Disability Network Southwest Michigan

02/19/2026

Our first Book Club with Kalamazoo Public Library is officially in the books! 📚✨ We gathered to talk disability intimacy, language, identity, and the power of claiming our narratives. The conversation was thoughtful, bold, and rooted in lived experience. Exactly how we like it.

You might notice a few intentional details:
🖥️ Captions on the screen
🤟 An ASL interpreter
🪑 A space arranged with access in mind
When access is built in, everyone gets more room to thrive.

Thank you to everyone who joined us. We're just getting started. 💬📖


ID 1: A screen displaying slides with Disability Network and Kalamazoo Public Library logos; text: Book Club: Disability Intimacy. Contact information for facilitators.
ID 2: Community members seated at a table for book club discussion.
ID 3: Abby, a white woman with long blonde hair, wearing a mask while seated at a table.
ID 4: Mark, a white person with brown hair, seated at a table.
ID 5: A table displaying a black and white DNSWM table top sign and other DNSWM print materials.
VID: A quick pan of the room where book club conversation is taking place. Attendees are seated at a table and an image with book club info is projected on the wall.

02/19/2026

: On Thursdays we highlight something, or someone, we're thankful for. Today we honor disabled Black activist Wesley Hamilton (1988-present). Wesley became physically disabled after being shot. After his life-altering injury, he focused on health, losing 100 pounds in his first year of recovery; he then founded the non-profit Disabled But Not Really (DBNR) to promote fitness and change perspectives on disabilities.

DBNR strives to restore hope, peace, and love within the disabled community as a unit. They empower everyone with a limitless mindset – advocates, athletes, and staff alike. Through advocacy, fitness, and storytelling, Wesley challenges stereotypes about disability, masculinity, and worth. We appreciate his leadership and willingness to confront stigma, expanding how the world sees disability.

More on DBNR here ➡️ https://loom.ly/MOc0_QM

ID: Black disabled activist Wesley Hamilton wearing a white shirt and jeans, seated in a wheelchair; text: Black History Month Series. Celebrating Black Disabled historical figures. Wesley Hamilton (1988-present).

02/18/2026

ICYMI: Our very own Max H. teamed up with Jade W. from the Kalamazoo Public Library on Monday's Morning Mix segment to share about Book Club! 📚🎥 They talked about why these conversations matter and how reading together builds stronger community connections.

Watch the segment and see what the buzz is about ⬇️
https://loom.ly/7ml3Tfs
VID: Max & Jade seated on a couch in a newsroom, speaking with Morning Mix anchor, Todd.

Don't forget! The first Book Club meeting is tonight, 6:00–7:30 PM, at Kalamazoo Public Library's main location downtown. Note that people with and without disabilities are invited to participate. See you there!

The Kalamazoo Public Library, in partnership with the Disability Network of Southwest Michigan, have launched the " Book Club".

02/18/2026

Every Wednesday, we want to share some good news happening here at DN and in our community.

Coffee in hand and community on the mind. ☕ Thank you to those who attended yesterday's Rise & Thrive and allowed us to share about DNSWM and the work we’re doing across Southwest Michigan. A big thanks to Southwest Michigan First Chamber for having us!

We’re grateful for business leaders and community partners who care about accessibility and creating disability-friendly environments. Together, we can create spaces where everyone belongs.

Didn't know DNSWM provides services to businesses and organizations? Well, we sure do! 🏢🧭💼

We partner with local entities to provide accessibility reviews, disability awareness training, and practical strategies that make workplaces and businesses more welcoming to all. Access isn’t just compliance. It’s good business.

ID 1: Individuals from Southwest Michigan First posing with Kelly K. and Allison L. from DNSWM in front of a Chamber sign.
ID 2: DNSWM President & CEO, Kelley K., speaking from behind a podium.
ID 3: A table displaying a black and white DNSWM table top sign and DNSWM print materials.
ID 4: Community members gathering in a large, open ballroom.

02/17/2026

: On Tuesdays we share a tip or fact about the to give better insight into who we are and what we stand for.

🦻🦻🏿👂🏼 One of the simplest ways to support Black disabled people is to listen to their experiences and believe them. Lived experience is expertise.

ID: Text: Did you know? Listening is an access tool. One of the simplest ways to support Black disabled people is to listen to their experiences and believe them.

02/16/2026

DNSWM in the media again!

02/16/2026

Southwest Michigan Chamber members: Join us at tomorrow morning's Rise & Thrive to learn about DNSWM services and the ways we can support the business community! ☕☀️

02/15/2026

Here's a little behind-the-scenes sneak peek from our time in the studio on Friday with FOX 17's Todd Chance FOX17 (such a lovely human!) in prep for Monday's Morning Mix show! Be sure to tune in to Monday's Morning Mix show (10:00 AM) to see the full interview, some familiar DNSWM and KPL faces, and hear more about the Book Club collaboration. 📚🎥🎙️ Kalamazoo Public Library

ID 1: A printed sign with the Fox 17 logo, welcoming today's show's guests, including DNSWM's Max H. and KPL's Jade W.
ID 2: A large, colorful, digital wall displaying the Fox 17 Morning Mix logo.
ID 3: Close up on monitors displaying DNSWM's Max H. and KPL's Jade W. before their interview with Todd Chance.
ID 4: A posed photo with DNSWM's Max H., KPL's Jade W., and Fox17's Todd Chance.

02/12/2026

: On Thursdays we highlight something, or someone, we're thankful for. Today we honor disabled Black activist Lois Curtis (1967-2022). Lois had both intellectual and developmental disabilities, as well as schizophrenia. Because of her disabilities, Lois was forced into institutions from age 11-29, even though she could've lived in the community with the right supports. Lois ultimately took legal action that went all the way to the Supreme Court. The court ruled that unjustified segregation of people with disabilities was discriminatory under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Lois' brave self-advocacy changed history, impacting the way services are provided to people with disabilities across the entire country. We’re thankful for her leadership and lasting impact on disability rights.

ID: Black disabled activist Lois Curtis wearing a black and white patterned shirt, smiling big; text: Black History Month Series. Celebrating Black Disabled historical figures. Lois Curtis (1967-2022).

02/11/2026

📚♿️🙌🏾

A disability-focused book club aims to change the conversation surrounding disabilities and spread the message that disability is not a bad word. (Feb. 9, 2026)

02/11/2026

Every Wednesday, we want to share some good news happening here at DN and in our community.

Last week we celebrated the three-year anniversary of Disability Network Southwest Michigan's Chronic Pain Peer Support Group! 🙌🏼🎂🎉 Congratulations to Sarah P. and all DN staff who make this group possible. You create a safe space for those experiencing chronic pain to collaborate, learn, grow, and find community. Thank you for all you do!

"Wednesday is one of my favorite days of the week! For three years, the Chronic Pain Support Group has been a safe space for adults to connect with others who have experienced pain or discomfort. I always look forward to being with the group and I am in awe of the amount of support and positivity they bring every week. I look forward to supporting, sharing, celebrating, and laughing some more!" - Sarah P.

Learn more about our peer support groups here ➡️ https://loom.ly/94OoL_M

ID: Sarah P., a woman with long, curly, dark hair. The DNSWM logo; text: Celebrating 3 years. Chronic Pain Peer Support Group, Facilitated by Sarah P.

02/10/2026

Okay, we might be fangirling over here! 💫

When Jules Edwards (co-author of I Will Die on This Hill: Autistic Adults, Autism Parents, and the Children Who Deserve a Better World - our August selection) tags us on facebook, we take a moment to swoon and share before getting back to work! Thanks for the tag, Jules! Autistic, Typing

ID: The Kalamazoo Public Library has partnered with Disability Network Southwest Michigan to launch the Book Club, a quarterly book club focused on disability-themed books written by disabled authors. The club was created by Jade Woodridge, the manager of the library's Alma Powell Branch, who wanted to provide a space for discussions around disabilities and impediments after her own personal experiences. The club will read and discuss books like "Disability Intimacy" by Alice Wong and "I Will Die on This Hill" by Meghan Ashburn and Jules Edwards.

Shout out to Disability Network Southwest Michigan and Kalamazoo Public Library !

Meghan and I love book club visits, send one of us a DM if we can crash a party 🥳