About Us
Independent Living
It is a matter of having a serious disability, yet living independently, being productive and enjoying life. It is families and individuals having a support network when the wheelchair breaks, the insurance company balks or transportation becomes a barrier. disAbility Connections assists and advocates on behalf of individuals and families who deal with the effects of disease, accident, and disability.
Sometimes that means lending crutches or shower chairs. It means relieving parents who care for a child with disabilities 24 hours a day. It means helping someone find an adaptive device which allows them to maintain a daily living activity or learn about high tech electronic devices which can assist with communication.
disAbility Connections got its start 99 years ago and has been growing to meet local needs since that time. In 2005 we became a Center for Independent Living, one of a network of more than 600 across the country and throughout the world.
Our Story
In 1916, the then one-year old Rotary Club of Jackson launched a club project by helping a child with a disability living in Jackson County. This project continued to grow and in 1924, the first clinic was held at which two hundred children with disabilities were examined.
In 1925, the Jackson County Society for Crippled Children was incorporated as a nonprofit with Rotarians serving as officers of the corporation.
In 1978, the Society began serving adults with disabilities as well as children. With this change came a new name - Handicapped Children & Adults Society of Jackson County.
In 1993, the Society created the Handicapped Children & Adults Foundation of Jackson County to provide a permanent base of funding to ensure the longevity of the Society.
In 1999, the Jackson County Society for Handicapped Children & Adults and United Cerebral Palsy Association of Jackson merged to for a new nonprofit called disAbility Connections, Inc.
Our financial support comes from our friends in the local community by way of individual donations, bequests and memorials, business contributions, state and federal funding, the Rotary Clubs of Jackson, other service clubs and fundraising events. Without the support of our community, local partners and a state-wide network, we would not have the ability to impact individuals in their pursuit of independence.