21 Day Challenge: Disability Equity

We all know something about disability. Whether you are a person with a disability, know someone with a disability, or have simply seen people with disabilities, we probably all have an idea what we think it means to have a disability. 

But let’s go deeper. During the month of August, United Ways across the state of Michigan are partnering with local Centers for Independent Living to present the 21-Day Disability Equity Challenge. This statewide effort to explore disability from a position of equity and pride is designed to raise awareness, increase understanding, and shift perspectives about disability in our culture. Participants will receive one email each weekday beginning Aug. 1 that features videos, articles, podcasts, and discussion questions on topics including ableism, the history of the disability justice movement, intersectionality, language, accessibility, systemic inequalities for people with disabilities, allyship, and disability pride. 

The challenge will launch in conjunction with the latest installment of the ALICE in Focus Research Series from the Michigan Association of United Ways (MAUW) and research partner United For ALICE. This report, to be released July 26 on the 32^nd Anniversary of the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), will use data and analysis to spotlight the realities of people living with disabilities in Michigan.

The Disability Equity Challenge is modeled after the 21-Day Race Equity Challenge developed by diversity experts Dr. Eddie Moore Jr., Debby Irving, and Dr. Marguerite Penick and adapted for the United Way network by United Way of Washtenaw County. The specific content found in the 21-Day Disability Equity Challenge was developed by Disability Network Southwest Michigan.

21 Day Equity Challenge

Thank you for your interest in joining the United Way Montcalm-Ionia Counties' 21-Day Equity Challenge – we hope you will join us.

The recent release of the ALICE and Black Households Data clearly illustrates the inequities that are deeply rooted in our national, state, and local systems and institutions.  Over the 21-day Challenge, you will take a self-guided learning journey that examines the history and impacts of racism and how it shapes people’s lived experience in Montcalm and Ionia Counties.

The Challenge is simple: you (along with your friends, family, and neighbors in Montcalm and Ionia Counties) commit to deepening your understanding of, and willingness to confront racism for twenty-one consecutive days. The Challenge will raise your awareness, change your understanding, and shift the way you behave.

This Challenge was originally developed by Dr. Eddie Moore, Jr., Dr. Marguerite Penick-Parks and Debby Irving and has been adapted by Food Solutions New England. The Michigan Association of United Ways has committed to adapt the challenge with the support of leaders across our Michigan United Way network. A special thank you to the United Way of Washtenaw County for their leadership and guidance.

• Download our discussion guide by clicking here.
• Daily reflections and actions can be captured in our activity log.  Click here to download the log.