Independence First - The Resource for People with Disabilities

Independence First - The Resource for People with Disabilities THE resource for people with disabilities serving the Greater Milwaukee area. 20+ programs serving youth and adults with disabilities of all kinds.

12/22/2025

The office is quieter this week, but our work continues.
For many people with disabilities, the holidays can be especially isolating.
This season, take a moment to reach out to someone who may be feeling alone.
Connection matters.

📦 This may look like just a big cardboard box but for us, it’s the final step in getting a refurbished power wheelchair ...
12/22/2025

📦 This may look like just a big cardboard box but for us, it’s the final step in getting a refurbished power wheelchair to someone who needs it.

At Independence First, we refurbish and ship power wheelchairs to people with disabilities. To do that safely, we rely on 48x40x48 Gaylord-style shipping boxes.

If you work in manufacturing, warehousing, distribution, or retail, there’s a good chance your business already has these boxes on hand. Before they’re recycled, they could help someone regain mobility and independence.

Do you have boxes to donate, or know a business that might?
👉 Comment below or send us a message. Sharing this post helps too.

Thank you for helping us turn everyday materials into real impact.

12/21/2025

Huge thanks to Milwaukee Tool for donating tools and batteries to support our Alternatives in Mobility (AIM) wheelchair repair program.

This is a Christmas gift that will make a real difference.

We’d like to send a huge thank you to the team at Milwaukee Tool for an incredible gift. This week, we accepted several ...
12/19/2025

We’d like to send a huge thank you to the team at Milwaukee Tool for an incredible gift. This week, we accepted several sets of high-end batteries and tools for our engineering bay. These tools will be put to some serious good.

Assistive Technology expert Tim Kiley will soon be using these tools to repair and refurbish complex mobility equipment, including power wheelchairs. Tim’s program, Alternatives in Mobility (AIM), focuses on providing wheelchair users with a faster and more affordable path to staying mobile and independent.

This week, we also welcomed Joe Reiter, Senior Design Engineer at Milwaukee Tool, for a visit to see how and where the donated tools will be put to use. Joe, who is a wheelchair user himself, toured our accessible office space along with John Koller, who helped facilitate the donation.

We’d like to thank Joe and John not only for the generous donation, but for exemplifying the reason we come to work every day: providing resources that support people with disabilities in living independently and with dignity.

Learn more about Joe’s story. We’ve linked his page in the comments.

12/19/2025

Did you know Wisconsin offers a program that helps people who are Deaf, hard of hearing, or DeafBlind access the telephone?

The Telecommunications Equipment Purchase Program (TEPP) provides accessible telephone equipment, including landline options, to help people stay connected.

Access to communication supports independence and community connection. If you or someone you know could benefit, this is a resource worth sharing.

Holiday spirit showed up strong at Independence First today. 🎄✨ Colorful sweaters, festive flair, and the same year-roun...
12/18/2025

Holiday spirit showed up strong at Independence First today. 🎄✨ Colorful sweaters, festive flair, and the same year-round commitment to our community.

12/18/2025

Today would have been Judy Heumann’s 78th birthday. Known as the Mother of the Disability Rights Movement, Judy helped change the course of civil rights history for people with disabilities in the U.S. and around the world.

Senior Assistive Technology Specialist Cindi Pichler reflects on Judy’s life, her impact, and what it meant to know her personally. From landmark advocacy efforts to lasting cultural change, Judy’s legacy continues to shape the work we do every day at Independence First.

This week, Independence First welcomed Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reporter Tamia Fowlkes, who interviewed Tim Kiley and ...
12/18/2025

This week, Independence First welcomed Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reporter Tamia Fowlkes, who interviewed Tim Kiley and volunteer Dave Ferrie about our new Alternatives in Mobility (AIM) program.

AIM is a power and complex manual wheelchair repair and refurbishment program serving southeast Wisconsin. The program focuses on recycling, repairing, and refurbishing salvageable mobility equipment by cleaning, adjusting, and consolidating usable parts from donated or otherwise unusable devices.

During the interview, Tim and Dave discussed the significant barriers wheelchair users face when trying to acquire or repair essential mobility equipment. Power wheelchairs are costly, and insurance delays and for-profit repair models often leave people without affordable or timely options.

The AIM program was created to address those gaps by offering repairs and replacement parts at a fraction of the cost charged by many for-profit providers. While the program is still in its early stages, Independence First is working to raise awareness and is actively seeking donations of new or gently used power wheelchair parts and equipment.

Tamia’s article is expected to publish before the end of the year. We hope it gets shared far and wide. Thanks for bringing attention to this vitally helpful program!

12/17/2025

🖖 Star Trek trivia with a real-world twist

Cindi takes on five trivia questions celebrating the women of Star Trek... then shows off a piece of assistive technology you may recognize from Star Trek: Voyager.

The Capisco chair was used on set for its futuristic look, but in real life it’s designed to support people with back injuries or limb differences through flexible, forward-facing seating. It’s a functional and inclusive design that looks futuristic.

Pop culture inspires us. Accessibility makes it usable.

12/16/2025

At Independence First, our walls do more than decorate our space—they tell stories. 💙🎨
These artworks celebrate creativity, disability pride, and the belief that accessibility belongs everywhere.

Today, a group from Waukesha County Technical College joined our Youth Services team for a hands-on workshop exploring a...
12/15/2025

Today, a group from Waukesha County Technical College joined our Youth Services team for a hands-on workshop exploring assistive technology in the kitchen. 🍴

With guidance from Yer Thao, students learned about safe knife handling and adaptive tools that make cooking easier for people with mobility disabilities. Together they made French toast sticks and yes, they turned out delicious! The whole building smells amazing right now. 😋

Big thanks to our visitors for spending the day learning how assistive technology can open doors to independence, one meal at a time!

12/15/2025

One small light can change the darkness.
Advocacy keeps it shining.

Address

540 S 1st Street
Milwaukee, WI
53204

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 4:30pm
Tuesday 8am - 4:30pm
Wednesday 8am - 4:30pm
Thursday 8am - 4:30pm
Friday 8am - 4:30pm

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