This week feels like the start of summer in Barry County. Yoga in the Park with B.Healthy Barry kicks off tonight, Hastings Live begins Wednesday with an incredible lineup of free concerts all summer long, and many of us are counting down to Very Barry, the big summer kickoff event happening this Saturday! When I think about the organizations and businesses here that are doing hard work to make our community a thriving place to call home, I feel a strong sense of abundance and gratitude to have landed here.

A Shift in Perspective

Living in a rural community, it can be easy to focus on services that don’t exist, problems that need fixing, gaps that feel impossible to fill. While it’s important to understand those challenges, we’ve realized that constantly focusing on deficits can leave communities feeling overwhelmed and under-resourced. That’s why we’re taking a different approach.

At The Ability Collective, we believe the biggest shifts start by building on what already works. So in our current community solutions assessment, we’re flipping the script: instead of asking what’s not here, we’re asking what’s already working and how can we grow it?

And let us tell you: Barry County has a lot that’s working.

From welcoming town centers, to grassroots arts and culture initiatives, Barry County is already full of people stepping up, working together, and making a difference. Have you seen the new farmstand at the Nashville Community Gardens? Or heard about the Barry County Mobile Markets offering meal kits and fresh produce? We’ve witnessed creative programming in public spaces, neighbors helping neighbors, and small businesses creating meaningful opportunities. These are starting points for lasting change.

By focusing on the assets that already exist in Barry County, we can build on what’s working and expand those opportunities to include everyone, especially individuals with disabilities and their families. Rather than stretching our resources to patch every gap, we’re choosing to invest in what’s already thriving and ensure those efforts are accessible and welcoming to all. This strengths-based approach offers a clearer, more sustainable path forward by building from a place of momentum, connection, and inclusion.

What’s to Come

Later this week, we’re launching a survey designed to highlight what’s already working in Barry County: what people value, where they feel welcome, and what supports their ability to thrive. And later this summer, we’ll host listening sessions across the county to hear directly from individuals and families, especially those with disabilities, about their experiences and ideas for making these community assets even more inclusive.

So here’s to the people and programs in Barry County who are already making a difference. You are the blueprint. You are proof that Barry County can build inclusive, community-driven solutions and we’re honored to keep building with you.

Last night, destructive storms tore through much of the state of Michigan. I was passively listening to a livestream on the Michigan Storm Chasers Facebook page when I heard an alarmed voice say “tornado on the ground, I repeat, tornado heading right toward downtown Hastings. If you are anywhere in the area, take cover now.” Admittedly, after living through many major storms and a Spring already riddled with severe storm warnings, we probably didn’t heed the earlier warnings soon enough. We quickly moved to take cover and as I sat in the stairwell with our three big dogs at the bottom and my husband in his wheelchair at the top, I was filled with the anxiety of the added layer of disaster preparedness when someone in your family has a disability.

This storm passed us as it took a sharp turn and headed toward another community. Our family is safe and woke up to minimal damage this morning. But I can’t help but think about the families who were impacted and who have historically been overlooked in the community response to other natural disasters.

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Redefining the Crisis

It’s no secret that public health in the United States is chronically underfunded. Local health departments are expected to do more with less every year: respond to major storms and other climate events, track outbreaks, promote healthy living, address chronic diseases, and now, increasingly, prepare for mental health emergencies. But this underfunding has a disproportionate impact in rural areas, where health departments serve wide geographic regions with fewer staff, limited infrastructure, and often outdated technology.

While statistics and funding gaps are easy to cite, the deeper issue is more systemic: our public systems are often not built in partnership with the people most affected. It’s rare to find people with lived experience at the tables where decisions are made about public health, emergency planning, or pandemic response. That absence shapes the priorities, the language, and ultimately, the effectiveness of community solutions.

People with disabilities within these rural areas hold an incredible amount of wisdom about navigating barriers, solving problems with limited resources, and building mutual support. But that knowledge often goes untapped in larger public conversations. Rather than seeing rural disability communities as problems to be solved, what if we saw them as partners in finding solutions?

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A Call to Reimagine

The problem with the problem is that we keep diagnosing it in the same ways, defining rural America by what it lacks, defining disability as a barrier, and defining public health by what it does for people instead of what we can do in partnership with them.

It’s time to break out of that cycle. If we want creative, community-based, resilient solutions, we need to fund public health like it matters and we need to center the voices that have too long been silenced.

Rural America doesn’t need charity. It needs collaboration. People with disabilities don’t need sympathy. They need a seat at the table. The future of our communities depends on it.

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At The Ability Collective, we believe that everyone deserves to feel like they belong and we’re working hard to make that a reality for people with disabilities in Barry County. Right now, we’re looking for new board members to help guide our mission and grow our impact. If you care about inclusion, accessibility, and creating a more connected, welcoming community, we’d love for you to consider joining our working board.

What’s a “Working Board”?

We’re a grassroots organization, which means we collaborate and get things done together. Our board members are active volunteers who help shape big-picture goals and pitch in with hands-on tasks like fundraising, spreading the word about our work, and helping us connect with the community.

Right now, our biggest priorities are raising awareness and securing the funding we need to launch programs that reflect the real needs of our community. While we complete our community needs assessment, our board plays a key role in making sure we’re listening, learning, and staying true to our mission.

We Especially Welcome Self-Advocates and Allies

We believe that the best ideas come from the people most affected by the issues we’re trying to solve. That’s why we strongly encourage self-advocates, as well as parents, siblings, caregivers, and allies, to apply. Your lived experience matters. Your voice belongs at the table. Whether you’ve served on a board before or are completely new to this, we’ll support you every step of the way.

What Makes a Great Board Member?

You don’t need to be an expert, just someone who sincerely cares about our mission, is willing to learn, and can offer your time and ideas to help us grow. We’re looking for folks who:

• Are passionate about disability inclusion and accessibility
• Live in (or have strong ties to) Barry County
• Want to actively participate in fundraising and community outreach
• Are team players who bring kindness, creativity, and follow-through
  

Ready to Apply?

If this sounds like a good fit for you, or someone you know, we’d love to hear from you! You can learn more and apply here: https://forms.gle/8C1RKGJBQsj2NbS39. If you or your loved one would be more successful with an alternative format for the application, please reach out to maggie@theabilitycollective.org.

Together, we can build a community where everyone has the chance to thrive.

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When my husband, Rob, and I were planning our move back to Michigan a few years ago, one of the biggest questions we asked ourselves was, “Where can we live that will actually work for us?”

Rob has a spinal cord injury and uses a wheelchair, and while remote work gives us some freedom in choosing a location, the reality is that many towns, especially rural ones, aren’t built with accessibility in mind. Sidewalks often lack curb cuts or are non-existent. Grocery store parking lots can be small or lack enough accessible spaces. Health care professionals don’t always have experience with spinal cord injury care and specialists tend to be co-located in more densely populated areas.

We chose a town close enough to a major city so that Rob can still make the commute for adapted sports programs. We built our home to be barrier-free and big enough to host friends, since many of our friends' houses in our area aren’t accessible. We are one of very few rural areas that does have a fully equipped hospital with labs, imaging, and emergency care. We are privileged in many ways. But privilege shouldn’t be the deciding factor in whether or not a person with a disability belongs in their home community.

In Barry County, nearly 8,500 people (about one in every eight residents) identify as having a disability. That’s not a fringe population. That’s your neighbor, your coworker, or your child’s classmate. Despite this, our county has very few solutions in place. However, I believe the community leadership and county residents have an appetite to change that.

The Reality: Essential Services Are Out of Reach

Living in a rural area offers a lot: quiet landscapes, strong community ties, and a slower pace of life. But for people with disabilities, rural life can also mean long drives just to see a specialist. It might mean missing out on therapies because there are no local providers. It might mean dealing with isolation, unemployment, and mental health challenges, all without the support of accessible public transportation or nearby inclusive programs.

Parents of children with disabilities sometimes have to drive hours each week for therapy. Some just can’t, and their kids go without. Adults with disabilities face limited job opportunities and few places to connect socially. Caregivers, often unpaid family members, carry enormous stress without access to respite care or local support groups.

This isn’t just a personal issue. It’s a community one.

The Hope: Creative Solutions Are Already Working

When we invest in disability services we’re building stronger communities for everyone. Accessible programming helps people with disabilities enter the workforce, volunteer, and participate in community life. And when people are included, communities are healthier, more connected, and more resilient.

We’re seeing progress. Telehealth has made it easier to connect with specialists without hours of driving. Mobile therapy units are beginning to serve rural areas, bringing services directly to families who need them. And the most powerful force of all? Local people and organizations stepping up.

Recently, Historic Charlton Park received a $10,000 grant from the Barry Community Foundation to purchase an all-terrain wheelchair to make their grounds more accessible. The upcoming Spring Fling at Bob King promises to be an exciting moment for our community as the TangleTown Playground steering committee unveils their plans for an “intentionally inclusive play area for all children to enjoy.” At The Ability Collective, our community has come together to open doors and welcome us into spaces that are helping launch our organization.

What You Can Do

Expanding disability services in rural areas is about belonging, dignity, and the kind of community we want to be. It benefits all of us, not just the people who need it most.

If this speaks to you, here are a few ways to take action:

• Support or donate to local organizations working to close the gaps.
• Start conversations with your neighbors and community leaders about the kind of community you want to live in.
• Advocate for policies and funding that support rural disability services.

Because everyone deserves to belong. And no one should have to choose between community and accessibility.

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In the process of starting The Ability Collective, our advisory committee has been meeting with non-profit leaders, disability advocates, and industry experts to learn more about their experiences, their successes, and how they would approach things differently if they were to start their organizations today.

This week, we had a meeting with an organization that I anticipate will profoundly shift the way we think about and talk about our mission. They reminded us that the way the world often approaches disability starts in the wrong place. We begin with systems (eligibility, paperwork, diagnoses, funding streams) and then try to fit people into services. But what if we flipped that? What if we started beyond the disability, and built everything from a place of possibility?

The Trouble With Boxes

People with disabilities are often confined in boxes, sometimes systemically, sometimes administratively, and far too often, socially. Systems ask us to categorize, sort, and define people by what they can’t do. But in Barry County, the stories we want to tell are about what makes people whole.

That means starting with who someone is outside of their disability: their culture, their interests, their sense of humor. It means looking at a person and seeing not just their challenges, but the multitudes they contain and the networks that might already be supporting them.

Letting the Community Lead

Instead of starting with gaps and deficits, we could begin with what’s already working. Instead we could look for natural connectors, neighborhood champions, small businesses, and families who want to build something better together.

Who already knows and values this person?

Where does their joy live?

What’s one small step we could take to expand that?

Instead of building more systems, we could work to build belonging: real relationships, shared experiences, and personalized supports that fit the person, not the system.

Belonging Takes Work (And It's Worth It)

Community is never guaranteed, especially for people with disabilities. It’s fragile, nuanced, and takes intention. And yet, it’s the most human thing we have.

We’re a small nonprofit with a big vision for Barry County: a place where people with disabilities don’t just survive, they thrive, contribute, lead, and belong. That vision won’t come from a system. It will come from all of us saying yes to connection, yes to creativity, and yes to each other.

The 2024 Summer Paralympics were a big deal in our house. Not only were we looking for a distraction from the chaos of life, but for the first time, NBC offered exceptional coverage of the games. My husband, Rob, plays wheelchair rugby, so it made the experience even more exciting to see some of the athletes he knows on the court. My sister and her family tuned in too. Her boys enjoyed cheering on Team USA and looking out for the players Uncle Rob knows.

Fast forward to earlier this year, I spent a long weekend visiting my sister’s family in Florida. One night, after dinner, the boys got their usual post-meal energy burst and started zooming around the floor, tossing a ball back and forth. KJ, the oldest, cheerfully exclaimed, "We're playing wheelchair rugby!" I can't fully describe what that moment meant to me, but I’ll try.

You see, KJ and Lincoln have always known their Uncle Rob. Rob has a C6 incomplete spinal cord injury from a car accident many years ago and uses a wheelchair. But, to KJ and Lincoln, Rob is simply their uncle.

Uncle Rob, the athlete.
Uncle Rob, the one who gave them that special Zelda game.
Uncle Rob, who took KJ out for cotton candy ice cream on his birthday.
Uncle Rob, who drives around in a cool Trackchair outside.

As a partner to someone with a disability, I’m careful not to overstep in sharing personal experiences that aren't mine to tell. But in a world where we're frequently asked for separate checks at a restaurant, because people don't assume we could be dining together, or when a cashier talks only to me, even though Rob is the one checking us out, it’s a profound relief to know that there are two little boys who see people with disabilities for who they really are.

It also makes me wonder: What if the rest of the world saw Rob for who he truly is?

Rob, the brilliant engineer.
Rob, the most loyal friend anyone could ask for.
Rob, the guy who can make your ribs hurt from laughing.
Rob, a contributing member of our community.

My dream for The Ability Collective and for Barry County is to create a community where everyone has a place. I want the kids who grow up here to see the full humanity in everyone. I want to help build a culture where it’s second nature to shovel your sidewalks so a neighbor can get to work or to stock your shelves with enough space for a wheelchair to pass. I want to live in a community that offers meaningful opportunities for employment, friendship, and where we all contribute to the common good.

I hope you will follow along with our story. This team building The Ability Collective is unmatched in talent and passion. I’m certain their love for this project will radiate into our community and I hope it inspires more people to pick up the torch in their own communities, because a thriving community includes everyone.

What is a Collective?

At The Ability Collective of Barry County, our name isn’t just words, it is a statement of purpose. More than a group or an organization, a collective is about shared action, mutual support, and working together toward a common goal. For us, that goal is to create a vibrant, inclusive community where people with disabilities and their families have the resources, support, and opportunities they need to live full and meaningful lives.

More Than a Group

By definition, a collective is a group of people acting together, united by a shared purpose. What sets a collective apart from other organizations is the belief that everyone involved has a voice, a role, and a contribution to make. The Ability Collective isn’t just about providing resources or services, it’s about empowering people with disabilities, their families, allies, and community members to lead, advocate, and create change together.

In more traditional non-profit models, organizations exist to “serve” a community. While that approach is tremendously valuable, we believe in something different: co-creation. We are not working for people with disabilities, we are working with them, and alongside other allies who are committed to listening, learning, and taking action.

The Power of Collective Action

The beauty of a collective is that it grows stronger with each new person who joins. Whether you have a disability, love someone who does, or simply believe that our community is a better place when everyone belongs, you have a place here. Here’s how you can contribute:

• Engage: Share our mission, attend events, and amplify disabled voices.
• Advocate: Speak up for accessibility, inclusion, and belonging in your community.
• Give: Support our work through donations, partnerships, or volunteering.
• Listen and Learn: Take time to understand the lived experiences of people with disabilities and what inclusion means to them.

A collective is only as strong as the people who belong to it. The Ability Collective exists because people like you choose to be part of something bigger than themselves. Together, we are building a vibrant commuter where everyone belongs.

Are you ready to be part of the collective?

Launching a new nonprofit is ridiculously exciting (and scary, and exhausting, and fun). There’s a sense of urgency, a passion to affect change, and a desire to have an immediate impact. But too often, well-meaning organizations expend too quickly, take on too much, and struggle to meet demands. That’s why we are taking a different approach. The Ability Collective is launching with intention and sustainability in mind.

The Common Pitfall: Growing Too Fast, Too Soon

Many organizations, especially those motivated to meet immediate needs in their communities, face the challenge of overcommitting early on. It’s easy to want to say yes to every need and every opportunity. But without the right resources in place, growth can outpace sustainability, leading to:

• Burnout: when a team is stretched too thin, quality suffers, and people can’t give their best. Not to mention, we want to take really great care of our people.
• Financial Strain: Expanding too fast without stable funding can put an organization at risk.
• Inconsistent Services: A program that launches without a strong foundation may not be able to continue long-term.

We don’t want to build something that isn’t made to last. We want to build something that endures.

Building a Strong Foundation

We are building with careful planning, intention, and a solid foundation. Before introducing any new service or program, we want to ask ourselves three key questions:

1. Is there a clear and demonstrated need for this service in the disability community?
2. Do we have the funding, partnerships, and infrastructure to sustain it?
3. Does our team have the capacity to deliver this with quality and consistency?

If the answer isn’t an absolute “yes” across the board, we will take the time to build the right conditions first.

The Power of “Not Yet”

One of the hardest but most important lessons I have learned working in nonprofits is how to say “not yet.” We are committed to listening, gathering data, and piloting programs before making long-term commitments. It’s not about saying no. Its about ensuring that when we do launch something, we do it right.

What This Means for Our Community

This approach might mean that some things will take a bit longer to launch. We want to be sure that whatever we create is built to last. That means:

• Families won’t have to worry about a resource disappearing after a few months.
• People with disabilities will know that they can count on us.
• Volunteers and partners will be part of something sustainable.

The Ability Collective of Barry County is more than just an organization. It is a movement and it grows with the people who believe in us. Whether you support us by sharing our mission, volunteering, donating, and following our journey, know that you are part of something bigger.