If this message is clipped, click "View Entire Message" at the bottom of this email. | | Ballots without Barriers Voter's Training | | |
A FREE program on accessible voting & voting rights!
August 4 or 18, 2026
1:00 - 2:00 pm | DNEM Troy Office
Learn how to register, know your rights at the polls, and use accessible voting equipment. Friendly sessions cover the essentials of equal access for people with disabilities, families, and caregivers.
Light refreshments will be provided. Attend and receive a $25 Kroger gift card.
| | Build financial stability and community for a better life in Huron, Tuscola, Sanilac, and Lapeer counties! | |
Are you feeling stuck and ready for a change in a just-gettin’-by world? Getting Ahead is a FREE 16-session workshop that can help you discover practical strategies and tools to create a path toward the future you want. It's not a budgeting class; it’s a life-changing program!
Starts Fall 2026:
- Sessions will be held weekly in-person for 2.5 hours in Tuscola County.
- Participants will determine the exact dates, times, and location.
- Register now to be a part of it!
Who Can Participate?
- Adults (18+) living in Huron, Tuscola, Sanilac, or Lapeer counties
- People with income at or below the poverty line or who are within the ALICE population
Workshop details:
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Join us for a bike through the park!
We have 7 adult-sized adaptive bikes. Pick a bike AND a one-hour time slot.
Helmets are required. We will supply one if you do not have your own.
August 11, 2026
Choose a 1-hour time slot between 2:00 and 6:00 pm
Rowden Park, Lapeer
August 27, 2026
Choose a 1-hour time slot between 2:00 and 6:00 pm
Independence Oaks County Park, Clarkston
More adaptive cycling dates are listed on the registration page and flyer.
| | Adaptive Cycling Sponsor: | | Join us for a variety of free adaptive outdoor recreation experiences,
plus a hot dog picnic! | |
DiversAbility Day - Harrison Township
Thursday, August 5, 2026 | 10:00 am – 1:00 pm
Lake St. Clair Metropark
| Activities include face painting, ebikes, adaptive archery, adaptive cycling, adaptive golf, and pontoon boat rides. | | | |
DiversAbility Day - Clarkston
Thursday, August 13, 2026 | 4:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Independence Oaks County Park
| Activities include adaptive archery, adaptive cycling, ebikes, adaptive kayaking, and pontoon boat rides. | | | | DiversAbility Day Sponsor: | | |
August 17, 2026
12:30 - 2:00 pm or 2:30 - 4:00 pm
Independence Oaks County Park, Clarkston
Register for an adaptive archery lesson for people aged 14 and older. No prior archery experience is required. All equipment is provided.
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Questions about Adaptive Archery?
Contact the RecConnect Team
REC-IT@DNEMichigan.org
586-268-4160
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August 18 & 25; September 1 & 8, 2026
10:00 am - 12:00 pm
Red Oaks Golf Course, Madison Heights
Join a modified league for 12 players. Golfers will be paired with a volunteer/therapist and play a few holes each week. All abilities are welcome. The cost is $75 and includes an end-of-league pizza party.
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Questions about Adaptive Golf League?
Contact the RecConnect Team
REC-IT@DNEMichigan.org
586-268-4160
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Take a one-hour adaptive kayaking lesson designed for individuals with disabilities, ages 8 and older. No prior kayaking experience is required. Life jackets, adaptive equipment, and modifications are provided to ensure a safe, supportive, and enjoyable experience.
Kayaks have a maximum weight capacity of 225 pounds. Due to high demand, a $10 donation is required to reserve a spot in this program.
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August 19, 2026
Reserve a one-hour spot between 9:00 am and 12:00 pm
Stony Creek Metropark,
Shelby Township
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September 9, 2026
Reserve a one-hour spot between 9:00 am and 4:00 pm
Independence Oaks County Park, Clarkston
| | Adaptive Kayaking Sponsors: | | Stroke Survivors Support Group | |
August 19, 2026 | 12:00 - 3:00 pm
Stony Creek Metropark, Shelby Township
This support group is a safe space for stroke survivors, caregivers, family, and friends to connect with others who have similar experiences. The group meets on the third Wednesday of each month.
On August 19th, enjoy kayaking and a picnic. Bring a dish to pass, if you wish. Kayak with our DNEM team, or bring a chair and watch the fun.
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Questions about the Stroke Survivors Support Group?
Contact the RecConnect Team
REC-IT@DNEMichigan.org
586-268-4160
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August 23 or October 18, 2026 | 11:00 am - 3:30 pm
Holly Oaks ORV Park
Disability Dirt Days is an off-roading experience designed for people with disabilities! Experience what it’s like to zip through the dirt, bounce over rocks, and splash in the water, paired safely with a volunteer driver. Riders must be at least 10 years old and may bring a guest. Waivers are required.
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Questions about Disability Dirt Days?
Contact the Oakland County Parks and Recreation Team
OCPrecreation@OakGov.com
Call or text 248-221-8040
| | Register for a DNEM Community Activity | | |
Disability Network Eastern Michigan (DNEM) is a Center for Independent Living (CIL), proudly serving Huron, Lapeer, Macomb, Oakland, Sanilac, St. Clair, and Tuscola counties. If you reside outside of these counties, we’re happy to assist you in connecting with the CIL that serves your area.
To register for DNEM activities, you will need a RecDesk calendar account.
| | | | To help with the registration process, we have created these two videos: |
Questions about RecDesk?
Contact the RecConnect Team
REC-IT@DNEMichigan.org
586-268-4160
| | When AI Gets Accessibility Wrong | | |
Last month we talked about how AI tools can quietly make accessibility easier by generating captions, suggesting alt text, and flagging contrast issues. All good stuff.
But there's another side to this story. AI is also being used in ways that “look” like accessibility but are not really. In addition, sometimes the gap between "looks accessible" and "actually is accessible" is the difference between someone being able to use your product and someone giving up on it.
A few patterns worth knowing about:
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Auto-captions that are not quite right. The captions on YouTube, Zoom, and most meeting platforms have gotten better — but they still aren't accurate enough on their own. Names get mangled. Technical terms turn into nonsense. Accents trip them up. For someone who relies on captions to follow along, "close enough" is not close enough. The fix is not to skip auto-captions; they are a great starting point. The fix is to treat them as a first draft, not a finished product.
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Alt text that says nothing. AI can write alt text for any image now. Often it produces something like "a person standing in front of a building." Technically true. Completely useless. Good alt text answers “why this image is here?” the meaning, the point, the reason you used it. AI does not know your context. It can give you a starting line, but the substance has to come from you.
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Accessibility overlays. You've probably seen the little widget that pops up on a website offering "accessibility settings" including font size, contrast, dyslexia-friendly fonts. Companies sell these as a one-script fix for accessibility compliance. The disability community has been pretty clear about them for years: they don't fix the underlying problems, they often make things worse for screen reader users, and lawsuits against businesses that rely on them keep coming. If a vendor promises AI-powered accessibility in a single line of code, that's a red flag, not a solution.
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Chatbots replacing real support. AI chat assistants can be genuinely helpful until they're the “only” option. For users who need accommodations, getting stuck in a chatbot loop with no clear path to a human is a familiar and exhausting experience. Always leave a visible way out.
The pattern underneath all of these is the same: AI is a useful assistant, but it is not a substitute for actually doing the accessibility work. It can give you a head start, catch things you missed, or speed up tedious tasks. What it cannot do is care about your users for you.
The best teams treat AI as a co-worker, not a contractor. They use it to lighten the load and then put a human eye on the result.
| Read other articles in our AI & Accessibility series: | Have Questions about AI and Digital Accessibility? | | |
Contact Amy Maes
Access and Advocacy Services Director
| | | Disability Network Eastern Michigan has a team of Community Information Specialists ready to assist you in finding resources. We can support inquiries about advocacy, accessibility, housing resources, transportation, high school transition, community transition services, veteran services, and more. Call us! | | |
Oakland and Macomb County:
586-268-4160
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Thumb Region:
810-987-9337
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Accommodations: Please contact DNEM with accommodation requests.
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DNEM Summer Hours
May 22 - September 4, 2026
Monday - Thursday: 8:00 am - 4:00 pm
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Do you need support now?
Or are you worried about a loved one who may need crisis support?
| | Your Consumer Experience Defines Our Success | | It is our pleasure to serve the community as we believe people with disabilities should have the same options, and control over choices in their own lives as do people without disabilities. We hope you will share your experience with us, allowing us to connect with others who will benefit from our services. Please take a moment to provide a Google review. | | Disability Network Eastern Michigan is committed to promoting independent living by breaking down barriers and opening paths towards personal choice through resources, advocacy, information, support, and education. | | Follow our social media pages to remain up-to-date with everything happening at DNEM. | | | | |
