You are here: Home > About Us

 

Our Mission 

ReachOut USA is committed to ending the social stigmas and inequalities associated with the LGBT Community, including those with disabilities. This includes those that lead to abuse, violence and suicide. We will accomplish this by promoting education, advocacy, networking, peer support, and outreach. ReachOut USA strives to provide the necessary resources in an atmosphere of compassion, understanding, tolerance, and diversity.

Our Vision

It is the goal of ReachOut USA to erase the stigma that is associated with disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or HIV/AIDS status by helping to educate not only social service and independent living agency staff, but also medical professionals so that no one would need to feel that their rights or dignity has been compromised.  We will accomplish this by providing sensitivity and diversity trainings to hospitals, county health agencies, health fairs, and other health organizations.  We will show them how to build peer support networks, as well as letting these agencies know that we will partner with them when they need assistance in helping an individual.

Outreach and support for the LGBT and the LGBT Disabled who have been subjected to abuse whether it is from a partner, family member, medical professional, or general public as well as working with other agencies in violence prevention and crisis intervention is another goal of ReachOut USA.

ReachOut USA is dedicated to fighting discrimination against all LGBT people regardless of disability or HIV status whether it is in the workplace, public housing, or school.  We will guide them through the process of filing complaints or seeking legal representation when needed. ReachOut USA will work with the person and each state’s legal representative to seek out satisfactory conclusion.

ReachOut USA will be the main branch of a new network for agencies and organizations to partner with in order to reach and serve the targeted population. ReachOut USA will travel to participating agencies and organizations to provide trainings in all aspects of ReachOut USA programs. ReachOut USA will also be responsible for working with each participant to monitor and track progress and data.

ReachOut USA will offer education and diversity trainings to all independent living centers, social service organizations, schools, and the general public.  We will provide outreach to the LGBT and LGBT Disabled and HIV/AIDS communities. We will build support networks both within local communities and across the country, in person and online, to provide peer support and networking for the LGBT and the LGBT Disabled, including support groups for partners, friends, and family. ReachOut USA will offer diversity, sensitivity, and anti-violence trainings nationally to independent living centers and social service agencies.

ReachOut USA will work with students who request help to set up GSAs (Gay/Straight Alliances) in schools and colleges.  GSAs provide a safe place for students to meet, support each other, talk about issues related to sexual orientation, and work to end homophobia. Many GSAs function as a support group and provide safety and confidentiality to students who are struggling with their identity as gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, or questioning. In addition to support, some GSAs work on educating themselves and the broader school community about sexual orientation and gender identity issues. The youth population is at a very high risk for contracting HIV/AIDS and ReachOut USA is committed to helping bring about a greater awareness of HIV/AIDS prevention for the youth of America.

Non-Discrimination Policy

ReachOut USA follows a non-discrimination policy in the employment of personnel and in serving their target population without regard to:

• Race, color, ethnic or religious background, descent or nationality
• Age or physical presence
• Marital status
• Disability (including past, present, or future physical, intellectual or psychiatric disability, learning disorders or disease)
• Sexual orientation
• Gender identification (an individual’s internal sense of one’s own gender)

This non-discrimination policy applies to employment, internal promotions, training, opportunities for advancement, terminations, relationships with outside vendors and consumers, use of contractors and consultants and in dealings with the general public. 

 

 

ReachOut USA's  Fiscal agent

Southeast Kansas Independent Living Resource Center, Inc., (SKIL) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation based out of Parsons, Kansas. SKIL is the fiscal agent for ReachOut USA. SKIL has been serving the disability community in Kansas for 16 years.