Advocacy at SPARC
SPARC does more than deliver day programs. We work to change the systems, spaces, and assumptions that keep adults with severe and multiple disabilities on the margins. Our advocacy convenes national voices around shared solutions, documents accessibility where people actually go, and calls on researchers and policymakers to close the gaps that leave this population invisible. Below are the initiatives and resources driving that work.
Our Advocacy Initiatives
Three ways SPARC is turning conscience into action across Northern Virginia and beyond.
A Call to Conscience Summit
Our national working forum brings together families, self-advocates, researchers, policymakers, and community partners for a day focused on solutions and collective action for adults with disabilities who have significant support needs. Each summit asks one question: if you could remove one obstacle to full inclusion, what would you change — and how would you begin?
Learn about the Summit →Accessibility in Real Time
At Reston Town Center, SPARC's Agents of Change celebrate what already makes a place welcoming and partner with the businesses, property teams, and neighbors who keep improving it for everyone. Accessibility in Real Time turns lived experience into practical, on-the-ground change.
Explore Accessibility in Real Time →Access Trails NOVA
A guide to ADA-accessible parks in Northern Virginia near SPARC centers, built from firsthand fieldwork by SPARC program staff. Access Trails NOVA helps people who use wheelchairs and other mobility devices find step-free, curb-cut routes to the outdoors — and holds public spaces to a higher standard.
Browse Access Trails NOVA →Advocacy Resources
Read and share the research and reports behind our call to action.
A Call to Conscience: A Call to Action
The Summit Compendium captures the obstacles and solutions raised by summit participants — a collective blueprint for advancing inclusion for adults with disabilities who have significant support needs.
Read the Compendium (PDF)Call for Action to Address Research Gaps Impacting People with Severe and Multiple Disabilities
This white paper documents how adults with severe and multiple disabilities remain “invisible” in research, health systems, and public data, and lays out a research agenda to characterize their needs, understand poor outcomes, and test interventions that improve care and quality of life.
Download the White Paper (DOCX)Join the Call to Conscience
Every voice makes adults with severe and multiple disabilities harder to overlook. Add yours — advocate with us, or help fund the work.
