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Peer Group Events
Peer groups provide an organized environment for people to encourage, advocate and educate one another. Peer Group events are being held both in-person and virtually.
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The Americans With Disabilities Act Celebration Picnic: July 26th
Disability Network Mid-Michigan invites you to join them for a community picnic celebrating the 33rd anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). On this day, we’ll celebrate this important civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in all areas of public life, including jobs, schools and transportation – ensuring that people with disabilities have the same rights and opportunities as everyone else.
• WHEN •
Wednesday, July 26, from 4 – 7 pm
• WHERE •
Heritage Park, 601 Weiss Street in Frankenmuth
• WHAT •
Live Music by Stone Street Revival, Food, Fun and Games, and Accessible Recreation
We'll also have partner tables for organizations throughout the area providing valuable resources and information.
While registration is not required, knowing how many people plan to attend helps in our event planning and budgeting. Please take a quick moment to let us know how many people will be attending with you by using the button below.
| This event made possible with support from: |
Planning for an Emergency
Are you prepared to handle an emergency situation? Do you have a plan?
Disability Network Mid-Michigan is excited to once again offer MY3P (My Personal Protection Plan) - an emergency preparedness series that will help you Make a Plan, Build a Kit, and Be Informed.
Session dates and topics are:
July 17 | 4 - 6pm
Part One: Creating My Action Plans and Support Network
July 24 | 4 - 6pm
Part Two: Creating My Go Kit and Evacuation Plan and Assistive Technology
For Your Go Kit
August 1 | 4 - 6pm
Part Three: Advanced Care Directives and Personal Safety
All sessions are FREE and will be conducted virtually on Zoom. Participants will be given flash drives with all the essential resources to customize their plan. Class size is limited so register now!
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July is Disability Pride Month!
People with disabilities are the largest and most diverse minority within the population, representing all abilities, ages, races, ethnicities, religions and socio-economic backgrounds. “Disability pride” has been defined as accepting and honoring each person’s uniqueness and seeing it as a natural and beautiful part of human diversity.
Disability Pride Month is used to increase awareness and promote the pride felt by people with disabilities. Pride comes from celebrating our heritage, culture and our unique experiences and contributions to society. It’s a time to celebrate the diversity of our community – people with disabilities are the largest and most diverse minority in the population, representing all abilities, ages, ethnicities, religions and socio-economic backgrounds.
Take pride in yourself!
The Disability Pride Flag
The original disability pride flag, created by Ann Magill in 2019, underwent a makeover for accessibility purposes in 2021. They altered the original zigzagged design because it worsened symptoms for individuals with visually triggered disabilities, including seizure and migraine disorders. Magill’s updated design features muted colors and a straight diagonal band from the top left to the bottom right corner.
The original flag’s zigzags represented how people with disabilities creatively navigate barriers. On the improved flag, the parallel stripes stand for solidarity. The colors on the flag symbolize various disability experiences. The black background mourns disabled people who have died due to negligence, suicide, rebellion, illness, and eugenics. The stripe’s color represents disability types:
• Red: physical disabilities
• Gold: cognitive and intellectual disabilities
• White: nonvisible and undiagnosed disabilities
• Blue: psychiatric disabilities
• Green: sensory disabilities
Society presents many obstacles – stigma, shame, inaccessibility, ableism – to proudly identifying as people with disabilities. Disability Pride Month is a time to positively assert our identity, listen to disabled voices, and advocate for appropriate accommodations. The disability pride flag is an outward symbol of the identity, resilience, and capacity of the disability community.
July is also a powerful reminder about the importance of disability rights and why we fight for them, and it coincides with the month that the Americans with Disabilities Act was passed in July, 1990. While great progress has been made, we must continue to advocate and push for additional legislation to create a truly inclusive world.
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Do You Need the Pneumococcal Pneumonia Vaccine?
Pneumococcal (noo-muh-KOK-uhl) disease is caused by bacteria called Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus). People with pneumococcal disease can spread the bacteria to others when they cough or sneeze and can cause infections in many parts of the body – such as meningitis and pneumonia. It is common in young children, but older adults are at the greatest risk of serious illness and death. The best way to prevent pneumococcal disease is to get vaccinated.
The CDC recommends pneumococcal vaccination for all adults 65 years or older, and it’s especially important for those 65 and older with a disability, as they have a significantly increased risk of death from pneumonia.
Multiple $25 Gift Card Give-Aways Each Month!
If you are an older adult or person with a disability and get a shingles, influenza or pneumococcal vaccine, or a COVID-19 vaccine or booster, you can enter to win. Contact us to learn how to enter at info@dnmm.org or 989-835-4041, or to learn about our vaccine support services:
- Help scheduling a vaccine
- Transportation to a vaccine appointment
- Access to an in-home vaccine or booster
- Companion support during your vaccine appointment
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Where We’ll Be in July
Join us throughout the month of July at the following events and meet new people, be a part of the community and learn about what Disability Network Mid-Michigan offers!
Farmers Market @ Mt. Pleasant Town Center
Broadway Street / Town Center
July 1, 2023 • 9:00 AM – 2:00 PM
39th Independence Day Parade
West Branch
July 4, 2023 • 6:00 PM
Family Fun Day
Ross Lake Park – Beaverton
July 7, 2023 • 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM
Veterans Fair
Hayes Township Hall, 2055 E Townline Lake Rd, Harrison
July 13, 2023 • 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM
Business and Community Expo
West Branch
July 18, 2023 • 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Lumberjack Festival
Farwell Village Park
July 21, 2023 • Noon – 4:00 PM
Labadie RibFest
Veterans Memorial Park – Bay City
July 27, 2023 • 4:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Inclusion Day
Dow Diamond – Midland
July 30, 2023 • Game Time – 1:05 PM
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ADA Anniversary
July 26th marks the 33rd anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. This historic civil rights law protects the rights of people with disabilities in all areas of public life, including jobs, schools, transportation, and all public and private places that are open to the public. The purpose of the law is to ensure that people with disabilities have the same rights and opportunities as everyone else. It is divided into five sections that relate to different areas:
Title I: Employment
- Helps people with disabilities access the same employment opportunities and benefits.
- Requires employers to provide reasonable accommodations.
- Applies to employers with 15 or more employees.
Title II: Public Services – State and Local Government
- Prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability by public entities.
- Requires public entities to make their programs, services and activities accessible to individuals with disabilities.
Title III: Public Accommodations and Services Operated by Private Entities
- Prohibits places of public accommodation from discriminating against individuals with disabilities.
- Sets the minimum standard for accessibility for alterations and new construction, and requires public accommodations to remove barriers in existing buildings where it’s easy to do without much difficulty or expense.
- Directs businesses to make reasonable modifications to their usual way of doing things when serving people with disabilities.
- Requires that businesses take steps to communicate effectively with customers with vision, hearing and speech disabilities.
Title IV: Telecommunications
- Requires phone and internet companies to provide a nationwide system of interstate and intrastate telecommunications relay services that allows individuals with hearing or speech disabilities to communicate over the telephone.
- Requires closed captioning of federally-funded public service announcements.
Title V: Miscellaneous Provisions
- Contains a variety of provisions relating to the ADA as a whole, including its relationship with other laws, state immunity, its impact on insurance providers and benefits, prohibition against retaliation and coercion, illegal use of drugs and attorney’s fees.
Disability Network Mid-Michigan is proud to support the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) 33rd Anniversary. Join us at our free community event in Frankenmuth on Wednesday, July 26 as we celebrate the anniversary!
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Living with a disability can be expensive. Extra costs can include specialized equipment, home modifications and personal care assistance. Even for those who receive public benefits, there are often gaps and out-of-pocket expenses.
Individuals with disabilities and their families can seek out resources to help manage the costs. An ABLEnow account can be a helpful tool.
ABLE accounts are the result of the Stephen Beck Jr., Achieving a Better Life Experience Act, better known as the ABLE Act, which allows individuals with disabilities to save and invest money without jeopardizing eligibility for public benefits.
Funds saved in an ABLEnow account can pay for a wide variety of qualified disability expenses related to maintaining the health, independence and quality of life for a person with a disability. Even small contributions can add up over time.
See if an ABLEnow account is right for you, or get started today.
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Assistive Technology
This viral TikTok video for the Grip Toggle has over 1 million views! It offers improved accessibility and is the latest invention by Single Handed – a company that creates simple, sustainability-designed products that make life easier for everyone.
Disability Network can help you find the assistive technology (AT) you need, as well as the resources to pay for it. The Michigan Assistive Technology Loan Fund is specifically set up for people with disabilities and it offers a low-interest loan for the technology you may need. We can help you apply for the loan and provide demonstrations of several low-cost AT items that can help you maintain your independence.
For information about available assistive technology devices, visit dnmm.org or contact us at info@dnmm.org or (989) 835-4041.
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HUD Seeking Input
For the first time in decades, federal officials are planning to update rules prohibiting disability discrimination in housing and they’re looking for input. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is seeking public comment as it considers revising regulations related to Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which bars discrimination on the basis of disability in many circumstances.
HUD is asking the public to respond to several questions about what it should consider, including how to account for advances in accessible design, the use of websites and other technology, and auxiliary aids and services including assistive technologies. In addition, the Department is considering whether to adopt an updated Federal accessibility standard.
HUD invites all members of the public, including individuals with disabilities, to provide input. Comments are due by July 24th and may be submitted electronically through https://www.regulations.gov/document/HUD-2023-0029-0001, or at (405) 609-8561. HUD welcomes and is prepared to receive calls from individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing, as well as individuals with speech or communication disabilities who would like to submit comments.
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Statement of Inclusion
Inclusion is a universal human right for all people, regardless of race, age, gender, religion, disability, sexual orientation, or any other discernible quality. To be inclusive is to promote a sense of belonging, respect, and value for who you are as a person. It is about equal access and opportunities for everyone. Inclusion is an integral part of our Independent Living philosophy and of our agency's vision of accessible and inclusive communities.
DNMM offices have been, and continue to be, places of solace, understanding, and information for all. We are committed to promoting and protecting diversity and inclusion, within our offices, among our community partners, and throughout the 15 Centers for Independent Living in Michigan.
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Accessibility Statement
DNMM advocates for the removal of barriers to independence and full inclusion of people with disabilities throughout the Mid-Michigan area. DNMM pledges to ensure accessibility. Each year, DNMM conducts a review of its own architectural, environmental, attitudinal, employment, communication, transportation, and other barriers that may exist which prohibit full access to our services.
If you have any issues of concern regarding the accessibility of DNMM services and facilities, we encourage you to share that information with us.
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Disability Network Mid-Michigan
989-835-4041 | dnmm.org
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