In tribute to Philadelphia's world-changing past, Festival partners dubbed the month-long Disability Arts Festival "Independence Starts Here." Through it, they hoped to begin to change the future for over 675,000 people with disabilities in the area and their families. Led by Amaryllis Theatre Company, which now also serves as VSA arts of Pennsylvania, and Art-Reach, Inc., a group of cultural and disability leaders and individuals with disabilities met for the first time in 2003 to try to find ways to make Philadelphia more accessible and inclusive, at least where arts and culture are concerned. Since its creation in 1999, Amaryllis' mission had been to include professional artists with and without disabilities and to make all of its productions accessible. As a small company working to find ways to create accessibility for its own artists and audiences, it had been trying to create solutions to problems that not only worked, but were also cost-effective. This article discusses the "Independence Starts Here" Festival of Disability Arts and Culture and how it was created.