This month, the community is celebrating the 40-year anniversary of the disability resource center, FREED Center for Independent Living in Nevada County.
Ahead of its time, FREED was started by a small group of passionate civil rights advocates, five years before the federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed into law.
“FREED is still so innovative and forward thinking, they are literally doing things that I think is a model for similar organizations. If only every organization did this kind of work, it would be a game changer,” said Ana Acton who served as Executive Director at FREED for a decade.
Today, FREED serves people of all ages with disabilities living in Nevada, Sierra, Sutter and Colusa Counties. The organization promotes independence and self-determination for people with disabilities through person-driven services, community partnerships, education and leadership advocating for fully inclusive communities, according to FREED.org.
Later this month, the community is invited to celebrate FREED’s 40th anniversary during a benefit concert called FREED Fest 40.
The event will be held from 5 to 9 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 27 at the fully accessible venue, Gold Miners Inn located at 121 Bank Street in Grass Valley. The event features stories and memories from the last 40 years, refreshments and live music performances by Beaucoup Chapeaux, Bodhi Busick, Buffalo Gals, Charly Price, Graham Farrow, Paul Kamm and Eleanor McDonald, Sands Hall, and Three Times Through. Tickets are available at freed.org/freed-fest-40
Creating community
Since its founding in 1985, the nonprofit organization formed and operated by people with disabilities has remained a peer-led advocacy and direct service agency offering resources and support.
As California’s first rural independent living center, FREED formed as a natural outgrowth of the Independent Living Movement of the 1970s. Since its founding years, the organization has remained consumer-controlled by people with disabilities in staff and board positions, united in a common goal of disability justice.
“This is a cross-disability movement. Everyone needs to be heard. We’ve moved as a movement way past getting people on benefits,” said Ann Guerra who started as a college intern in 1987 before landing a paid position as Independent Living Specialist.
With her interest in special education, civil rights and peers-assisting-peers philosophy nurtured by the Berkeley Center for Independent Living, Guerra wore many hats over the years, always working hard to reduce stigma around disability. It wasn’t until she developed Multiple Sclerosis that she grew into a leadership role as Executive Director for six years, from 2001 – 2007.
Guerra fondly remembers the early years working with “larger than life” founder Sam Dardick who would become her mentor.
“Sam could connect with anyone and he treated anyone who came through the doors as important. He listened to people define their own issues and needs. He was so good at creating community,” she said.
Dardick formed the Nevada County Wheelchair Sports Association, asking everyone with a wheelchair if they wanted to play basketball. The disability rights activist and skilled collaborator would go on to serve two terms as a Nevada County Supervisor. He passed away in 2011.
In the early days of FREED, the emphasis was advocacy. Later it would morph to include four pillars – access, services, medical and education. As time went on, the organization kept true to its original vision while expanding services and scope.
Creating leaders
Ana Acton grew up on a farm on the San Juan Ridge. As a child, her neighbor and family friend, Sam Dardick was the only person she knew with a disability. That changed when she was a freshman in high school and a car accident resulted in serious injuries. She found herself using a wheelchair for the first time.
“It was a major transition for myself and my family,” said Acton. Her family reached out to FREED for support. FREED helped her navigate services and advocate for herself with things like riding the school bus so she could ride to and from school with her friends. It seemed that FREED was one of the only places that would hire her and saw her disability as an asset rather than a liability.
“Reluctantly, I took the position and it ended up being one of the better decisions of my life. It set me on a path working on something truly meaningful that I can relate to and I’m passionate about,” said Acton.
Following in the footsteps of her predecessors, Acton was a natural leader and continues to be instrumental in statewide and national policy and programs. Under her watch, FREED received grant funding to become a state designated Aging and Disability Resource Connection, forging a strategic alliance to provide hospital-to-home transition services.
“You still see that today with Carly. Each Executive Director builds to the next level,” Acton said. She is proud of her team work ethic centered on coordination and collaboration, expanding capacity and diversifying funding streams. Over the years, she witnessed FREED grow from people protesting at the state capitol against state budget cuts to sitting down with policy makers to create real system changes for the people.
California’s population is getting older. By 2040, the state’s older adult population (aged 65 and over) is projected to increase by 59 percent, from 5.7 million to just over 9 million, according to the Public Policy Institute of California.
“We have a growing older adult population. The longer we live the more likely people will have a disability,” said Acton. In coming years, the challenge will be to identify gaps in services and support, and to continually adapt, modernize and be innovative to continue to meet the needs of an aging population and people with disabilities of all ages.
“We have come a long way. There’s been major advances and there is still more to do,” said Acton.
Building Bridges
Today, a committed team at FREED works hard to reach out to people and find connection with community services. The mission is more critical than ever, to amplify voices and advocate for systematic change that will lead to a more accessible and inclusive society.
“In 2024 we connected with thousands of people across our region—navigating complex systems, overcoming barriers and advocating for a world where aging and disability are met with dignity and opportunity,” said Executive Director Carly Pacheco.
Pacheco grew up in Fairfield and before coming to FREED a decade ago, she worked as a special education teacher in Los Angeles and Seattle where she helped create more inclusive school and community environments for students with disabilities. At FREED, she has served as Executive Assistant, Operations Manager, Deputy Director and for the past three years, Executive Director.
“I come from an education background where things move and change at the rate of molasses. It’s amazing working with a whole group of people that are like-minded and all rooting for the same thing. We are a pretty nimble organization and the independent living movement is a mission that is super aligned with my personal values and hard to find out in the world,” she said.
During Covid, FREED made sure people were safe and connected with food deliveries and access to laptops and other technology. The staff has grown from 19 people pre-pandemic to 33 people today. Four more positions will be added in the coming fiscal year to help consumers identify goals and resources and navigate bureaucracy to tackle a range of issues. At least 51 percent of the board and staff are people with disabilities and can offer first-hand understanding and peer support to individuals. In 2024, the FREED team helped 1,500 consumers.
“It’s been a period of pretty rapid growth. I think that’s going to continue,” said Pacheco.
As advocates, the FREED team addresses everything from wage inequality of In-Home Supportive Services caregivers to increased public transit accessibility.
“Disability really touches everything–it’s part of the human experience. It’s important to have that disability voice at so many tables,” Pacheco said.
Help with basic needs – rent assistance, food and other essentials has become more urgent. These days, the number one call for service is bridging the housing gap for older adults and people with disabilities. Conservative estimates show 70 percent of individuals facing homelessness have a disability, according to Pacheco. Even people with employment find it difficult to find housing that is physically accessible.
“The threat is pretty life altering for people and it’s not going away. We’re going to continue to see these threats. I think people are living closer to the edge. What we are seeing the most right now is older adults at risk of becoming homeless,” said Pacheco.
When a home of a long-time renter is sold, there is often nowhere else to go. A weekly housing club helps ease anxiety by offering drop-in services for community members looking for a place to live. But even FREED staff members struggle to find affordable local rentals and some worry they will have to leave the area.
With funding from Nevada County, FREED serves as a liaison for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness and matching them with landlords who can provide critical housing. Between 2017 and 2021 the number of seniors accessing homelessness services in California increased by 84 percent, according to CalMatters. In the future, state government programs such as CalAIM are expected to grow health care system partnerships to address the demand for social services.
“Not everyone trusts the medical systems – it’s an interesting new horizon. We anticipate that we will be seeing a lot more people with a lot more challenges,” Pacheco said.
Learn more at FREED.org