Disability Empowerment Center

04/09/2026

Free medical, dental and vision care this month in Seattle:

The Seattle/King County Clinic offers FREE medical, dental, and vision care to anyone in the region who struggles to access or afford healthcare. Patients can get services each day on a first-come, first-served basis.

April 23–26
Seattle Center

All services and procedures are provided free of charge by licensed healthcare professionals. Interpretation services are available, and patients do not need to show identification or proof of immigration status.

Learn more: https://seattlecenter.org/skcclinic/patients

04/07/2026

We have two new board members to welcome!

Jaime Beenen
As a new mother with a spinal cord injury, Jaime brings a personal perspective, ensuring that these families are represented and supported.

John F. Gibbs
John is a nonprofit operations leader advancing employment for people who are blind, drawing on 20+ years of U.S. Army leadership and global oil‑and‑gas program management.

Read their full bios on our blog:
disabilityempowerment.org/blog/meet-our-new-board-members

04/07/2026

Free emergency preparedness webinar!

Disaster can strike without warning—and for people with disabilities, the risks are even higher. Too often, emergency plans don’t account for everyone's needs.

Join our Understanding Ableism discussion this month on how we can break down these barriers and ensure no one is left behind when it matters most.

Tuesday, April 21
10:30 a.m.-12 p.m. (Pacific Time)

Our panelists are:
- Jim House, WASILC, Disability/AFN Integration Manager
- Cindi Barker, West Seattle Emergency Preparedness Neighborhood Organization

Virtual via Zoom. RSVP here to receive the link: tinyurl.com/uawebinars2026

Sign language interpretation and CART will be provided.
WA State IL Council
CIEP - Coalition on Inclusive Emergency Planning

04/06/2026

Do you use Sound Transit to get around King County? Would you or someone you know benefit from a navigation tool?

Goodmaps is an app that offers 3D mapping of many Sound Transit train stations and has plans to expand mapping to other areas soon, as lines expand. Goodmaps helps people navigate transit stations independently by providing precise, step-by-step indoor directions using 3D mapping and audio guidance.

For more information, visit: https://bit.ly/Goodmaps

If you have questions or feedback, reach out to accessibility@soundtransit.org.

04/03/2026

April is Autism Acceptance Month.

It's a chance to pause and honor the experiences of Autistic people in our community. Understanding, inclusion and support are key to moving our society from awareness to meaningful acceptance.

Learn more:

The Autism Society of America is proud to continue its fourth annual campaign in honor of Autism Acceptance Month.

04/01/2026

🌷Happy first day of April!

We aren't foolin' about our upcoming events. This month's calendar is packed with great opportunities to meet other people with disabilities!

Our peer groups and webinars are run by people with disabilities and are FREE. Join us for something fun this month:
- April 10: 50+ Peer Group
- April 14: Virtual Peer Group
- April 16: Westside Peer Group
- April 21: Understanding Ableism Webinar
- April 24: EPIC trip to Green Lake
- April 28: Eastside Peer Group

Find more: disabilityempowerment.org/upcoming-events

03/31/2026

The strength of our disability community is found in our shared resilience, our combined voices and our unwavering commitment to a society where everyone belongs.

We used that sentiment as our theme to recap the impact you helped us have in the past year. We hope you'll take a moment to read our Community Impact Report and celebrate our collective accomplishments.

We have three versions of our report available:
- Designed edition
- Screen reader edition
- Audio edition

You can find them here:
disabilityempowerment.org/blog/strength-of-us

Thank you, supporters, for continuing to make our impact possible!

03/25/2026

We've been out and about in the community a lot this winter meeting people with disabilities.

Last month, our staffer Terry and intern Briar were at the Sammamish Library Youth Resource Fair. We love sharing resources and info... plus our giveaway items like stress balls are very popular!
[Visual: Photo of Briar and Terry, sitting behind a table with a white Disability Empowerment Center tablecloth. On the table are colorful pens, white stress balls and flyers.]

03/23/2026

If you missed our Emergency Preparedness webinar, it's not too late to brush up on your disaster know-how.

✔️ Our entire four-part series is available on our YouTube channel.

We cover how to prepare for earthquakes, winter weather and other disasters, specific to the Seattle area. The series is especially intended for people with disabilities and their friends, families and caregivers.

Part 1: What to prepare for in Seattle
Part 2: Evacuating versus sheltering in place
Part 3: Utilities and preparing for power outages
Part 4: Communication and making a plan

Watch or listen here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdXKL294TSx-A--bhWNGGKVQnpQr1-IpY

03/20/2026

Happy Friday! Hope it's a good day.
[Visual: Bubbly pink letters on a blue background and the text "it's a good day to have a good day"]

03/19/2026

A dose of positive news to share:

"A loop group supplies the ambient voices that fill out a film’s soundscape — from crowd noise to background chatter and reaction sounds. For “GOAT,” which follows an underdog goat chasing his dream of playing professional roarball in an all-animal world, the group helped construct the film’s arena sequences from scratch, building chants and crowd energy across two days of recording on the Sony lot."

Sony Pictures Animation's 'GOAT' made history as first major studio film voiced by an all-disability loop group.

03/19/2026

The Washington state Senate recognized March 2026 as Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month.

"THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the Washington state Senate acknowledge March as Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month, honor individuals with developmental disabilities across Washington state, and express appreciation for the families, caregivers, educators, providers, and advocates whose care and support help make our communities more inclusive, more connected, and stronger for everyone."

Download and read the full Resolution here: https://lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/biennium/2025-26/Pdf/Bills/Senate%20Resolutions/8689-Developmental%20disabilities.pdf?q=20260318143155