability1st. Throughout 2001-2005, Ability1st successfully fostered the growth of the Disability Resource Center, a satellite office in Panama City, which became its own CIL, serving the eight western counties in our region.

Since 2005, Ability1st has prioritized adding and expanding programs that target the most vulnerable people with disabilities in our community. Our focus is developing and implementing three different high-impact services: A Place Called Home, providing stable housing and support for chronically homeless people with disabilities; Crime Victim Assistance, providing support and advocacy for people with disabilities who have been victims of crime or who have a disability because of a crime; and Access to Independence, providing home modifications for people with disabilities to enable them to remain in their homes rather than moving to a more expensive and restrictive institution.

As we look to the future, Ability1st continues to expand access to private foundations and resources that will help us reduce our dependency on government funding, which can change significantly from year to year, and that more directly allow us to serve people with disabilitie

Meet Our Leadership Team

Our team is made up of dedicated individuals who are passionate about making a difference in the world starting with Tallahassee, Florida. From experienced professionals to enthusiastic volunteers, each member brings unique skills, perspectives, and empathy to our organization. We are proud of the diverse backgrounds and experiences that our team members bring to the table, and believe that this diversity will help empower lives in our community.

Help Fund Our Mission

Our Mission is to empower people with disabilities to live independently and enhance their quality of life.

Our Vision And Values

A Supportive Environment

We value the golden rule, treat others as you want to be treated in a non-judgment and empathetic way while keeping respect for our

Ongoing Skills Training

We work to empower our consumers to be their own heroes by providing ongoing outreach counseling and the skills training necessary to live independently.

Advancement

We value the advancement of our consumers’ rights, protections, and quality of life, as well as the advancement of our programs and services in

A Consumer-Driven Agency

We strive to make Ability1st the best agency it can be for the people we serve. This includes a balance of boundaries and expectations:

Empowerment And Encouragement

While running the programs of Ability1st requires time at our desks, seeing results requires the team to be in the community working with our

Creating New Opportunities

We value everybody’s right to live independently in their community and work to create opportunities for our consumers to do so.

Removing Barriers

The Ability1st programs are designed to remove barriers that restrict our consumers’ access to fully participating in our community. From wheelchair ramps, to mental

Independence

We value the ability to live independently so much, we made empowering people with disabilities to live independently our mission. You cannot participate in,