Michigan Statewide Independent Living Council (MiSILC)

Discrimination based on disability is illegal in all housing transactions, including rental, sales, lending, and insurance. Yet for too many people with disabilities, accessible and affordable housing remains out of reach. The Fair Housing Center of West Michigan’s goal is to ensure that everyone has equal opportunity to choose housing that's right for them. They work to prevent housing discrimination, remove barriers that allow it to persist, and restore housing choice when discrimination happens. Learn more at https://fhcwm.org #FairHousing #AccessibleHousing #AffordableHousing #DisabilityRights #HousingRights [ALT Text: Text on a red and white background reads: The Fair Housing Center of West Michigan works to prevent housing discrimination, remove barriers that allow it to persist, and restore housing choice when discrimination happens.]

MDRC’s Leaders for Inclusion Program (LFI) is currently accepting applications for the Spring 2025 Ambassador Leadership Development Program. Applicants must be between 18 and 26 years old with a disability and living in Michigan. The program will provide in-depth training along with leadership and employment opportunities during a two and a half day retreat. MRDC will provide support for communication and transportation accommodation needs, please indicate accommodation needs on your application.

Since the start of the war in Ukraine, many young men have lost limbs. This has not stopped a team’s love for soccer. Soccer coach Shakhtar Stalevi’s team has 13 such players. Read about this story and how disabilities will never stop people from pursuing happiness! https://lnkd.in/eEcSxs-8 #ukraine #soccer #disability [ALT Text: A laptop screen displays soccer players in orange uniforms playing in an indoor facility. Text above reads: A soccer team in Ukraine embraces its amputee players caused by the war. Below: We know that football is a tool for socialization and rehabilitation.]

"History Film Forum Presents: "Change, Not Charity: The Americans with Disabilities Act.” Join the History Film Forum and American Experience PBS for a powerful film about the fight for equality and accessibility that led to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Told through the voices of key advocates, this film brings to life one of the greatest civil rights movements in American history. Date: March 13, 2025 Location: National Museum of American History Don't miss this inspiring story of activism, perseverance, and democracy in action! https://lnkd.in/eYpnWYv5 #ADA #DisabilityRights #ChangeNotCharity [ALT Text: Image of the inside of a movie theater with a still of disability protesters on the screen. White text over a red box at the bottom reads, Watch "Change, Not Charity: The Americans with Disabilities Act"]

Your Voice Matters! If you or a loved one are enrolled in Medicaid, the Michigan Department of Health & Human Services (MDHHS) wants to hear from you. Share your thoughts on behavioral health services, access to care, and quality improvements through this important survey. Your feedback will help shape future Medicaid services and ensure better support for all. Deadline: March 31, 5 PM Take the survey now: https://lnkd.in/e2EbQ-Cb #Medicaid #BehavioralHealth #DisabilityRights #YourVoiceMatters [ALT Text: The image has a white background at the top with black and red text that reads, If you or a loved one are enrolled in Medicaid, the MDHHS wants to hear from you, Take their survey. A blue arrow is coming from the text and pointing to a phone with the MDHHS website on the screen.]

Women’s History Month Spotlight: Alice Wong Disability justice advocate and writer Alice Wong is the founder of The Disability Visibility Project, “an online community dedicated to creating, sharing, and amplifying disability media and culture.” Wong, who has spinal muscular atrophy, is also a columnist for Teen Vogue and the author of the memoir Year of the Tiger: An Activist's Life. She was awarded a MacArthur “Genius Grant” in 2024. #WomensHistoryMonth #DisabilityRights #Disability [ALT Text: An individual in a wheelchair wears a striped sweater, holding a tubing device. Text above reads Womens History Month Spotlight. Below, it mentions Alice Wong, a disability justice advocate and founder of the Disability Visibility Project.]

March is Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month which “highlights the many ways in which people with and without disabilities come together to form strong, diverse communities.” This year’s theme is “A World of Opportunities” with a goal “to build a community that’s committed to creating a world where everyone can do well and succeed.” For more information visit the National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities. https://nacdd.org/ddam1/ #DevelopmentalDisabilitiesAwarenessMonth #AWorldOfOpportunities [ALT Text: A colorful painting of diverse silhouettes in various outfits and head coverings. Text reads: Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month 2024: A World of Opportunities with hashtag #DDAM2024.]

If you’ve been in downtown Kalamazoo or traveling along U.S. 131 and I-94, you may have noticed Disability Network Southwest Michigan’s #DWord billboards, part of their campaign to destigmatize the word “disability.” Read the full story on MLive: https://lnkd.in/eY-VH8Ug [ALT Text: A graphic with a yellow circle and text: Whats behind the D Word billboards around Kalamazoo? Below, a laptop displays a photo of a street with a #DWord billboard. Text at the bottom reads: Read more about this initiative below!.]

Women’s History Month Spotlight: Claudia L. Gordon, Esq Claudia L. Gordon is a disability rights advocate who moved to the U.S. from Jamaica as a child. She is the first deaf Black woman to become an attorney in the United States. She graduated from the American University Washington College of Law in 2000, the first deaf student to do so. She is currently Chair of the National Council on Disability, appointed by President Biden in 2024. #WomensHistoryMonth #DisabilityRights #Disability [ALT Text: Portrait of a smiling woman with glasses and braided hair, wearing a green off-shoulder top. Text highlights her achievements as a Jamaican-born disability rights advocate and the first deaf Black woman attorney in the U.S., appointed in 2024.]

Did you know? One of the earliest leaders in the independent living movement was a black woman named Johnnie Lacy. Lacy grew up in the segregated South and contracted polio becoming paralyzed at 19. After years of facing discrimination and becoming a disability rights activist, she co-founded and worked at the Berkeley Center for Independent Living, the first CIL in the United States. #DidYouKnow #FactFriday #IndependentLiving #BlackHistoryMonth #DisabilityRights #CivilRights #Trailblazer #BlackExcellence #KnowYourHistory [ALT Text: A graphic with a dark blue background and a white circle. Inside the circle, text reads: One of the earliest leaders in the independent living movement was a black woman named Johnnie Lacy. Lacy grew up in the segregated South and contracted polio becoming paralyzed at 19. After years of facing discrimination and becoming a disability rights activist, she co-founded and worked at the Berkeley Center for Independent Living, the first CIL in the United States.]