May is Mental Health Awareness Month! Mental health in America has always been an issue in need of greater support and advocacy, and today, it seems like more people than ever are living with mental health-related diagnoses. Children in particular are experiencing anxiety, depression, and other mental illnesses at incredible rates. And, there isn’t one specific cause that we can tackle to make everyone’s lives better: lingering effects of the pandemic, financial stress, violence in our communities, increasing isolation, excessive social media use, and more have all played a part in today’s “perfect storm” of mental illness. One thing is for sure—our mental health is connected to every part of our lives, and it’s an issue our community leaders, organizations, and legislators should be paying attention to in order to help all Michiganders thrive.

Autism became a Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders condition in the 1980s, and ever since, the condition and its impacts have been debated in fields from medicine to education. Early on, autism was a confusing and daunting diagnosis given to parents whose children existed on a seemingly endless spectrum—-from significant disability to nearly “neurotypical” behavior. One constant existed, though: the diagnosis, like many that result in any degree of disability, focused on what children or adults with autism couldn’t do or skills they were missing, not on their unique perspectives and experiences of the world. These negative perceptions led to treatments and practices designed to make autistic people “more like neurotypical people” by erasing their unique identities and perspectives, and harmed autistic people and their communities. 

At MISILC, we believe that independent living looks different for every person. And for many people with disabilities, a caregiver–professional or family–is often a critical factor in maintaining independence and achieving goals. That’s why advocating for caregivers as people and as a profession is so important to us. It’s part of our current State Plan for Independent Living and it's on the radar of every disability advocate and nonprofit we know, as well as our government leaders. The quality of life of the disability community depends on a reliable supply of dedicated caregivers, and currently, we’re all coming up short. 

Happy Black History Month! Throughout history, the work of all civil rights activists has intersected with people fighting for racial equity. Disability advocacy in particular has shared advocates, tactics, and sentiments with predominantly Black-led civil rights movements: MLK himself acknowledged that “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere” and lamented discrimination in healthcare against Americans of color and many others. Disability advocates were inspired by civil rights peaceful protests and sit-ins and used these strategies to garner support for another type of diversity: disability. Legislation that affirmed the rights of people with disabilities–the Americans with Disabilities Act–ultimately became law in 1990.

The proposed $35.5 billion 2024 budget for the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) would provide more than $300 million to increase wages for people working in nursing homes. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer proposed $210.1 million to go toward increasing the wages of direct care professionals at nursing homes across Michigan. Another $90 million would be going to increase the wages of non-direct care nursing home staff. In all, this would increase the average by $1.50 per hour.

We’re just a month into 2023, and it’s already turning out to be an exciting and invigorating year. From beginning to craft the 2025-2027 State Plan for Independent Living, to exploring the benefits of mentorship, to making plans for another project that will be revealed in the spring, we’ve started the year off strong! Your support and participation with MISILC and the CILs helped us have an incredible 2022, and we’re grateful to have you on this journey in 2023. Thank you for your continued support of our efforts and Michigan’s disability community–we’re so proud to do this important work and collaborate with changemakers across our state. 

To kick off this year, we’ve been discussing the benefits of mentorship, especially as they relate to ensuring people with disabilities can live self-directed, independent lives. But first, you might be wondering: what is mentorship, anyway? What do mentoring relationships look like? And, most importantly, what’s in it for me? We’re here to answer those questions and give you the resources you need to mentor or be mentored and reap the rewards.

We’re days away from 2023, and in addition to the excitement that’s brewing for new endeavors in the new year, I’ve been reflecting on all the good that 2022 brought.