Biography

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Chris Palames Independent Living Resources Amherst, Massachusetts Chris Palames has been active in the disability rights movement for the past three decades. Born and raised in Boston, he graduated from Wesleyan University. In 1974, he founded the Stavros Center for Independent Living, the first disabled people's self-help and advocacy program to serve a largely rural region. He was also active in developing the Vermont Center for Independent Living. During the mid 1980s, Chris worked on Beacon Hill as Assistant Director for Programs at the Massachusetts Office on Disability. He left state government to support Michael Dukakis's bid for the Presidency in 1988, then assumed his current position as Executive Director of Independent Living Resources (ILR). ILR has collaborated with national and regional organizations, providing training and technical assistance to a wide range of audiences on the implementation of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Fair Housing Amendments Act, and other disability rights legislation. Chris is currently working on a book chronicling three decades of the disability rights and independent living movement in the United States through the personal stories of disabled people.