About Our Advocacy Work

At the Ann Arbor CIL, every consumer, volunteer, and staff member is an advocate.

Led by Carolyn Grawi, Director of Advocacy and Education, our advocacy efforts span local, state and national issues to stand up for what people with disabilities need and improve our quality of life.

In everything we do, we seek increased equality of opportunity for people with disabilities and full participation in all of life’s activities.  Our goal is to create livable communities that are truly inclusive for everyone.

Livable and disability-friendly communities maximize our independence, assure our safety and security, promote our inclusiveness, and provide us with choices.

“The biggest barrier we face is attitudes,” Grawi says.  “We try to get people to open their eyes to see possibilities.  What we ask for is to be included.  When people see the possibilities, they’re usually willing to change. And when they get it, they share it with others.”

Transportation

• Select Ride Advocacy
• AATA Local Advisory Council
• Get Active!

Local Government

Health & Mental Health

Advancing Accessible Housing

When the Michigan Legislature was considering a bill to expand the accessibility of homes built with state dollars, the Ann Arbor CIL, along with other CILs and disability rights organizations across the state, got involved to let Lansing know what people with disabilities needed.

“Our advocacy efforts in this area were a huge success,” Grawi says.  “We wanted ‘visit-ability’ – the right to be able to get in the doorway and use a bathroom.  We got so much more.”

Passed in 2006 the Inclusive Home Design Act sets new requirements for homes built using funds from the Michigan State Housing Development Authority.  It requires that new homes have at least one zero-step entry that is 36-inches wide, a fully accessible bedroom and bathroom, and hallways wide enough to maneuver a wheelchair.

Increasing Voter Access

“It’s our Constitutional right to be able to vote,” CIL Advocacy Director Carolyn Grawi says.  “Yet too often, people with disabilities don’t have the same opportunities to exercise this right.”  Many people with disabilities have never been able to independently cast a ballot.  Since Congress passed the Help America Vote Act in 2002, our advocacy team has been involved in making sure Michigan has a fully-accessible ballot-marking machine in every precinct to enable people with disabilities to cast their ballots independently, privately, verifiably, and accurately.

When Michigan was deciding which ballot-marking device to purchase, Ann Arbor CIL advocacy team members helped test the options.  The machine needed to be able to read the ballot out loud for individuals with vision impairments or who have difficulty reading.   It needed to provide a “sip-puff” input option to allow voters with mobility impairments to cast ballot choices using their breath.  It needed to offer a variety of other input options, including a touch screen, a foot pedal, large print, high contrast, and word highlighting to assist people with a wide array of disability characteristics.  After extensive testing, the AutoMark fit the bill.

Once the AutoMark was selected, the Ann Arbor CIL, along with the Ann Arbor Commission on Disability Issues and the Voter Access Coalition of Washtenaw County, began actively training poll workers, election officials, and voters on how to use the AutoMark and how to accommodate individuals using it.

“I am greatly pleased with having this method of voting, because it allows me to vote in complete privacy and with total autonomy.  While I always have felt responsible as a voter, having this machine raises my interest to new heights.  As a clinical psychologist I am glad to know there are people like Carolyn who are working on the important community concerns that impact people with disabilities.”  –Robert A. DeYoung, Ph.D., and individual who is blind.

Improving Our Local Community

Increasing Curb Ramp and Sidewalk Safety

Since 2002, the Ann Arbor CIL and the law firm of Heberle and Finnegan have been representing concerned citizens with disabilities in an effort to make sure that curb ramps and side walks in the cities of Ann Arbor, Monroe, and Ypsilanti comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act and Michigan’s Barrier Free Design standards.  Many curb ramps were too steep, did not have level landings, and often directed people with vision impairments into the middle of intersections.

Since our work began, each city has made great strides in improving the accessibility of city sidewalks for people with disabilities.  People with disabilities faced hundreds of dangerous curb ramps that were causing them to fall out of their wheelchairs, trip while crossing the street, or encounter safety hazards at busy intersections.  Today non-compliant curb ramps are being replaced on an annual basis and compliant curb ramps are required whenever roads are resurfaced or new construction takes place.

“We now talk openly with city departments and the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority about these things,” Grawi says. “Local officials want it to be right.  We’ve helped them to understand the issues and see that doing the right thing doesn’t have to cost a lot of extra money.”

Our work has also made an impact on state-wide policy.  The Michigan Department of Transportation is now evaluating all MDOT curb ramps across the state and is training staff, local officials and contractors on how to install ADA-compliant curb ramps.

The Ann Arbor CIL is also working to:

• Increase the availability of accessible regional public transportation.
• Improve the accessibility of our public schools.
• Ensure that parks and recreation areas are safer and more accessible.
• Provide disability etiquette and awareness presentations at schools, businesses, colleges and universities.