Disability Network Southwest Michigan

Autistic Adult Peer Support - Tuesday
2024-01-16 10:00 - 11:30 (America/New_York) | MI
This group provides an opportunity for Autistic adults to enjoy authentic social interactions and build genuine friendships in a safe and non-judgmental space. All Autistic adults are welcome to attend, including self-diagnosed Autistics and those who were previously diagnosed with Asperger’s or PDD.

Meetings are held online using Zoom. Follow this link for further details on the Autistic Adult Peer Support Group and to complete registration.

For more information email Max or call them at 269-345-1516 x 126.

Autistic Adult Peer Support - Thursday
2024-01-11 18:00 - 19:00

Fifth Annual Nothing About Us Without Us Virtual Film Festival - Day 1
2025-04-23 10:00 - 16:00
Join us online for the fifth annual Nothing About Us Without Us Virtual Film Festival! All films presented feature a disability theme and reflect the values of the Independent Living Movement. The film festival will conclude Thursday afternoon with a discussion on the films presented at the festival.

Wednesday, April 23Theme Day: Adventure• The Peanut Butter Falcon from 10:00 AM to 12:15 PM• Keep the Change from 1:15 to 3:15 PM• Mission Possible: Quest for the Lost Conference (submission by Filmmaker Rob Packard) from 3:30 to 4:00 PM

Wednesday, April 24Theme Day: Resilience• Love After War: Saving Love, Saving Lives from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM• Defiant Lives from 1:00 to 3:00 PM• Discussion of Festival Films from 3:15 to 4:00 PM

Register

All events are free and open to the public. Sign up for as many events as you like. Register online or contact Eliot Carter via email at ecarter@dnwml.org or by phone at (734) 971-0277 x520.

This event is a collaboration between Disability Network Southwest Michigan and Disability Network Washtenaw Monroe Livingston.

Fifth Annual Nothing About Us Without Us Virtual Film Festival - Day 2
2025-04-24 10:00 - 16:00
Join us online for the fifth annual Nothing About Us Without Us Virtual Film Festival! All films presented feature a disability theme and reflect the values of the Independent Living Movement. The film festival will conclude Thursday afternoon with a discussion on the films presented at the festival.

Wednesday, April 24Theme Day: Resilience• Love After War: Saving Love, Saving Lives from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM• Defiant Lives from 1:00 to 3:00 PM• Discussion of Festival Films from 3:15 to 4:00 PM

Register

All events are free and open to the public. Sign up for as many events as you like. Register online or contact Eliot Carter via email at ecarter@dnwml.org or by phone at (734) 971-0277 x520.

This event is a collaboration between Disability Network Southwest Michigan and Disability Network Washtenaw Monroe Livingston.

#DWord Book Club Meeting
2026-02-18 18:00 - 19:30
Disability Network Southwest Michigan is excited to partner with Kalamazoo Public Library to launch the #DWord Book Club—a book club dedicated to promoting access, inclusion, disability pride, and spreading the message that Disability is not a bad word.

Join us for an opportunity to engage in respectful, thought-provoking discussions of books by and about people with disabilities, uplifting lived experiences from across the Disability Community and creating space for meaningful conversation and connection.

All are welcome—whether you’re new to disability-focused literature or a longtime reader. This is a cost-free group; readers are not required to have a library card to participate. To ensure accessibility for all, each book is available in print, digital, and audiobook formats through the Kalamazoo Public Library.

Venue

CEN/Boardroom at Kalamazoo Public Library, located at 315 S. Rose St, Kalamazoo, MI 49007. Registration is not required.

Book Selection

February’s book selection is Disability Intimacy, by Alice Wong.

About: The much-anticipated follow up to the groundbreaking anthology Disability Visibility: another revolutionary collection of first-person writing on the joys and challenges of the modern disability experience, and intimacy in all its myriad forms.

What is intimacy? More than sex, more than romantic love, the pieces in this stunning and illuminating new anthology offer broader and more inclusive definitions of what it can mean to be intimate with another person. Explorations of caregiving, community, access, and friendship offer us alternative ways of thinking about the connections we form with others—a vital reimagining in an era when forced physical distance is at times a necessary norm.

But don’t worry: there’s still sex to consider—and the numerous ways sexual liberation intersects with disability justice. Plunge between these pages and you’ll also find disabled sexual discovery, disabled love stories, and disabled joy. These twenty-five stunning original pieces—plus other modern classics on the subject, all carefully curated by acclaimed activist Alice Wong—include essays, photo essays, poetry, drama, and erotica: a full spectrum of the dreams, fantasies, and deeply personal realities of a wide range of beautiful bodies and minds. Disability Intimacy will free your thinking, invigorate your spirit, and delight your desires.

Follow this link for a Plain Language version of Disability Intimacy.

Accommodations

Accommodations can be provided upon request to (269) 553-7944 or follow this link to email Jade W. at Kalamazoo Public Library.

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Celebration
2026-07-24 11:30 - 13:30
Join us for the Annual Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Celebration!
Disability Network’s annual ADA Event celebrates the anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the federal civil rights law that expanded access, opportunity, and belonging in our communities. This year, we’re also recognizing 45 years of Disability Network Southwest Michigan serving our region.
Details
Location: Kalamazoo Farmers Market, 1204 Bank Street, Kalamazoo, MI 49001
Date and time: Fri, Jul 24, 2026, 11:30 AM-1:30 PM (EST)
This free event will include a short program and is open to the public. Lunch will be catered by ‘Q It Up. This is a rain or shine event.
Show your disability pride! Guests are welcomed and encouraged to use clothing, hats, accessories, assistive devices, or personal style to celebrate disability identity, self-expression, and pride.
If you have any questions or concerns regarding this event, please email Miranda or call her at (269) 345-1516 x120.
Built in Accommodations: This year we’ll be making intentional space for guests seeking sensory outlets or sensory relief. We’ll have a quiet sensory tent as well as an active (noise welcome) sensory tent for guests to utilize if helpful.
Brand New! Disability Arts & Crafts Market
New this year, we’re proud to introduce our Disability Arts & Crafts Market, a vibrant arts and crafts space featuring works created by disabled artists from our community. Attendees will have the opportunity to browse, connect with artists, and purchase unique, handmade pieces.
Community Organization Booths & Informational Tables
The 2026 ADA Celebration brings together local organizations, advocates, and community members for a day of connection. Attendees will be able to visit booths hosted by other community nonprofits to learn more about the programs, services, and resources available across our region.
Whether you’re looking to learn, connect, or celebrate, there’s something here for everyone. We look forward to seeing you!
Register
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Thank You to our generous Sponsors!
Every ADA Celebration is a reminder that meaningful change happens when communities come together. We are grateful to our sponsors for helping create an event that honors the past, celebrates the present, and looks toward a better future.
Thank you for standing with the Disability Community and helping make this celebration a success.

Disability Network Southwest Michigan believes all people deserve full access and inclusion in our programs and services and will make every effort to secure necessary accommodations for participants in our events. Please register as soon as possible if you will require an accommodation to participate.
Funded in part by ADA Michigan, an affiliate of the Great Lakes ADA Center, through grant #90DP009i-0i-00 from the National institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research.

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