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Visit our photo gallery!
Click here to view photos from the disAbility Awareness Dinner.
Click
here to view photos from the Rotary Ramp Project.
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About Us
disAbility Connections is a non-profit agency serving nearly 1,100
individuals and families every year. Each person is a resident of
Jackson County, Michigan. We are a 501(c)3 organization.
Our Mission Statement
Supporting Jackson County residents in their efforts to lead independent,
fulfilling, productive lives.
History of disAbility Connections, Inc.
Our history goes back to 1916 when the then one-year-old Rotary Club of
Jackson launched a club project by helping a handicapped child living in
Jackson County. This project continued to grow and in 1924, the first
clinic was held at which two hundred handicapped children were examined.
In 1925, the Jackson County Society for Crippled Children was established
with Rotarians serving as officers of the corporation.
To help raise funds for the Society, the first Easter Seals Sale was
inaugurated in 1934 and an annual sale has been held ever since. This
event is now called the Rotary Ruler Days.
Dr. Ted Schmidt, Mary Heglund and Alfreda McGuire started the first
crippled children’s summer camp project in 1945 at Wolf Lake. With the
cooperation of the Boy Scouts, the local Community Chest, the Jackson
County Medical Society and the Rotary Club, the Society sponsored the
annual adaptive summer camp sessions through 1968.
Orthopaedic clinics for children with physical disAbilities were held with
support of the Rotary Clubs and the State Crippled Children’s Commission
at Mercy Hospital and Foote Hospital with Dr. Richard Deming being the
first Jackson physician to be certified by the State Commission to run
these clinics. Because of Dr. Deming’s many years of dedicated service and
friendship to the Society, the Board of Directors named the building at
219 W. Prospect St., the Richard C. Deming Center in 1987.
The Society remained an affiliate of Easter Seals until 1978. At that
time, the Board of Directors voted to disaffiliate from the state and
national Easter Seals Society so that all donated funds would stay in
Jackson County to serve Jackson’s handicapped residents. At that time the
Society also began serving adults with disAbilities as well as children.
In 1993, the Society created the Handicapped Children & Adults Foundation
of Jackson County to provide a permanent base of funding and to ensure the
permanence and longevity of the Society.
In November 1999, the Jackson County Society for Handicapped Children &
Adults and United Cerebral Palsy Association of Jackson merged to form a
new nonprofit called disAbility Connections, Inc. Because of this merger,
the Handicapped Children & Adults Foundation also changed its name to the
disAbility Connections Foundation of Jackson County.
As our programs and services have more than doubled over the past few
years, so has our need for space. Mr. A.P. Cook (a Rotarian) came to our
rescue and donated his building at 409 Linden Avenue. We have successfully
completed a $752,000.00 capital campaign to raise the funds for building
renovation and a 2,400 square foot addition. Thanks to the donated
architecture services of Dave Fleming (a Rotarian), we have a new
state-of-the-art technology center, a universal design kitchen and an
accessible multi-purpose room for support groups, workshops and meetings.
Our financial support comes from our friends in the local community; from
individual donation; bequests and memorials; business contributions;
foundations; service clubs; the Jackson Banjo Club and fundraising events.
100% of all donated funds stay in Jackson County to provide needed
services for local residents.
Our many friends and supporters have enabled us to provide 79 years of
services for local community residents. We are excited about the future
and look forward to expanding our service to meet the future needs of the
caring and generous community.
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Contact
Us
 disAbility Connections
409 Linden Avenue
Jackson, MI 49203
Phone: (517) 782-6054
Fax: (517) 782-3118
Web:
http://www.disAbilityconnect.org
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