August 2021 Newsletter
the word awareness is written in chalk with all capital letters and underlined on a chalkboard
August Awareness Days
1-7 - International Assistance Dog Week
7 - National Purple Heart Day
18 - Never Give Up Day
24 - Paralympics start in Tokyo
26 - National Women's Equality Day
Service Updates
  • The Loan Closet is now open Monday - Friday 9 AM -4 PM following the same guidelines and precautions we have been using. Please call ahead for your needs and call again once you are in the parking lot. We have found this to be an easy, quick, and safe process.
  • Pre-Employment Transition Services is looking forward to returning to the high schools for in-person lessons and will be in Jackson, Lenawee, and Hillsdale Counties this school year.
  • The Youth Leadership Advocacy Academy will continue to meet monthly as they follow up on the progress of their anti-bullying project.
  • Nursing Facility Transitions continue to guide Medicaid recipients through the steps and processes to leave nursing and/or hospital facilities and return to the community.
  • Independent Living is still providing in person or via Zoom for hourly sessions to discuss independent living skills.
  • Our Employment Navigator will help people explore career options and necessary skills.
  • For any accessibility questions or to have your business reviewed for what could be improved, our Accessibility Manager will happily go over what can be done.
  • Our social security benefits counselor that can talk with people about how those be impacted depending on what you do.
  • Information and Referral are always available to support you with any questions you may have.
a sailors wreath of teal gold and purple ropes intertwined encircle the capitalized letters of TIE in bold black font below th ropes arching up to follow the curve are the words THE INCLUSION EVENT in capital letters and black font
SAVE THE DATE

This year we are excited to announce that we are changing gears a bit and beginning The Inclusion Event (TIE).

Scott Clow from the K105.3 morning show will assist in hosting TIE, with Ileana Rodriguez as this year’s keynote speaker.

Ileana Rodriguez was a swimmer on the 2012 USA Paralympic team in London and currently works as a national and international architect designing inclusive and accessible spaces.

Due to COVID, TIE 2021 will be in an online format this year. TIE will be presented via Zoom with a connection to Facebook Live in order to offer the best options for those with hearing and vision impairments. Closed captioning and American Sign Language will be available.

Save the date for The Inclusion Event, happening Live on October 7, at 7 PM. You can watch for FREE online via Zoom and the disAbility Connections Facebook page.
A sign outside of the main office shows the route of the nature for all trail and provides a legend of the trail route and sites along the way
The Dahlem Center
Provides Nature for All
2 people 1 in a power wheelchair and the other in a manual wheelchair go down the crushed limestone accessible trail through the woods that line each side of the trail
Looking for a way to connect with nature and take a break from the hustle of daily life? The Dahlem Center just outside of Jackson at 7117 South Jackson Road, is an incredible natural environment of nearly 300 acres. The Dahlem Center provides educational classes, summer camps, and a little something for people of all ages and abilities to enjoy. Dahlem showcases 5 miles of natural hiking trails and a nearly ½ mile accessible “Nature for All Trail” made of crushed limestone.....
tokyo 2020 paralympic games logo
Paralympic Games Begin
The Olympics are in full swing right now over in Tokyo, Japan. You can currently catch those games live in the mornings and nights, but they are 13 hours ahead of us here in the Eastern Time Zone. So in the mornings, you are watching their live night games and in our nights you are seeing their live morning games (or recordings).

The Paralympics begin August 24th and are supposed to have some good coverage in the media this year. To make viewing easier here are two websites to help your viewing.

Have a disability eed help getting vaccinated call disability connections 517-998-3084arms are shown flexing their bicep with a band aid
We want to help you get the COVID vaccine. If we can help by setting up transportation, connecting you with a mobile vaccination team, or finding a location near you, give us a call at (517) 998-3084 and follow the prompts. The process is fast and easy.
A small personal blackboard with a wooden border and in the middle are colorful magnetic letters arranged to spell back 2 school
Back to School
Written by: Holly Peterson
Let's start with babies... you may have concerns with your infant or toddler's development, you can't quite pinpoint what it is, but you are just concerned. You have talked to your doctor and they told you to wait a little while "because all children develop a little differently at their own rate". This isn't yet settling to you because this is YOUR child and you want them to excel! It's a pretty easy answer~ all you have to do is contact Early On by calling 1-800-327-5966. They can talk to you about your concerns and offer free evaluations.
  Now, let's say your child is in elementary school and you have concerns about his/her ability to keep up with other students. Maybe your child has Cerebral Palsy, ADD or ADHD and focus is a big concern in their learning. There is a way to ask for help and to have assistance in a "formal plan" for their education.....
a persons hand holds up a newspaper with a headline that says the news and below that is the disability connections logo
We are going to be doing a new printed newsletter 4x a year that we will circulate through community libraries. If you would like to get that quarterly newsletter mailed to you, call and let us know or email review@disabilityconnect.org and provide your name and address.