Independence, Inc.

06/19/2026

Both our Lawrence and Kansas City offices are CLOSED Friday, June 19th in honor of Juneteenth. This includes our transportation services. Have a wonderful weekend!

06/09/2026

Getting involved with legislation that affects people with disabilities is a crucial part of the work being done towards investing in systemic, equitable change for the disability community.

Independence, Inc. staff Rex Ellebracht recently met with Representative Suzanne Wikle (both pictured below) from the 10th district, to discuss the "So EverBody Can Move Act" - a bill aimed at deconstructing barriers to proper orthotic care so that every BODY has access to mobility and independence.
Rex is a double lower-limb amputee and strong disability advocate both in our communities and at the state level.
https://soeverybodycanmove.org/

06/09/2026

Important information - text translated to Spanish is at the end of the post.

Due to the passage of federal House Resolution 1, commonly referred to as H.R. 1, beginning Oct. 1, 2026, there will be changes to KanCare eligibility for certain immigration statuses such as refugees or asylees, humanitarian parolees, and immigrants who are survivors of domestic violence or human trafficking.

If you are a green card holder, a Cuban or Haitian immigrant, a migrant and citizen of the freely associated states (COFA migrant) or are a lawful permanent resident, there are no changes to your eligibility.
For questions, call the KanCare Clearinghouse at 1-800-792-4884.

Debido a la aprobación de la Resolución 1 de la Cámara de Representantes federal, comúnmente conocida como H.R. 1, a partir del 1 de octubre de 2026, habrá cambios en los requisitos de elegibilidad para KanCare para determinados estatus migratorios, como refugiados o asilados, personas con permiso por razones humanitarias e inmigrantes que son sobrevivientes de violencia doméstica o trata de personas.

Si usted es titular de una tarjeta verde, inmigrante cubano o haitiano, migrante y ciudadano de los estados libremente asociados (migrante COFA) o residente permanente legal, no hay cambios en su elegibilidad.
Si tiene alguna pregunta, llame al Centro de Información de KanCare al 1-800-792-4884.

06/09/2026

Help us congratulate Steph on her years of service and advocacy and best wishes for a well-deserved, thriving and happy retirement!

We have a very special announcement 🎉

After more than 25 years of fighting for disability rights — 12 years at independent living centers across Kansas, and nearly 12 years here at SACK — our beloved Advocacy Advisor, Steph Sanford, is retiring.

Steph has been a disability rights advocate her entire life. She has shown up for self-advocates, for our mission, and for the people of Kansas in ways we can never fully repay.

We are celebrating her in the biggest way we know how… at the SACK 2026 Conference in Manhattan! Saturday night, June 20, we will honor Steph at a special retirement dinner and party.

Stay tuned for more. This one is going to be special.



[Image description: Green Banner with photo of Steph, a white woman with short hair wearing sunglasses and a green hoodie + text above "2026 CONFERENCE ANNOUNCEMENT JOIN US IN CELEBRATING THE RETIREMENT OF STEPH SANFORD JUNE 20, 2026 5:30PM]

06/09/2026

Know and understand both your rights and the rights of business owners and patrons when it comes to service animals.

In what situation is a business owner permitted to ask a handler to remove their service animal if it’s being disruptive?

A decision to exclude a service animal cannot be based on the notion that an animal might threaten the safety of others. It also cannot be based on a business person’s assumptions or bad experiences with other animals. Each service animal must be considered individually.

Check out our FAQ page to learn more: https://adata.org/faq/can-i-exclude-animal-doesnt-really-seem-dangerous-disruptive-my-business

06/09/2026

From The Heller School for Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University - Fast Facts: Who are Disabled Dads?

Here are some facts about dads with disabilities from our data dashboard:

📊 There are about 1,956,000 dads who identify as disabled in the United States. This means that approximately 1 in 15 dads identify as disabled nationwide.

👨🏽‍🦯‍➡️ Disability disproportionately impacts dads from Black or Native American backgrounds.
• 14.1% of American Indian/Alaskan dads are disabled.
• 8.4% of Black dads are disabled.
• 6.6% of White dads are disabled.

💰 Data also shows that Native American dads with disabilities have high rates of poverty.
• Native disabled dads make up 12.4% of all Native dads above the poverty line and 21.4% of all Native dads below the poverty line.

🧹 Independent living disabilities are the most common disability reported by disabled dads, impacting 2.4% of all dads in the United States.

Learn more about disabled dads using our Disability Data Dashboard: https://heller.brandeis.edu/parents-with-disabilities/data-hub/parenting-center-dashboard.html

There are roughly 4.5 million disabled parents in the U.S. The National Research Center for Parents with Disabilities dashboards are intended to be a tool for self advocates, policy makers, disability advocacy organizations and others to learn more about who disabled parents are— and provide an op...

06/09/2026

Are You a Parent with a Disability? Share Your Experience in a Blog Post or Video!
Here's a great opportunity for dads wtih disabilities to share your perspective on the experiences, misunderstandings and needs of parents with disabilities. This blog was built to "amplify stories of a racially, culturally, and experientially diverse group of people"

*Email your submission to [email protected] with the subject "Blog Submission."
*Contributors will be paid $100 if their work is published.
*Submissions should be the submitter's original work and not be generated by AI or other similar tool.
https://heller.brandeis.edu/parents-with-disabilities/community/call-for-submissions.html

Share your story in our blog about the experiences and needs of parents with disabilities. Our blog publishes blog posts in English as well as in Spanish. Blog posts are accepted throughout the year.

06/03/2026

Meet Ms. Millie! What a wonderful, hard-working, enthusiastic learner!

06/03/2026

Meet Millie -
Ms. Millie has a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) but even before her TBI, she had yet to learn how to read. Now in her 60's, Millie is working with two of our fabulous Independent Living Skills Specialists to start with the basics of sounding out letters and letter combinations, and within just a few weeks, is now working through first grade-level workbooks on both writing and reading.
We are over the top excited for Millie and what the future holds for her as she aquires greater independence through reading and writing. She mentioned the ability to read a menu and make her own choices to order as one of the things she is most looking forward to! Millie, you're a rockstar!


Video Description: two women are sitting at a table side-by-side while one woman sounds out words in a workbook while using a pen to write the word.