Awards & Recognition

Who is Earl Walden?

In the early days of APRIL, Earl was a great friend and supporter of our new organization. As a colleague who worked at ILRU (Independent Living Research Utilization) in Houston, Earl had a heart as big as Texas and a gift for finding resources or solutions to problems as easy and smooth as his southern drawl. He took APRIL under his wing when we needed an advocate on our side, and when he died suddenly in 1997, we felt his loss greatly. Establishing an award in his honor has been a long-time objective of both APRIL and ILRU.

Guiding Principles for Nomination

Nomination Forms are distributed with conference materials which are usually sent out in the early summer prior to that years' conference.

Please consider the following Guiding Principles as you make your nomination and explain your reasons for nominating this particular person/organization.

Directly assisted persons with disabilities living in Rural America
Exhibited a steadfast commitment to the improvement and growth of the Independent Living mission and philosophy;
Demonstrated the ability to bridge gaps and/or build strong partnerships among those concerned with improving and strengthening the Independent Living movement;
Demonstrated the commitment to improve access to Independent Living by all people eligible;
Demonstrated a commitment to broaden their own knowledge base and improve their ability to contribute to the cause;
Demonstrated a commitment to implement new and innovative ideas and/or projects in the Independent Living world; and
Promotes pride and action in the rural disability community.

The 2007 Earl Walden Award

Community Service Award