Arizona Disability Advocate Among 10 Americans to Receive National Award (10/8/09)

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) today announced the selection of David Carey, chair of Inspire Human Services Co-op in Phoenix, to receive a Community Health Leaders Award. He is one of 10 extraordinary Americans who will receive the RWJF honor for 2009 at a ceremony this evening at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C.

Carey, who became a quadriplegic following a gunshot accident in 1989, has been a tireless advocate for health care access for the disabled. He is being honored for his work as chair of Inspire Co-op, which helps people with disabilities to lead independent lives, and for his activism to assure safe public transportation options for persons with physical disabilities. Carey led the creation of Inspire Co-op—one of the first self-directed cooperatives in the United States—that gives members the power to better manage services such as habilitation and attendant care while sharing in the ownership and guidance of the company. He also helped the organization secure long-term contracts to provide services to people with disabilities.