Interview with Derek Zarda, Systems Change Advocate, Independent Living Resource Center SF

What is the Peer Run Youth w/ Disabilities Empowerment (PRYDE) youth group? Who are its members?
Derek: PRYDE is an advocacy and support group for youth and young adults with disabilities. The aim of PRYDE is to provide youth with disabilities with mentorship and a sense of empowerment, encourage them to become active participants in the disability rights movement, and to help prepare them for a future of independent living.

PRYDE is part of Independent Living Resource Center San Francisco (ILRCSF), which is a disability rights advocacy and support organization. ILRCSF works with people with disabilities to help them live independently in the community through a series of programs and services, including counseling, technology classes, assistance finding housing, peer-counseling, and youth programming, amongst other programs.

At PRYDE, the young people involved are usually 15-23 years old. We incorporate workshops, along with advocacy, and social outings. ILRCSF supports young persons with disabilities to realize their goals. For example, for a young person in need of housing, at ILRCSF we’ll break it down for them into steps. At the end, when the young person reaches her goal, she was doing all the work herself. The end result is that the team at ILRCSF is not seen as a group of social workers, but people with disabilities who provide support.

Your job title says, “Systems Change Advocate.” What kind of system change do you want to see for youth with disabilities?
Derek: The transitional age youth population, including young people with disabilities, is such an important population of the city. I want young people with disabilities to have a voice when it comes to city legislation, to new city proposals, and local code. Our young people need to be at the table when something is proposed, for example when rebuilding a street section at Golden Gate Park to include buffer bike lanes, the City should include people with disabilities in the conversation before construction, instead of thinking of access as an afterthought. I would also like to see specific services that young people with disabilities need, especially in the school district.

What have been some notable accomplishments over the last couple of years?
Derek: This past spring was a huge accomplishment. PRYDE began reaching out to schools, sometimes on a weekly basis, to work with school departments on empowering students through workshops on disability history and independent living. From June to August, PRYDE held a workshop series every Wednesday around different topics and themes, including the history of the disability rights movement, identity, relationships and dating. My personal favorite from the series was the “Life After High School” workshop, which featured local disability rights activist Alice Wong speaking with parents and young people.

What can we expect from the PRYDE youth program at ILRCSF in the near future?
Derek: Throughout the late 90s and early 2000s, ILRCSF had advocacy teams of people with disabilities that included youth and young adults. We’re currently in the process of moving to a purpose-built space, which we hope will be the incubator for the next generation of disability rights leaders.

For the fall, we will be resuming monthly meetings again, bringing in more guest speakers, host talks about a young person’s rights at work, school, and in the community. Like this past summer, PRYDE will do more work around local advocacy and continue to build its base.

Personally, what lead you to do this kind of work? Why do you continue?
Derek: One reason I was hired was that I had previous experience with advocating for disability rights and access. When I was in High school, I had a chronic health illness and disability. What I noticed was that nobody was having an open dialogue at my school; there wasn’t real talk about youth with disabilities. And when I went to college, I saw the same lack of dialogue about disability issues. So I started a campus group with a friend of mine for students with disabilities and those interested in disability culture. We started fighting for accessible buses, facilities, etc.

The first thing I did when I moved to San Francisco two years ago was to stop by the Independent Living Resource Center here, looking for peers to continue my work with disability advocacy and support. Personally, working with youth and young adults is such a treat.  Through ILRCSF’s advocacy efforts, I try to fill in the missed resources that I never had, or never knew existed.

 To get involved or if you have questions, please email [email protected].