The Norwegian Association of Disabled (NAD) is the advocacy organisation of people with disabilities. Our vision is a society for all, where people with disabilities have the same opportunity as other people have to live according to their own wishes, abilities and interests.

This means:

• We think that people with disabilities should be able to get an education without having to go to the one school that is accessible to wheelchair users.
• We think that people with disabilities should have meaningful jobs and not have to stay at home, living on social security, because public employment services or employers believe that you have nothing to offer if you walk differently or use crutches.
• If working is not an alternative, one should still have a decent income and a dignified life.
• In our view, it is a basic necessity to be able to find a suitable home in an environment of your own choice, rather than being pressured to live in institutionalised housing in a place you have no links to.
• It is obvious to us that people with disabilities should have a social life and active leisure time just like everyone else.
• Not least, it should be possible to receive the technical aids and rehabilitation services needed, without having to use time and resources to fight for what is legally yours.
• An important pre-requisite for people with disabilities to be able to participate in all areas of life is an accessible society where people with disabilities are not discriminated against, but are respected in the same way as all other members of society.

We believe that it is not so difficult to create an inclusive society where people with disabilities have the same opportunities as others. But this society won’t happen by itself. Some have to envision it and be willing to work towards it. NAD has worked to promote the rights of people with disabilities for more than 80 years. During the first years, the work was mostly about charity to needy “crippled”, which was the word used in those days. Today we can proudly say that we have contributed to the fact that Norway has a law prohibiting discrimination against people with disabilities, a law which states that when a wheelchair user is unable to access a public building, it is an act of discrimination. We also played a major role in establishing the premises for another achievement, the right to user-controlled personal assistance. These are only a couple of examples of the changes that our efforts have resulted in.

NAD is the spokesman for people with disabilities in Norway. We are in close communication with politicians and the authorities, both at national and local level. We are first and foremost an advocacy organization, but we also aim to take care of our members through providing services such as accessible cottages and information materials. We have local branches and a network of volunteers who offer peer counseling support and advice for those in difficult situations.

In addition, it is important for NAD to show solidarity with people with disabilities in poor countries where there are no welfare benefits like those we have access to in Norway. Through our international development cooperation we contribute to strengthening the rights of people with disabilities in several countries.

At present, NAD has almost 12 824 members, 153 local branches, 9 regional branches, 10 affiliated national diagnosis groups, and a youth organization.