Disability Advocates - WKTV Journal

By WKTV Staff
joanne@wktv.org

Disability Advocates of Kent County will host a Kent County Transportation Forum on Monday. (WKTV)

Disability Advocates of Kent County will host the Kent County Transportation Forum on Monday, April 10 in the Special Olympics Michigan Unified Sports & Inclusion Center, 160 68th St. SW. This event will bring together stakeholders to discuss options for countywide mobility.

“There is so much planning going on for the future of mobility in our community,” said David Bulkowski, executive director of Disability Advocates of Kent County. “We need to make sure people are informed about plans being considered and organized to deliver the best outcomes.”

In Michigan, 19% of people with disabilities live within the federal poverty rate and 48% of people with disabilities struggle to afford basic costs of living. Unemployment remains a driving factor behind this high level of economic instability; only 34% of adults with disabilities in Michigan have a job. Those who have a position often work part-time without a living wage.

Expanding Transportation Options

One way to address financial hardship among people with disabilities is to expand accessible public transportation options. Many individuals rely on public transit for their work commute and other common destinations.

Public transportation access remains scarce outside of the six cities in The Rapid service area: Grand Rapids, East Grand Rapids, Wyoming, Walker, Grandville, and Kentwood. Those who live in places like Cedar Springs, Rockford, and Lowell often struggle to find a bus route and must rely on specialized services like Hope Network, but usually options are limited to expensive rideshare services such as Uber or Lyft, assuming these services can even be found in these areas.

Community Organizer Michael Williams, who leads the Concerned Citizens for Improved Transportation (CCIT) advocacy work group, believes the community could deliver better results for people with disabilities. He calls for greater connectivity between transportation systems in cities instead of having a series of distinct, fixed bus routes.

“There is not one perfect solution to this challenge,” Williams said. “However, solutions start at aligning current efforts to better compliment each other, rather than repeating each other.”

Building on the past work of Faith In Motion and CCIT and a strategy session conducted during Disability Advocates’ Disability Awareness Day, Williams will host the Kent County Transportation Forum. State and local elected officials, municipal organizations such as Mobile GR, and transportation providers such as Hope Network will have a presence at the forum.

Everyone Welcome to Join the Discussion

The Kent County Transportation Forum seeks to coordinate local, state, and federal approaches toward achieving countywide mobility. Representatives from the City of Grand Rapids, the Grand Valley Metropolitan Council, The Rapid, and Kent County Mobility Task Force will discuss their transportation plans and seek ways to find agreement between plans. Kent County recently appointed its County Wide Mobility Task Force. Connecting current efforts will better help identify the needs for Kent County’s new team.

“We’re bringing riders, transportation providers, and planners to one place,” Williams said. “How can we work together and connect people in Kent County and beyond? This forum is a fantastic opportunity to align current planning processes into a coordinated regional effort.”

Those interested in learning more about accessible transportation or getting involved with CCIT can contact Michael Williams at michael.w@dakc.us.

More information can be found at www.dakc.us/event/transportation-forum.

Construction for the Disabilities Advocates of Kent County’s future home is now underway. Move-in date is set for April 22. (WKTV)

By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
joanne@wktv.org

Katie Pew Wolters admitted she thought raising $40,000 was a monumental task for the dream of having a model apartment that showcased how people with disabilities can live independently.

“Now they are raising $2.5 million,” said the former executive director of the Grand Rapids Center For Independent Living which became Disability Advocates of Kent County.

The $2.5 million is for the Disability Advocates’ new expanded headquarters which the organization celebrated the start of construction on Sept. 14. The 8,600-square-foot facility, located in the future Special Olympics Michigan facility, 160 68th St. SW., will including a new Occupational Therapy home accessibility center.

Kate Pew Wolters, the first executive director for Disability Advocates, said she remember the challenges of raising $40,000 for the organization’s first model apartment. (WKTV)

“The $40,00 we raised was for a model apartment which was a corner of our office,” Wolters said. “It is nothing like what is being planned now. It had a bed and a very small kitchen but it was designed so people with disabilities would learn about being independent.”

The new Occupational Therapy home accessibility center builds on the initial concept that Wolters and her staff had in the early 1980s. (Diability Advocates was founded in 1981). The center will be a place where people with disabilities explore ways to renovated and retrofit their homes so they can be more independent. It will serve as a “test space” showroom where persons with disabilities, their families healthcare, and design professional and building contractors can explore options for a safer home, including models and adaptive equipment, something that is not offered anywhere in the region.

Disabilities Advocates Executive Director David Bulkowski said the center will be a national model where people can come “hang out and try new things to make themselves more independent.”

“The Home Accessibility Center is a response to a demonstrated need,” said Disabilities Advocates Development Director Peggy Helsel. “Often people ask, ‘What does that mean?’ When we talk about universal design and home, we are giving people a real-life model home to experience what a universally-accessible space can look.”

Through corporate sponsors and private fundraising, Disability Advocates have raised $1.75 million of the $2.5 million for the project. The organization launched its public campaign for the remaining $750,000 on Sept. 14. Bulkowski noted that they have received a matching challenge grant of up to $50,000 from the Frey Foundation to help get things rolling.

Disability Advocates of Kent County’s new headquarters will inline the Occupational Therapy home center. (WKTV)

“Dreams can come true even from 36 years ago,” Wolters said. “I am very excited about this opportunity. We knew we needed to keep going until we got it done.”

Disability Advocates will be one of nine disability organizations occupying the former South Christian High School, which is currently being transformed into the largest Special Olympics trading and inclusion center in the world. Special Olympics launched its own public phase of capital campaign in July to raise $20 million for the retrofitting and construction of the 127,000-square-foot facility that was once the South Christian High School.

Wolverine Building Group is the general contractor with Disabilities Advocates allocating 40-percent of its construction budget on engaging with local minority-owned contractors which include DHE Plumbing, Monte Christo Electric, and Grand Rapids Fire Suppression. Mathison l Mathison Architects is the architect. A move-in date has been set for April 22.