Kent RICC

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Why an ADA-compliant website saves dollars and makes sense - Technical.ly Kimberly Klayman of law firm Ballard Spahr explains the legal, moral and financial benefits of website accessibility.

Disability Remakes the World: Embracing Accessibility Challenges as Design Opportunities https://bit.ly/3ileSLt

The disability community lost another great man!! You will be missed Paul.

It is with great sadness that MDRC shares with our beloved community that Paul Miller passed away on Christmas morning. We know many of you cherished Paul, learned from Paul and considered Paul a colleague, advocate, leader, teacher and friend. We share in your pain as we process our community's loss.

A Celebration of Paul’s life will be held Friday, January 6, 2022, 11:00 AM at Lansing Central Free Methodist Church, 828 N. Washington Avenue, Lansing, MI 48906.
MDRC’s office will be closed on Friday as we honor Paul’s life.

Below is Paul Miller’s obituary.

Fred Paul Miller of Lansing; a devoted son, brother and uncle passed away December 25, 2022 after a courageous battle with cancer. Paul was born February 2, 1971 in Royal Oak, Michigan to Alan and Cecil (Pelter) Miller. He graduated from Bishop Borgess High School in Redford, Michigan Class of 1990 and attended Lansing Community College. Paul was a Community Inclusion Specialist for the Michigan Disability Rights Coalition where he worked tirelessly advocating for those who needed a voice. He worked with his colleagues to educate and inform their communities about the needs of others and how to meet those needs. Paul was a longtime active member of the Central Free Methodist Church and he will be greatly missed by his church family. He was an artist who especially enjoyed creating portraits with water colors. He is survived by his mother, Cecil Miller; sister, Elizabeth (Jeremy) Miller-Gershfeld and nephews, Levi and Oscar. Paul was preceded in death by his father, Alan in 2019. A Celebration of Paul’s life will be held Friday, January 6, 2022, 11:00 AM at Lansing Central Free Methodist Church, 828 N. Washington Avenue, Lansing, MI 48906. Memorial contributions may be given to the Michigan Disability Rights Coalition, 3498 East Lake Lansing Road, Suite 100, East Lansing, Michigan 48911 (https://mymdrc.org/get-involved/0. Arrangements by the Holihan-Atkin-Barclay Funeral Home, Grand Ledge. Share your memories and condolences online at www.holihanatkin.com.

[Image description: Several photos of Paul Miller, including Paul Sitting outside in a hat, participating in a 5k with his walker, standing with his fist in the air with a group, receiving an award for inclusion with coworkers, and standing next to his artwork. End image description.]

I once heard a woman in a wheelchair say something that was a profound lesson for me: “I’m not disabled. It’s society that makes me unable to participate because of lack of access.”
Businesses provide special accommodations for first class passengers and wealthy hotel patrons… but are often lacking in accommodations for people who need access that would actually benefit more than themselves.
IE. Ramps and elevators for entry help people with strollers. Lower sinks and elevator buttons help children or adults under 5 feet in height. Wider bathroom stalls help people with strollers or luggage. Remote work benefits caregivers with sick children or elderly parents. The list goes on"….

✨The New Year comes with new changes!✨

Coming January 2, 2023:

🚌 New schedule books - available for pick up at our Information Center

🚌 Route 2, 4, 9, 11 – Friday only, service between 3 pm – 6 pm reduced from 15 minutes to 30 minutes

🚌 Route 4 - Now departs RCS five minutes earlier between 6 am - 3 pm, interlined with Route 11

🚌 Route 28 - Midday service reduced from 15 minutes to 18 minutes

🚌 Route 33 - New Route! Interlined with Route 9 ridetherapid.org/articles/route33

🚌 Laker Line – Service increased from 15 minutes to 10 minutes Monday - Friday, 7 am - 9 pm

We hope everyone had a great holiday weekend! As a reminder, there will be no service on New Year’s Day, and admin offices will be closed on January 2nd to observe the holiday. Please plan travel accordingly.

Keep this in mind for booking rides on Saturday for last minute grocery shopping or for staying with family/friends over the weekend.

Holiday service alert❗

🎄Christmas Eve (Sat, Dec. 24):
- Shortened schedule: ridetherapid.org/articles/christmas

🎄Christmas Day (Sun, Dec. 25):
- No service

Please plan travel accordingly!

For those who live in Kent County, please give your feedback on this article in terms of what can be done here in Grand Rapids to fix the Rapid/GoBus to the Concerned Citizens for Improved Transportation group and ask for Michael or Dave. Call them at 616-949-1100.

Kalamazoo area’s accessible transit system has been almost 20 years in the making Less than 10% of Kalamazoo’s nearly 800 bus stops were considered accessible a dozen years ago, but today almost half are accessible. In 2020, the city of Kalamazoo designated $180,000 of its sidewalk improvement budget to creating accessible bus sto

Lots of cool ways to impower yourself coming up this fall. You can take all these classes or just some - even one if it looks good to you!!!!!

Disability Awareness Month takes place in October! Michael Williams, Community Organizer at Disability Advocates of Kent County, will kick off this event at Ferris State University with a presentation of self-advocacy. Self-advocacy is critical as it allows one to speak up for their civil rights.

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A schedule of Ferris State University Big Rapids Campus October 2022 Disability Awareness Month events

05 Wed: Self-Advocacy - Michael Williams will talk to students about he importance of standing up for their own civil rights.
Speaker: Michael Williams, Disability Advocates
6:00 pm
UCB 116

11 Tue: Disability & What Faculty Need to Know - This presentation will cover faculty responsibility under the Americans with Disabilities Act and section for Universal Design. We will discuss testing accommodations, attendance accommodations, and much more!
Speakers: Julie Alexander, Director of Accessibility & Disability Services and Kylie Piette, Director of Equal Opportunity
11:00 am
UCB 203

18 Tue: Web Accessibility Essentials: Creating Content for Everyone - This session we’ll talk about the most common web accessibility issues and a few quick and easy fixes that will ensure that everyone can discover and have a delightful experience with your teams content
Speakers: Eric Hazen
11:00 am
UCB 203

25 Tue: Speaking for Ourselves: Student Disability Awareness Month Panel - Students will share what they want the Ferris community to know. Bring your questions!
Speakers: Ferris Students
11:00 am
UCB 203

27 Thur: Disability Resource Fair - Come explore some of the resources available to people with disabilities in West Michigan. There will be prizes!
Featuring: Michigan Rehabilitation Services, Bureau of Services for Blind Persons, Disability Advocates and more!
10:00 am - 3:00 pm
UCB 202a

Anyone with a disability who needs special accommodations to attend this event should contact (231) 591-2742 or [email protected] at least 72 hours in advance.

New Rapid Bus Stop Now Operating on Pine Rest Cutlerville Campus - Pine Rest Newsroom Great news for our patients, staff and families! The Rapid’s bus Route 10 has added a new stop right on Pine Rest's Cutlerville Campus at 300 68th St SE! The

For the folks in Grand Rapids who use the Rapid Bus line haul buses or Go - Bus regarding the changes made to the services we get and that some folks will lose. If you have complaints, please contact the Byrob Center Township board and let them know how you feel.

The Rapid announces changes Route 10 Clyde Park The Rapid has announced that there will be changes to Route 10 Clyde Park. The service will be realigned south of 54th Street starting on August 29.

An Update on the Go!Bus System | Disability Advocates Byron Township voted not to renew their contract for Rapid service. When Disability Advocates of Kent County moved to the Special Olympics Unified Sports

Great event to help everyone understand disability and equality!!!!!!

How the ADA Changed the Built World | Crip Camp | Netflix On the 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, here’s a look at how the ADA changed our physical landscape.Subscribe: https://bit.ly/36dnr0k...

Pine Rest building $62 million hospital to treat kids Pine Rest is expanding its mental health facilities and programs for children and adolescents.

Now this is cool!!!

Target Just Released Backpacks For Kids and Adults In Wheelchairs Way to go Target! They always seem to be the pioneers in making products that are inclusive of everywhere and it's just one more reason to love them!

Rider Alert❗ There will be a major detour on Route 24 from Monday, July 18 - Friday, July 22. Ivanrest will be closing from Prairie to 44th Street. Approximately 11 bus stops will be missed. This is what the detour will be:

Route 24 EB: Ivanrest (R) 44th St (L) First Michigan U-Turnaround to head westbound on 44th St; After crossing over Ivanrest (R) 44th St (R) Wilson (R) Prairie (L) Ivanrest to regular route.

Route 24 WB: Ivanrest (R) Prairie (L) Wilson (R) Rivertown Pkwy (L) First Michigan U-Turnaround to head eastbound on Rivertown Pkwy (R) Ivanrest to regular route.

You can use our myStop app to check for updates: http://ow.ly/IpX350JWk5U

Thank you for your patience!

A good presentation for those of you who rent apartments.

Trainings | FHCWM.org HomeEvents & TrainingTrainings Trainings Virtual Fair Housing Training for LGBTQ+ community June 14 & June 16, 2022 The Michigan Department of Civil Rights and the Fair Housing Center of West Michigan present virtual presentations on housing experiences specific to the le***an, gay, bisexual, transg...