The Native American Advocacy Program (NAAP) was established in 1992 with the purpose of advocating for tribal members with significant disabilities on nine reservations in South Dakota. From there, NAAP staff determined that many disabilities could be prevented, with the end result of a prevention program being started.

Now NAAP’s purpose is two-fold. Our prevention program focuses on helping youth and at risk youth on the reservations of South Dakota build a cultural identity based upon the traditional Lakota way of life. We believe that Native youth have a right to know their culture and have access to people, places, and environments that help them to develop healthy lifestyles, without alcohol, drugs, or violence.

Our second purpose is to guide Native American people with disabilities toward a more independent life style. We are also committed to being a cross disability organization, meaning that we are inclusive of persons with all types of disabilities. This allows support to those disabilities that have been under or unrepresented in the disability movement. We believe that Native Americans who have disabilities have the right to equal access to services, support systems, and advocacy regardless of their socioeconomic status, rural living, and culture.

NAAP is a statewide, non-profit, grassroots organization for persons residing on and off the lands of the nine tribal nations in South Dakota.  We are chartered both with the state of South Dakota as well as the Rosebud Sioux Tribe (where our central office is located). 











                                                        All documents contained within this site are Copyright 2010