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For older adults facing food insecurity, access to healthy meals can make a meaningful difference. Through Focus: HOPE, eligible adults age 60 and older can receive a monthly food box filled with nutritious, shelf-stable items. Participants or their designated proxies may pick up boxes from local community distribution sites throughout Southeast Michigan.
To qualify, participants must live in Oakland, Macomb, Lapeer, Tuscola, Huron, Sanilac, St. Clair, Wayne, or Washtenaw counties and meet the monthly income guidelines below:
- Household of 1: $1,995 or less
- Household of 2: $2,705 or less
- Add $710 for each additional household member
Disability Network Eastern Michigan’s Troy office proudly serves as a Focus: HOPE food box distribution center. Call 586-268-4160 to apply or learn more about the program.
Home delivery may be arranged for eligible participants who are homebound or disabled in Oakland, Macomb, Wayne, or Washtenaw counties. (Home delivery is not available in Huron, Lapeer, Sanilac, St. Clair, and Tuscola counties.) Call 313-494-4980 for questions about home delivery.
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American Sign Language (ASL) Classes
| | Classes are held once a week via Zoom. Choose from four classes. | |
Beginner ASL
June 8 - July 13, 2026 (6 Mondays)
1:00 - 2:00 pm on Zoom
Learn the basics of American Sign Language and Deaf culture. No prior experience is required.
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Beginner 2 ASL
June 9 - July 14, 2026 (6 Tuesdays)
10:30 - 11:30 am on Zoom
Build on the skills learned in Beginner ASL with more vocabulary, grammar, and conversational practice.
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Music in ASL
June 9 - July 28, 2026 (8 Tuesdays)
1:00 - 2:00 pm on Zoom
Learn how to interpret and perform songs in ASL. Open to all skill levels.
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Advanced ASL
June 10 - July 15, 2026 (6 Wednesdays)
1:00 - 2:00 pm on Zoom
For students who are confident in their signing skills, and ready to refine their fluency and cultural understanding.
| | | | Equip, Energize, and Empower! | |
July 14 - 16, 2026
10:00 am – 2:00 pm | DNEM Troy Office
Teens and young adults are invited to join us for an incredible experience! Through creative projects, leadership games, and real-life challenges, you'll build confidence, express yourself, and gain real-world life skills.
The cost is $30.
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Questions about E3 Summer Camp?
Contact Susan Griffo
SGriffo@DNEMichigan.org
586-268-4160, ext. 6628
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Thursday, June 4, 2026
10:00 - 11:30 pm OR 11:30 am - 1:00 pm
Stony Creek Metropark, Shelby Township
| | Whether you are new to golf or want to learn to use adaptive golf equipment, our therapists and golf pros will assist. All equipment is provided.
Hurry! June 1st is the last day to register. | | Stroke Survivor Recreation Group | | |
Wednesday, June 3, 2026
12:00 - 2:00 pm
DNEM Clinton Township Office
Explore new ways to stay active and engaged with others who understand the stroke recovery journey. June's focus will be mindful movement.
Please note that after June, the Stroke Survivor Recreation Group will take a summer break and resume on October 7, 2026.
| | Questions about the Stroke Survivor Recreation Group? | | Stroke Survivors Support Group | | |
Join us monthly for a support group for stroke survivors that meets at the DNEM Clinton Township office and community locations. The group is a safe space for stroke survivors, caregivers, family, and friends to connect with others who have similar experiences.
Wednesday, June 17, 2026
12:00 - 2:00 pm
DNEM Clinton Township office
Topic: Personality Changes after Stroke
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Questions about the Stroke Survivors Support Group?
Contact Julie at 586-263-2498
| | Join us for a nature walk to explore spring greenery and local wildlife.
Trails and buildings are fully accessible. All are welcome. | |
Monday, June 8, 2026
1:30 - 3:00 pm
Heritage Park, Farmington Hills
| | Questions about the Nature Appreciation Walk? | | Games & Social Hour - Virtual | | It's game time! Have fun and make new friends while playing games online. | | |
Tuesday, June 9, 2026
6:00 - 7:00 pm
On Zoom
| | Questions about Games & Social Hour - Virtual? | | Try-9 is an opportunity for golfers with disabilities to try, learn, or adapt golf by playing on a golf course for 2 hours. | | |
Tuesday, June 9, 16, or 23, 2026
10:00 am - 12:00 pm
Red Oaks Golf Course, Madison Heights
Please note that registration does not guarantee a spot. The program is limited to 12 players. If capacity is reached, applicants will be entered into a selection lottery, and those not selected will be added to a waitlist.
| | Questions about Try-9 Golf? | |
Contact Oakland County Parks
OCPrecreation@oakgov.com
248-221-8040
| | Have fun playing games outdoors and making new friends! It’s a great chance to relax, laugh, and spend time with others in a friendly, welcoming space. | | |
Wednesday, June 10, 2026
1:00 - 2:00 pm
Independence Oaks, Clarkston
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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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Kayaking on June 11, 2026
Reserve a one-hour spot between 10:00 am and 3:00 pm
40th St./Thompson Pond, Port Huron
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Kayaking on June 24, 2026
Reserve a one-hour spot between 9:00 am and 4:00 pm
Independence Oaks County Park, Clarkston
| | | | Adaptive Kayaking Sponsors: | | |
Join us for a morning of catching fish and enjoying the great outdoors!
This program is open to people of all abilities, whether you have never gone fishing or are a seasoned pro. We provide poles, bait, modifications, and adaptive equipment as needed for catch-and-release fishing.
Wednesday, June 17, 2026
10:00 - 11:30 am
Independence Oaks County Park, Clarkston
There are waitlists for additional adaptive fishing dates. Tap the registration link for more information.
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Thursday, June 18, 2026
10:00 am – 1:00 pm
Normandy Oaks County Park, Royal Oak
| | Join us for a hot dog picnic lunch and a variety of adaptive outdoor recreation experiences, including hiking, archery, cycling, crafts, and a golf demo. | | See more DiverAbility Days on the registration page and flyer. | | DiversAbility Day Sponsor: | | 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
| | Accessibility Just Became Your AI Strategy | | |
You are probably using AI more than you did six months ago. Maybe a lot more. Summarizing long reports. Pulling answers out of a private website that only your company or team can access, where you store all your shared knowledge. Drafting copy from old material. It has become part of the workflow.
Here is the thing nobody really talks about, though: AI can only work with what it can actually read. And if your documents and websites are not accessible, there is a lot it just can't see.
The good news? The same things that make content easier for people with disabilities to use also make it easier for AI to understand. You do not have to choose between the two. The work overlaps.
Here are a few places this shows up:
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Headings. When you tag a heading as a real H1 or H2 instead of just making the text big and bold you are giving both screen readers and AI a map of your document. Without that map, everything looks like one long blob.
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Alt text. AI is getting better at "seeing" images, but it still leans on alt text to know what is in them. A chart with the alt text "Q3 revenue grew 30%" tells the story. A chart called "chart_final_v2.png" tells nobody anything.
Buttons that are actually buttons. A real `` and a styled ` ` might look the same on screen, but one is meaningful to a screen reader (and to an AI agent browsing your site), and the other is invisible. The same goes for links, lists, and form fields: use the real thing, not a lookalike.
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PDFs from which text can be selected. If your PDF is a scanned image, AI can't read it. Neither can a screen reader. Therefore, if your archive is full of scanned documents, a big chunk of your team's knowledge is locked away.
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Plain language. Short sentences. Defined acronyms. Consistent terms. This helps everyone: readers with cognitive disabilities, non-native English speakers, busy colleagues, and yes, AI too.
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Captions and transcripts. A video without a transcript is a black box. Add one, and suddenly that webinar, that product demo, that all-hands-on meeting becomes searchable and summarizable.
You can see the pattern. Content that is structured, labeled, and clearly written works better for humans who need accommodations and for the AI tools we are all leaning on.
So next time accessibility comes up in a planning meeting and someone treats it like a nice-to-have, you have a new angle. It is not just the right thing to do (though it is). It is also what makes everything else you are building, including your AI, work.
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Questions about Digital Accessibility?
Contact Amy Maes
AMaes@DNEMichigan.org
586-268-4160 ext. 6604
| | 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. | | | | |
