Voices & Stories
Kyle and His Journey Towards Independence
By Jacob Lesner-Buxton • Posted on December 7, 2025
In 2020, at just 35 years old, Kyle was diagnosed with a condition that caused total paralysis and was told he might never live independently again. After three years of hard work in therapy, he was determined to regain his independence. By 2024, Kyle was living in a care home costing $7,000 a month, facing the possibility of being moved to a county facility because he had no family able to care for him. He needed housing that would allow him to continue therapy, cook, maintain hygiene, and work toward walking again—but every affordable or subsidized option he found was inaccessible. Narrow doorways, small bathrooms, inaccessible kitchens—most apartments listed as “accessible” were not truly accessible.
After a year and a half of searching, Kyle finally found one apartment that worked: first floor, with wide hallways and doorways, and a kitchen and bathroom he could actually use with his wheelchair. The rent is $3,300—still far from affordable, but half of what the care home costs. With this housing, he has been able to build a workout space, cook for himself, and continue his recovery.
Kyle’s experience highlights a critical gap: accessible housing is almost never aligned with affordable housing. People with disabilities are often excluded from low-income options simply because they aren’t built with accessibility in mind. Independence shouldn’t cost extra—it should be a baseline. Alongside ACC, Kyle was able to apply and receive in-home care, find an apartment, and be connected with continued supports to help him with his journey towards independence.
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[date] => 2022-10-12
[status] => Active
[new] =>
[title] => What Disability Pride Means to Me
[author] => Emily Bridges
[article] => 
With the passing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in July 1990, the month of July is Disability Pride Month. It's hard to imagine sometimes, but that was 32 years ago! Each ADA Anniversary allows self-advocates to reflect on how their conditions bring them strength. It also allows for calls to action in improving accessibility across the country and the world.
The first word I thought of while writing this piece is "intergenerational." This word means relating to people in different age categories. Whether you are Gen Z or a Baby Boomer, everyone will probably experience disabilities in one way or another. The chance of getting a disability increases as we age. So, people in each generation should learn lessons from those before and after theirs.
An event with valuable insights was when Judy Heumann spoke at the University of Georgia (UGA) a few years ago at the 2019 Georgia Disability History Symposium. The discussion happened while I attended UGA. As someone who lives in both pre-and post-ADA worlds, Judy highlighted the benefits it brought when signed while also recognizing the struggles that still exist long after. This is particularly the case for people with disabilities in other minority groups (race/ethnicity, LGBTQ+, etc.). One final thing that Judy discussed is switching words like "special needs" or "different abilities" in favor of using "disability" to help erase the stigma of having a condition. It's a natural part of living that should be embraced, not feared.
Judy Heumann may not remember me from everyone she has met at all her public speaking events, but I certainly will remember the lessons I've learned from her and so many powerhouses that have come before. I will also work to pay it forward to future generations of self-advocates by both sharing views and learning about new perspectives. We all travel this road called life, and it's wonderful sharing it with others. Community connectedness is a huge part of Disability Pride. It is something to celebrate each July and always!
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[id] => 11
[date] => 2022-10-19
[status] => Active
[new] =>
[title] => Disability in the News: Veterans exposed to toxins receive unencumbered access to coverage from the VA
[author] => Jamie Zimmerman
[article] => Disability is in the news with a major win for veterans. The U.S. Senate approved providing health care and benefits for millions of veterans injured by exposure to toxins in burn pits in Iraq and Agent Orange in Vietnam.
It has been determined that the PACT Act will now cease to force veterans to prove their disabilities and illnesses were caused by exposure to toxins in order to get medical coverage from the VA. The PACT Act is the biggest expansion of care in VA history. This change will alleviate a layer of hardship for veterans and improve access to the support they deserve.
The story of the PACT Act in the news is an example of the mission of full access that we work toward every day, amplified and utilized on a macro level.
To read more on the PACT Act go to:
https://www.npr.org/2022/08/02/1115325176/pact-act-veterans-burn-pits-toxins-passes-senate
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[date] => 2022-10-19
[status] => Active
[new] =>
[title] => Want to offer help? Ask first (and keep asking)
[author] => Jacob Lesner-Buxton
[article] => For those who don’t know, an ally means someone who takes particular action to support a person or a group or both. For instance, if an able-bodied person complains about a building inaccessible to those with disabilities, a person might be considered an ally. No two people with disabilities agree on all the traits that make someone a good ally, but most of us agree that listening to us is an essential part.
Unfortunately, some people with good intentions forget to listen to our needs before trying to help us. This often results in awkward and unsafe situations. Recently, my fiance, who is legally blind, asked a movie theater employee, “where can I get the popcorn?” The employee answered by grabbing her cane and pulling her toward the concession stand, him on one end of the cane and her on the other. The experience led her to feel disoriented, and frustrated.
Checking in with a person before offering help is important. Asking how you can best be of help is also imperative to assure that the help is actually helpful.
Remember, if a person doesn’t require assistance at the moment, they might appreciate your help at a later date. While walking with my friend one Halloween night, I tripped and fell. When I asked my friend why he didn’t offer to guide me through the darkness, he replied, “you said that you didn’t need assistance six months ago when I offered.”
Besides knowing that a person's need for assistance may vary from day to day. I suggest not offering assistance out of guilt. I have been assisted by people who are impatient with the task we are doing. What they saw as helping me was really them helping themselves save time. For someone already a bit ashamed about asking for so much assistance, having someone complaining about the errands we are running makes me feel guilty for asking in the first place.
However, I do believe it’s appropriate to be honest with the person asking for help before the task. Asking the person for things like gas money for a ride or telling them about your bad shoulder that prevents you from assisting them with moving is extremely helpful to me. Like I said before, most people want to feel like they are not being a burden on others. Honest communication is essential to creating a helping relationship in which one person doesn’t feel like a burden and the other doesn’t feel like a savior.
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