Disability Network of Northern Michigan

The Impact of the Disability Network of Northern Michigan:

Disability Network Northern Michigan is led by a board and staff made up mostly of people with disabilities. They serve people with any type of disability, including those with "invisible" barriers such as learning disabilities. Instead of focusing solely on the disability, the address the needs of the whole person to achieve a more balanced life. 

The Discovery Center & Pier partnered with the Disability Network of Northern Michigan to provide input on Discovery Pier plan development. They brought together a cross-disability team of their clients that provided valuable insights on developing barrier-free features and design considerations.

To underscore the importance of the barrier-free amenities planned (the features designed to accommodate people with disabilities), it is worth noting that 13.6% of adults and 7.3% of children (ages 5-17) face mobility challenges and 80% of us will have a mobility issue at some point in our lives.