St. Louis Musicians for People with Disabilities

07/16/2023

Dear friends. Due to health setbacks that I experienced in May and In July, our nonprofit group St. Louis Musicians for people with Disabilities believes it is best to postpone for approximately three months. the musical charitable fundraising event originally planned for September.
Please accept my deepest apology for any inconvenience or disappointment this may cause you or anyone who has been planning to participate in the September event – which has not been announced except to a few people.
I am presently recovering well with daily occupational and physical therapy at a skilled nursing center in Creve Coeur.

I believe our nonprofit group’s organizational mission and outcome will be better served by our board’s decision to postpone the September event. Renewed apologies for any inconvenience. Thank you for your support.

Jeff Dunlap – Board Chairman - St. Louis Musicians for people with Disabilities

05/04/2023

By Aimee Wehmeier, President of Paraquad
One of the nation's first Centers for Independent Living.
https://paraquad.org/

When I was a small child, I wanted to be a store clerk. I did not walk, and I can remember my dad sitting me on the counter while he checked out. I loved sitting up high and talking to the clerks. As I got older, the vision of who I could become was less clear. I never dreamed of being extraordinary. In fact, growing up in mid-Missouri as a child with muscular dystrophy, I very much wanted a “typical” life.
By “typical” I mean I wanted to be invited to birthday parties, school dances and other social events. I wanted to go to college and build a career. Eventually I hoped to have a house, an accessible van, and a family. But the path to “typical” is not simple for people with disabilities. Too often there are barriers we must overcome.
I am fortunate to live the typical life I envisioned, but it wasn’t easy, and my experience is not common for most people with disabilities. I have an amazing job as President of Paraquad, one of the oldest and largest independent living centers in the U.S. We envision an integrated society free of barriers and discrimination where disability is viewed as a natural part of human diversity. The mission of Paraquad is the story of my typical life.
Unfortunately, people with disabilities in the St. Louis Region now are experiencing new barriers in their pursuit of a typical life. Metro announced in a press release on February 28th that their Call-A-Ride services will be cut on April 10, both by location and time of day. A March 7 public meeting on this topic was inadequately planned and publicized, and many Call-A-Ride users are just now learning they must find alternative ways to get to work, shop, visit doctors, enjoy recreation, etc.
Affordable, safe, and accessible transportation can be difficult for people with disabilities. Most cabs and rideshare vehicles do not have a lift for motorized wheelchairs. Those who are blind cannot use ride-sharing apps where taking turns as the driver is an expectation.
Call-a-Ride has long been the most accessible and affordable transportation option for St. Louisans with disabilities. Less than six weeks’ notice is not enough time for many current users to make alternative plans.
On March 14, Paraquad joined with other organizations that seek to remove barriers for people with disabilities to ask Metro for a six-month delay in implementing the cuts and for conversations to seek a different solution. Metro refused, stating “Our customers have been experiencing inconsistent and unreliable service – from excessively long wait times when trying to schedule a trip, to having their trip requests denied due to the workforce shortage.” Metro admits that they denied 40 percent of requests in January.
How does Metro’s “inconsistent and unreliable service” plus the announced cuts impact real people in our region? Anna has a disability and shared her story with Paraquad. A few years ago, she was employed at a not-for-profit serving other people with disabilities. Her employer showed uncommon patience with the number of days that Call-A-Ride caused Anna to be late. “They would have been within their rights to terminate me,” Anna said.
She decided she must find another way to get to work to solve the timeliness issue. When she caught a ride with co-workers, her daily transportation costs more than doubled from $8 to $18.
Anna is also a breast cancer survivor. She received radiation at a location that will no longer be accessible by Call-A-Ride. She will need to find alternative transportation for annual appointments. Now retired, Anna told me how worried she is for other Call-A-Ride users. “With both employment and cancer treatment, you’re expected to be on time,” she said.
East-West Gateway Council of Governments has called for our region to reach “transportation equity” by 2050. The announced cuts by Metro are a huge setback to achieving that goal. We cannot reach transportation equity by 2050 if we ignore the needs of people with disabilities in 2023. The reductions in service must be delayed while people of good will from many sectors meet to find a solution that works for all of us.

Aimee Wehmeier, MBA, is the President Paraquad, She earned a BA from the University of Missouri and an MBA from William Woods University.

This Guest Column originally appeared in the St. Louis Business Journal, March 30, 2023.

03/25/2023

Congratulations to Clayton, Missouri, high school senior Holly Connor for winning the Missouri Governor’s Council on Disability 2022 Youth Leadership Award. Holly is an aspiring singer, actor and musician who will attend Webster University in the fall and pursue a degree in Vocal Performance. Throughout her life, she has spread stories of awareness, acceptance and inclusion with others to help improve quality of life for all people with disabilities. Born blind and autistic, Holly has performed more in than 80 musical events.

03/22/2023

"Motown Meets Country Music" at this Friday's free online dance party at 12 noon eastern time. Hosted via Zoom, you can boogie enjoying great hits from both music genres during this free, one-hour event. To attend, check out this video link:

DMF Virtual Live Events are a way to keep us all connected through music, regardless of where you live--we invite you to join us for our Afternoon Dance Part...

03/09/2023

This unique film tells of popular St. Louis musician Ryan Koenig and how his life changed by a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). He articulates the emotions, thoughts, and experiences of someone whose world changed instantly and the struggles to rebuild himself.

"Ryan Koenig - Man, Musician, Brain Injury Survivor"

https://ryandoc.org/?fbclid=IwAR0Qrdo9Ms3xj1hQfK3nxshBx32wwWOYxjjQ2sNkdQtDW-qcUG3THjbQfAU

Man, Musician, Brain Injury Survivor

03/08/2023

St. Louis rising star vocalist Holly Connor, now age 18, who was born blind and autistic, is beyond excited to have been invited to sing the National Anthem at the upcoming April 1, 2023 St. Louis CITY SC match against Minnesota. Broadcast by Apple TV, this will be Holly’s biggest live audience to date among the many places where she has performed. She can't wait. Go, Holly, go!

02/28/2023

Deanna McClintock Executive Director of the Undivided Experience Center at Undivided Wealth Management, has been named an advisory member of the board of directors for St. Louis Musicians for People with DisAbilities, a 501 C 3 not-for-profit organization.
As Executive Director of the Undivided Experience Center in Chesterfield, McClintock oversees programs and events, builds community relationships, supports consulting opportunities, leads marketing efforts and assists with strategic planning and leadership development of Undivided Wealth Management. www.UndividedEC.com.
McClintock said, “St. Louis Musicians for People with DisAbilities is unique among nonprofit entities in metro St. Louis. I am pleased and excited to be associated with its dedicated board of directors.”
The mission of St. Louis Musicians for People with DisAbilities is to provide financial and other support to people with disAbilities by engaging talented performers in fundraising concerts to support organizations that help people who are disabled. Three of the eight musical acts featured at the organization’s inaugural fundraising event in 2022 featured performers with a disability.
Jeff Dunlap, board chairman, said, “St. Louis Musicians for People with DisAbilities wants to help change society’s perceptions about people with a disAbility, advance ability awareness for all people considered disAbled, and endorse organizations that help them overcome challenges in today’s world.”
The group will host a second fundraising concert in 2023. To learn about St. Louis Musicians for People with DisAbilities email [email protected]. Visit https://www.facebook.com/SLMFPD.
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02/24/2023

Today we celebrate José Monserrate Feliciano Garcia, aka José Feliciano. Born blind in Puerto Rico in 1945. José became an internationally famous guitarist and singer who fused Latin, blues, jazz, soul and rock in 50 record albums that he performed in English and Spanish.

"California Dreamin" by José FelicianoListen to José Feliciano: https://JoseFeliciano.lnk.to/listenYDSubscribe to the official José Feliciano YouTube channel...

02/12/2023

ROLL WITH IT
Nominated for 2023 "Best New Play"
- St. Louis Theater Circle
Available to view until May 31, 2023. Click photo to get tickets!

A true story! Disability is met with integrity, comedy, love, tears and perseverance. Katie learns & shares her coping skills. (Profanity.)

12/18/2022

"Gravity" and The Wheelchair Dance

Infinite Flow - An Inclusive Dance Company uses dance as a vehicle to empower people and eliminate the stigma associated with disability. We challenge our ar...

11/28/2022

Hello! To make a tax-deductible donation to St. Louis Musicians for People with Disabilities, please mail your check to Branch Manager, United Missouri Bank, 1041 South Woods Mill Road, Chesterfield, Missouri, 63017. Please make check payable to St. Louis Musicians for People with Disabilities. Federal tax ID is EIN 88-2364514. We are a 501 C 3 not-for-profit in St. Louis, Missouri. Our mission is to help support people with disabilities by staging fundraising concerts for donations to charities that help them. We recently donated $1,000 to St. Louis Arc. The enjoyable country rock band Rosewood, shown here, performed a our September 25 event.

11/04/2022

Voting Campaign Builds the Power of the Disability Vote in 2022

There are more than 38 million people with disabilities eligible to vote in the 2022 midterm elections. Disabled voters play a key role each election, making up about 1 out of every 6 eligible voters. The American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) REV UP Campaign has been working in collaboration with national and local partners throughout the year to get out the disability vote.
To prepare for the midterms, REV UP developed 51 Voting Guides for each state and the District of Columbia, the REV UP Voting Issues Guide, Accessibility Tips, and a Voting Outreach Toolkit. Since January of 2022, REV UP provided $200,000 to grassroots disability vote coalitions and organizations across 28 states. These groups used this funding to build the power of the disability vote through:
• Registering disabled voters in their local communities.
• Training disabled voters on their voting rights.
• Conducting accessibility audits to ensure voting is accessible.
• Hosting candidate forums on disability issues.
• Educating voters on how to make a voting plan.
• Mobilizing voters to participate in the 2022 midterm elections.
AAPD President and CEO Maria Town stated, “Every election and every vote matters. This election, many issues of vital importance to people with disabilities are on the ballot, from healthcare to community living, from abortion to voting rights themselves. In this, and in every election, disabled voters have the right to take part in democracy free from ableism, access barriers, intimidation, and discrimination. That’s why AAPD and the REV UP Campaign work year round to make sure the disability community has access to the ballot.”
To learn more about voting with a disability, visit aapd.com/wevote.

To learn more about AAPD, visit www.aapd.com.