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.