Disability is not a bad word.
That’s the attitude of Disability Network Southwest Michigan (DNSM), which provides many services for people with disabilities. A year ago, the organization began a campaign called #DWORD by announcing, “This campaign aims to change the way our current culture views the word disability. Instead of avoiding the word with euphemisms like special needs, handicapable, or differently-abled, simply use the word disability. Say it loud and proud. We believe disability is human diversity like being female, left-handed, or Latino.”
Disability Network Southwest Michigan is based in Kalamazoo with branches in Battle Creek and St. Joseph. It has about 30 employees and serves eight counties: Barry, Berrien, Branch, Calhoun, Cass, Kalamazoo, St. Joseph, and Van Buren.
It calls itself “the first stop for people with disabilities and their families in Southwest Michigan.” Its objective is described as, “We see disability as a natural part of the human condition and work to educate the community about disability rights and the need to remove barriers which prevent people with disabilities from living a full and independent life.”
New DNSM CEO: Kelly Kellis
On May 1, DNSM got a new president and CEO. She is Kelley Kellis, a lifelong resident of Southwest Michigan who previously was executive director of the Fair Housing Center of Southwest Michigan. Her background includes philanthropic leadership at the Kalamazoo Community Foundation, higher education engagement at Kellogg Community College, and many years of service with Kalamazoo County government. Kellis has a bachelor’s degree from Michigan State University and a master’s degree in public administration from Western Michigan University.
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Kelly Kellis is the new Disability Network Southwest Michigan President and CEO.“The thing that touches me the most is we center disability,” she says about her new job. “It is at the heart of everything we do, and it makes a difference. We get to come to work each day, and not only are we making our lives better, but we’re making other people’s lives better as well. It’s not that you do your eight to twelve hours and then you can flip off a switch and go home.
"For me, it’s meaningful work; it is impacting lives across the board. I think it is the closest to just living a life that centers humanity. It centers people, it centers making sure that everyone can live and thrive and be the best that they were created to be.”
No stone unturned
An unusual thing about DNSM is that a person can contact it without a referral from a health worker. Kellis says, “There might be a person who says, ‘No one has helped me and you all are the first to help; you actually understand what I’m seeking and what I’m asking for.’”
DNSM is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization in a field that’s being affected by changing government funding policies, especially at the federal level. Kellis says, “We are waiting, just like most organizations, to figure it out. You suspect sometimes that you will be impacted, but you never really know until something is passed.”
Last year, DNSM had revenue of $2,562,500, and the sources were state funding 54 percent, federal funding 15 percent, foundations and grants 11 percent, program service fees 7 percent, other government funding 6 percent, individual donations 5 percent, and endowment 2 percent.
Kellis, as the new leader of the network, says, “One of the priorities is ensuring we are meeting the needs of individuals that we serve — which we are — and then elevating those. What I mean by that is continuing to reach the most vulnerable people and pockets we may not have been able to reach. Are we able to do outreach to our more rural communities? Can we reach a little bit more? And where are the pockets in our more urban areas that we haven’t been able to impact — and why?
“No stone is left unturned, making sure we are reaching individuals. Making sure that people know that we’re here. And even if they don’t feel like they need our services, we all know someone who would benefit from the services at Disability Network Southwest Michigan.”
Early in the disability rights movement, a popular slogan was, “Nothing about us, without us.” DNSM keeps that in mind; currently, more than 60 percent of its staff have disabilities, and 90 percent of the board of directors have.
DNSM ramping it up
A volunteer receptionist at DNSM’s Kalamazoo office is stroke victim Konjoh Konjoh, whose life was upset 12 years ago. “The stroke I had destroyed some of my functions. It left me paralyzed on the right side,” he says. He couldn’t work anymore; conversation was very difficult, and he uses a wheelchair. He was right-handed, so he’s learning to write with his left hand.
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Konjoh Konjoh, volunteer receptionist at Disability Network Southwest MichiganKonjoh connected with DNSM in 2018 and since then has gotten assistance with things like transportation and an update for a failing electrical system in his Kalamazoo home. Recently his house got a wheelchair ramp, which enables a disabled person to easily get in and out of their home.
Kellis says her agency helped obtain ramps for 40 homes last year. “A ramp helps with independence; it helps with people being able to be in their home, in and out of their home, being able to stay in their home. It just promotes freedom. It’s something that some of us take for granted, but it’s life-changing.”
Also life-changing for Konjoh is his volunteer work at the reception desk. “This is like a second home to me because since then I’ve been interacting with people, not only the staff who are here but also the customers that come in,” he says. “My speech was a problem, so having to talk more has slowly brought me back to resume social interactions.”
Michigan has an umbrella organization, Michigan Disability Network (MDN), that assists the state’s 15 local and regional networks, which are also known as Centers for Independent Living. MDN has compiled statistics about the people served throughout the state. Here are the types of disabilities, listed by percentage of all the people served:
Physical – 36%
Cognitive – 33%
Mental/Emotional – 13%
Multiple – 13%
Vision – 3%
Hearing – 1%
Unknown – less than 1%
And here are the ages of people served, listed by percentage of the total:
Under 5 – less than 1%
5-19 – 15%
20-24 – 13%
25-59 – 37%
60+ – 34%
Age unknown – less than 1%
New Website and ADA Celebration
July is Disability Pride Month to commemorate the Americans with Disability Act (ADA). National Disability Independence Day isJuly 26. In Southwest Michigan, MRC Industries and Disability Network Southwest Michigan are partnering on a collaborative awareness campaign that celebrates disability identity and promotes visibility, inclusion, and community support.
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Happy faces were everywhere at last year’s celebration of the anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act.At the center of the campaign is DisabilityPrideKzoo.org — a simple yet powerful website offering information on disability pride, disability history, and connections to the missions and services of both organizations.
Local businesses are also showing their support by displaying static cling decals of the Disability Pride flag in their windows — not just for July, but beyond — as a visible commitment to inclusion and access year-round.
The month culminates with Disability Network Southwest Michigan’s annual ADA Celebration on Friday, July 25, honoring the anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act and the ongoing work to advance disability rights. The event takes place at the Kalamazoo Farmers Market, 1204 Bank Street, Kalamazoo, MI 49001, from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm. You can register
HERE.
“This campaign is a celebration of identity and progress,” says Dan Pontius, CEO with MRC Industries, in a press release.. “We invite the community to learn, engage, and continue uplifting disability pride long after July ends.”
To get involved, visit
www.DisabilityPrideKzoo.org and follow both organizations on social media for updates.