                DRAGnet International Disability Network
                                (DIDnet)

                          Mission and Strategy
                             October, 1994

                                +  +  +

                               We believe
                          QUALITY information
             is the most powerful tool of self-empowerment.

                                +  +  +

                             -> MISSION <-

      To locate, gather, and distribute quality disability information,
      information resources and information management tools for people
      with diverse disabilities, their families and care-givers, health,
      medical and rehabilitation specialists and for private, non-profit
      and government agencies.

      To serve as catalyst, organizer, resource, researcher and policy
      analyst supporting healthy disability community and improved
      quality of life through technology and policy research, accessible
      technology development and humane disability policy.

      To encourage free sharing of public information, active access to
      information resources,  recycle assistive and adaptive computer
      technology and promoting ethical disability research.

      To work locally, regionally, nationally and internationally to
      help people with disabilities build their capacity to solve their
      own disability-related problems, strengthen and enable individual
      communities to interconnect with the broader disability community
      and help shape policies promoting responsible disability culture.



                        -> STRATEGY AND GOALS <-

   Provide a reliable, customer-service oriented computer network
   accommodating all three major technical specifications (QWK, FTS, and
   Internet) to globally link people with disabilities.

   Cultivate new sources of information (social, economic, commercial
   and political) and facilitate their transfer into electronic formats
   to increase distribution and translation into accessible formats.

   Encourage greater useful participation in discussions across
   disability groups and among different participants (individuals,
   specialists, professionals), leading to greater disability cultural
   awareness and information exchange.

   Expand the use and support of "electronic support groups", where
   people with disabilities collectively address issues of importance.
   Encourage greater discussion of difficult disability issues and the
   individual broadening of perspectives regarding needs outside their
   own.

   Encourage positive and supportive economic, social and political role
   models of, by and for people with disabilities which benefit
   individual disability cultures within the broader disability
   community and as productive members of society at large.


          ++++++++++++++++====================+++++++++++++++++

                          For More Information

      FREQ: DIDNET from one of the system addresses listed below.

   DRAGnet International Disability Network (DIDnet) is a project of
    DRAGnet: Disability Resources, Affiliates and Groups Network, a
                   501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

                                DRAGnet
                          119 N. Fourth Street
                               Suite 405
                        Minneapolis, MN   55401
                          612/338-2535 (voice)
                           612/338-2569 (fax)
                           612/753-1943 (bbs)

                         DIDnet   -  49:1/1
                         FidoNet  -  1:282/1007
                         SiMNet   -  16:612/33


                        Gordon Gillesby, DRAGnet President/CEO

