Michigan Developmental Disabilities Council Storytellers for Change
Profiles in Inclusion

Inclusive Sports
Angel Irvin discusses employment at Walmart, but mostly her passion for triathlons, 5ks and other endurance sports and the Adaptive Sports Club at MSU. A really good support system is the key to inclusion, but transportation short-fallings undermine Angel’s ability to work for Walmart as she and her employer would both like. “Having that freedom to go when you want to go is one of the biggest barriers to inclusion.” (East Lancing, Michigan, 1 November 2021)

Homelessness and Transportation
Tonnieo Graves tells his personal story of homelessness and discusses the difficulty of transportation for people with disabilities. (Saginaw, Michigan, 29 October 2021)

Physical Barriers Exclude People with Disabilities from Their Communities
Ronald McGough discusses the way that physical barriers to access for people with disabilities excludes people from being a part of their community and the importance of the State of Michigan making sure all locations are accessible.

Confronting Low Expectations, Stigma and Internalized Ableism
Jake Schaafsma confronts low expectations, stigma and internalized ableism. He contrast that with a discussion of how to be matter-of-fact about disabilities and interact with people with disabilities in ways that treat them with dignity.

Dominick Harper on Making Music and the Shortage of Accessible Housing
“The one thing to get people with disabilities into the community is first building up the confidence they have choices about their life.” Dominick Harper talks about making music, working with DisArt and his struggles with finding adequate accessible housing. Check out Dominick’s music at his SoundCloud.

Sharon Hall: “We need everybody at the table.”
Sharon Hall of Grand Rapids, Michigan, is a Certified Peer Support Specialist and a member of a number of advisory boards, including for the Community Mental Health Consumer Board and the Development Disability Council. Her man focus is advocating for people with developmental disabilities, mental illness and who are homeless. She discusses invisible disabilities, how underresourced the Community Mental Health system is and her vision of the broadest possible version of inclusion. “We need everybody at the table.”

Ryan Klotz’s Internship with the City Government Building and Water Departments
A discussion with Ryan Klotz about his job as a file clerk intern in the Building and Water Departments at the City of Westland, Michigan. He discusses the importance of inclusion in workplaces, the determination and adaptability of people with disabilities, and the positive affect of the presence in the workplace of people with disabilities, both for themselves and their coworkers.
About Michigan Storytellers for Change

Michigan Storytellers for Change Brochure
Learn more about the Michigan Storytellers for Change project, its mission, methods and what you can do to participate by checking out our brochure here.
Tell Us Your Story
Do you know a Michigan disability story that needs to be told? Let us know at MIStorytellers4Change@tash.org, or by submitting it using the form below:
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Michigan Storytellers for Change is a project of the Michigan Developmental Disabilities Council and TASH.
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