History and Origin of Name

Established in 1966 as one of the nation’s first university offices for disabled students, KOKUA predates the implementation of the first civil rights law prohibiting discrimination on the basis of disability status. A blind freshman whom KOKUA began serving in 1966, Mary Ku`ulei Kaikainahaole coined the phrase "Kahi O Ka Ulu `Ana," which translates into "the Place of Growing."

Indeed it has been a place of growing for the thousands of students in the KOKUA Ohana – those who have been served here and those who have worked here over the years.

Photo caption: Mary K Tree