Disability Rights Advocates for Technology

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
550877645
IRS 990 coverage
2011–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
St Louis, MO, USA
Phone
3149654938
Rating
81
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Centers to Support the Independence of Specific Populations

Reported finances

Revenue
$850,745
Expenses
$789,132
Assets
$1,695,786
Liabilities
$318,494

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

6 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • GERALD KERR (PRESIDENT)
  • AL KISLER (VICE PRESIDENT / TREASURER)
  • KELLEY GAINES (VICE PRESIDENT / SECRETARY)
  • ED EBERHART (VICE PRESIDENT / ASST. SEC)
  • HAL HORNBURG (VICE PRESIDENT / ASST. SEC)
  • WILLIE SHELTON (VICE PRESIDENT / ASST. SEC)

People named in this filing

  • GERALD KERR (PRESIDENT)
  • AL KISLER (VICE PRESIDENT / TREASURER)
  • KELLEY GAINES (VICE PRESIDENT / SECRETARY)

Selected names, not a complete roster or a statement of current roles. Open leadership details for the complete filed list.

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

Disability rights advocates for technology (draft) is an advocate for the use of universal design and new technologies to improve the quality of life for people with disabilities and senior citizens and represents people with disabilities who refuse to be defined by their disability and whose passionate enthusiasm for participating in life's activities is supported by universal design and technologies.

What it reported doing in 2024

Draft's segs4vets program serves both veterans and active-duty members of the united states military who while serving the united states of america sustained severe injuries or illnesses that resulted in permanent disability. Segs4vets program awards segways and ally chair adapted segways, universally designed mobility devices which do not draw attention to one's physical disability. While the segs4vets program's historical and primary focus has been on those who have served in support of operation iraqi freedom and operation enduring freedom, in recent years, the program has been able to broaden its support to other disabled veterans who meet specific criteria. In addition to the military, segs4vets is also now serving first responders.assessing, training recipients, and awarding ally chairs and segways has been and continues to be the core of the segs4vets program. In recent years with the aging of the largest fleet of segways in the world segs4vets transition to a service-oriented organization is fully in place. During the 2025 fiscal year, the segs4vets program provided services to 400 veterans, including issuing 16 devices and serving more than 1,700 military family members.draft is an advocate for the adoption of universally designed technology solutions, as a sustainable approach for continued improvement of quality life issues affecting people with disabilities and the increasing number of baby boomers age 65 and older. The opportunities these solutions offer for extending the independent life of the baby boomer generation and people with disabilities provide extraordinary benefits to society as a whole. The segs4vets program, which was started in 2005, was intended to be a real-life example of the benefits derived by the utilization of universally designed technology. The adoption of public policy and a regulatory environment which will be conducive for innovation and the adoption of universally designed technology solutions play a critical role in solving the profound economic and social challenges facing society in caring for people with disabilities and the aging baby boomer generation.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 100% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 54% for direct work, and 46% for grants.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

The verdict

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered and program spending has declined or grown slowly.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 86
  • Transparency & Controls: 94
  • Accountability: 78
  • Sustainability: 59
  • Growth: 0

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 84.5%; rating input score 84
  • Program expense ratio: 91%; rating input score 91
  • Fundraising efficiency: $74.72 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 83; 83rd percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 76th percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 83.3%; rating input score 83; 19th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 5 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 71
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 7.2%; rating input score 56; 56th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.15; rating input score 67; 67th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.19; rating input score 32; 32nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 81; 81st percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -5.5% per year; rating input score 0; 7th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -2% per year; rating input score 0; 9th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -1.8% per year; rating input score 0; 13th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 84.5% of revenue deployed · 91% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 5 of 6 board members independent · 5 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $718K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 6 people listed
  • Consistency: 29 of 29 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors and grants
  • Filing history: 14 filing years from 2011 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: Resolved incoming and outgoing counterparties from filed money flows.
  • Related organizations: Filed and resolved organization relationships.
  • Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
  • People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 7 not reported.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 56/100.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 32/100.