Able South Carolina

In less than one month- Join us for Advocacy Day for Access and Independence at the SC Statehouse to unlock barriers for people with disabilities! With a Barrier Free SC, South Carolinians with Disabilities can thrive in our communities! Our lawmakers hold the keys to unlocking these barriers. Learn more and?make your plan to join us: unlockingbarriers-sc.org Share this post to let your followers and friends know you're participating and calling for a #BarrierFreeSC! [Graphic with orange background and white image of SC Statehouse silhouette. White and navy text reads, 'Advocacy Day for Access & Independence, April 8, 2025, Barrier Free SC.' Left of text is an unlocked padlock with the state of SC as the keyhole.]

We're celebrating Alexis's 1 year at Able SC! Alexis is our Grants Coordinator working remotely from Newberry, SC (aka, The Berry). "I am equidistant from CAE and GVL offices, which is super convenient, and I represent the rural SC community!" As a person with a number of disabilities, her skillset is shaped by their lived experience, "1 diabetes, diabulimia, multiple autoimmune conditions, and chronic illness burnout, I am grateful for a strong community; together we can help everyone reach the top of their own hill." "My disability is invisible, so I masked a lot. I pretended to live as if nothing had happened so I could fit in. It was not healthy--I almost died several times while battling masking and my eating disorder. My life is worth more than that--all our lives are worth more than that. It makes me proud that at Able SC, sincerity and disability pride are celebrated, regardless of disability type." Fun fact about Alexis, "Our AP English teacher gave her students senior superlatives, and I received 'The Dreamer' with a quote from Carl Jung, "This whole creation is essentially subjective, and the dream is the theater where the dreamer is at once scene, actor, prompter, stage manager, author, audience, and critic." The superlative stuck with me because I immediately felt seen as someone who wanted to know everything about everything! Alexis had this to say about disability pride, "Let us all embrace and share our disabilities with the world and not blame ourselves or shy away from the battles we face! Let us create a world full of variety, joy, and kindness where we pause to listen to each other, lead with compassion, and marvel at our uniqueness and commonalities—that all of life has persisted this way, and it cannot be denied, removed, or squashed from existence. We have a voice, let's use it." #DisabiltyEmployment #WorkAnniversary #Celebrate [Large text over light green background reads, 'Hi my name is Alexis, Grants Coordinator, 1 year at Able SC. Features photos of Alexis, a white woman with glasses and long red-blonde hair. Includes her quote from the post. Gray Able SC logo at base.]

"With one in every three individuals in SC living with a hidden or visible disability, accessibility interests are ever present and are integrated throughout our town." Thank you, Experience Columbia, for the opportunity to appear in the official Insider's Guide for 2025! Pick up a copy from their Lincoln Street location to read about favorite accessible spaces in Columbia from these members of our team: Dori Tempio, a power wheelchair user with developmental disabilities, and her service dog Hera, Mark Riffle, a wheelchair user with a spinal cord injury, and Angel Haven Lee, a power wheelchair user with limb difference and other non-apparent disabilities. Are you interested in having accessibility featured in your town's tourism guide? Contact our Able Access team to see if we can help! [email protected]. #ExperienceColumbia #Accessible #Disability [Photo of hand holding Experience Columbia's insiders guide magazine, open to the article 'Everyone Can Experience Columbia,' written by Able SC staff with our Director of Strategic Initiatives, David Laird.]

We're celebrating the 1 year work anniversary of our Equip Leaders! Barrett, Gabe, and Andrew, along with other Able SC staff, are leaders of our Equip group for disabled youth. As youth with disabilities, their skillsets are shaped by their lived experiences. We asked them to share about disability pride: Barrett (Cerebral Palsy and Cortical Vision Impairment): "Always be proud of your challenges because the more you overcome, the more stigmas we tear down." Gabe (Blind with limited light perception): "Always work hard to achieve your goals and dreams! I was once told I would never be able to attend college. However, this was certainly not the case. I am currently completing my fourth semester." #DisabiltyEmployment #WorkAnniversary #Celebrate [3 graphics featuring photos of the Equip Leaders. Each graphic has large text over a bright green background that reads, 'Hi, my name is,' followed by the leader's name, job title, and number of years at Able SC. Features Equip and Able SC logos. First graphic is of Barrett, a young white man with a beard, in a power wheelchair. The second graphic is of Gabe, a young white man with short brown hair and his eyes closed. Third graphic is of Andrew, a young man with beige skin and dark hair smiling.]

In 30 Days, Join us for Advocacy Day for Access and Independence at the SC Statehouse to unlock barriers for people with disabilities! This year's focus: Community Living! It's time for SC to fully commit to ensuring that people with disabilities are given full access and are fully integrated in all aspects of community life. Register for the event and make your plan to join us: unlockingbarriers-sc.org Share this post to let your followers and friends know you're participating and calling for a #BarrierFreeSC! [Graphic with orange background and white image of SC Statehouse silhouette. White text reads, 'Advocacy Day for Access & Independence, 30 Days, April 8, 2025. Left of text at top is an unlocked padlock with the state of SC as the keyhole.]

This team. You are more than appreciated- you are vital to this movement! Your dedication, disability pride, and determination empower our community. You are the reason we are able to reach people with the message that people with disabilities deserve to thrive in our communities. You are the reason folks walk into our office and out our doors with the tools they need to successfully achieve their goals. You inspire our youth to dream big and aim high. You teach our employers, educators, and community leaders that 1 in 3 people deserve access in a way that breaks down barriers, for good. You advocate bringing family members home from institutions, improving lives, and protecting rights. But most of all, you live our mission every day through your lived experience and sense of purpose. This Employee Appreciation Day, we want to thank you for making the mission of Able SC, and our shared vision an attainable reality. Let's hear it for our amazing team! #EmployeeAppreciationDay [Image description for accessibility: A collection of photos from recent Able SC history of staff at work. While we couldn't capture everyone, these photos share our team's sense of dedication, teamwork, and efficacy, and doing so with joy! 3 collage images of staff at various events and occasions. Staff are diverse in age, race, gender, and disability and are seen smiling, speaking into microphones, posing, engaging with partners and community members, and generally working hard! Additional descriptions provided via alt text.]

We're celebrating Mandy's 3 years at Able SC! Mandy is our Director of Public Health and Disability Integration in Columbia. As a person with Treatment-Resistant Depression, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, and in Substance Use, Alcohol Use, and Eating Disorder recovery, her skills are shaped by her lived experience, "As the leader of Able SC’s Public Health team, I am championing health equity for South Carolina’s disability community by dismantling barriers and ensuring access to inclusive, accessible healthcare for all." When she isn't working, Mandy can likely be found spending time with her 13-year-old Maltese named Penelope, "She’s my constant companion, bringing me comfort and joy every day." We asked Mandy to share something meaningful to her about disability pride, "Using my lived experience with disability to make a positive impact on the world is the highlight of my life. It’s my mission, and it gives my life purpose, even on the darkest days." ?#DisabiltyEmployment #WorkAnniversary #Celebrate [Large text over light green background reads, 'Hi my name is Mandy, Director of Public Health and Disability Integration, 3 years at Able SC. Features photos of Mandy, a white woman with long blonde hair and glasses. Includes her quote from the post. Gray Able SC logo at base.]

Attention people with disabilities! Improve your independent living skills by taking our skills training: Making New Friends, Meeting New People, with Able South Carolina, Free Training for people with disabilities. Understanding how to meet new people and have conversations. Virtual 3/19 @ 3 pm, In Person 3/18 @ 3 pm. In person locations Able SC Columbia and Greenville Offices. Register: https://lnkd.in/ehERrCjw [Graphic with text copied from the post. Additional text reads, 'Register or request accommodation: [email protected], 803-779-5121.’ Includes cut-out photo of a group of three friends taking a selfie to include a woman with beige skin and developmental disability in the middle holding a cell phone, a white woman with brown hair on her left and a Black woman with light skin and afro brown hair on her right. Background is light blue with Able SC light green and yellow geometric shapes for visual interest.]

Let's hear it for good news! Our Director of Advocacy, Alie Springgate, was contacted by a woman with a disability, seeking help to leave a residential facility and move back into her community. She was wrongfully placed in a facility far away from her family against her wishes. She is now living in the community setting of her choice and close to her family once again, thanks to skills she developed in self-advocacy and help from Able South Carolina!????? #Advocacy #Transition2Community [Two photos. First, Alie, a white woman with glasses and brown hair, standing with the person she assisted, a Black woman with a bonnet and windbreaker. Second photo of the Black woman with her family member, embracing outside her new home.]

Empower Hour! Have a disability? Empower Hour is led by your peers. If you'd like to join, contact [email protected] or call 1-800-681-6805. To make a request for accommodation based on disability, please call us at 800-681-6805 a week before the event. Empower Hour meets online weekly: Thursdays from 1 pm to 2 pm In Person Monthly at Columbia and Greenville offices: 2nd Thursday of each month from 4 pm- 5 pm. #DisabilityEmpowerment #PeerSupport [Graphic reading, 'Empower Hour!' followed by a photo of Able SC's Dori Tempio, a white woman with cropped brown hair, presenting from her power wheelchair. Text that lists the meeting times, dates, and locations copied from the post is listed.]