Rooted &

Rising

Starkloff Disability Institute

2024 Gratitude and Impact Report 

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Leadership Note

2024 in Numbers

Programs in Action

Gratitude

Finances

What’s Next

Making inclusion
the norm,
not the exception.

Our programs are rooted in the legacy of Max Starkloff and the Disability Rights Movement—designed and led by people with disabilities.

Student and adult preparing a model rocket for launch.
Our first middle school cohort had a blast at Dream Big Career Camp!

Professionals from Boeing visited to discuss the many career paths available at their company and got middle schoolers excited building rockets to launch outside.

Dear Friends & Partners,

This year, Starkloff Disability Institute has grown from deep roots to new heights, thanks to your belief in our mission.​​

Our legacy, grounded in the Disability Rights Movement, continues to inspire us as we build disability confidence across our community. In 2024, we celebrated transformative milestones:

  • $2 million grant from Yield Giving
  • Dream Big expanded to middle school students
  • 10th Starkloff Disability Employment Summit
  • Universal Design program grew from a biennial conference to year-round education

These achievements reflect decades of advocacy and your steadfast support.

Our roots connect us to the values of independence, dignity, and equal opportunity. With your help, we are rising—empowering disabled people to thrive and leading the way for inclusive workplaces and communities.

Thank you for being part of this journey.

With gratitude,

Signed by Lori.

Lori Becker

Chief Executive Officer

Starkloff Disability Institute

Student and adult preparing a model rocket for launch.
Collaborating to bring down barriers.

Strong partnerships with companies like Nestlé Purina promote inclusive hiring. To build Disability Confidence, we also build connections—like collaborating with STLDEAC (St. Louis Deaf Employment Advancement Coalition) to share best practices with employers.

Leading a march through St. Louis streets: Judy Heumann, Justin and Yoshiko Dart, and Max Starkloff.
Rooted in our history.

Judy Heumann, Justin and Yoshiko Dart, and Max Starkloff lead a march through St. Louis to mark the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the landmark civil rights law they and other Disability Rights Movement leaders worked decades to achieve.

Our Mission

Starkloff Disability Institute builds inclusion where we live, learn, work, and play through disability-led programs that advance economic opportunity and transform lives.

An ASL conversation between an adult and a teen. Deaf Teen Club.
Connecting our community.

Karyn Houston, Deaf and Hard of Hearing Outreach Coordinator, builds connections across the Deaf community. As a volunteer with the Deaf Teen Club (at DEAF Inc.), Karyn introduced our programs to students excited to join Dream Big!

Scene of the big screen at Busch Stadium showing 3 guests for an interview and fist bumping Fredbird. One person is a power wheelchair user and another holds a white cane.
Celebrating Disabilities with the St. Louis Cardinals!

When the Cardinals hosted their first-ever Celebrate Disability theme night, they chose us as a planning partner. Starkloff CFO Brian Chao, Board member Pamela King, and CEO Lori Becker joined Cardinals staff on the field for a pre-game interview. (Fun fact: all three are proud Starkloff Career Academy grads!)

This is the best workshop I’ve attended!

Learning practical strategies from someone who also has disabilities—it’s the first time I’ve felt empowered to apply career advice to my own life.

– Access U student

Person checks into the conference, greeted by smiling staff and grabbing Disability Confident swag.
Celebrating 10 years of shifting employer perceptions of disability.

The Starkloff Disability Employment Summit has grown from a single conference room to a regional event. World Wide Technology hosted us for the second year and partners to produce the hybrid format that welcomes attendees from across the country.

Rising Impact: 2024 in Numbers

Supported by the deep roots of our history and your generosity, our mission is reaching further than ever before.

Dream Big

Prepared 44 kids with disabilities and 7 families for a successful transition to adulthood

Access U

Helped 90 college students with disabilities prepare to launch their careers

Career Academy

Empowered 100 professionals with disabilities the skills and confidence to advance their careers

Community Education

Taught 2,102 people to recognize and break down barriers that exclude people with disabilities in their communities

Employer Education

Marked 10 years of impact through the Starkloff Disability Employment Summit

Deaf and Hard of Hearing Outreach

Coached 24 ASL users to confidently take the next step in their careers

Disability-Led

Selected in the top 4.4% of applicants, earning a double grant from Yield Giving

Access U

3x growth of this innovative program for college students, boosting impact with training for faculty and staff

Dream Big

Hosted 4 weeks of in-person career exploration camp with visits to 18 companies

Employer Education

Equipped 1,285 leaders, managers, and coworkers with disability confidence so every employee can thrive

Deaf and Hard of Hearing Outreach

Connected with 144 schools and organizations to share career and inclusion resources for ASL users

Employer Education

Engaged with 20+ top employers, like Nestlé Purina and Edward Jones

I have met more people in positions of power with disabilities at Starkloff than anywhere else.

Starkloff has empowered me to share my disabilities with others and live my life with autonomy.

– Starkloff Career Academy graduate

16 people smile as a group. Some have obvious disabilities, including three wheelchair users.

Disability Led.

“Nothing about us without us.” This motto of the Disability Rights Movement is what sets Starkloff apart from so many other disability-focused organizations.

We know how to serve our community because we are part of it. Our leadership team and many board members are people with disabilities. Our programs are designed and led by people with disabilities. Our impact is disability led.

New Sprouts: Tyler takes the first step on his career path

When Tyler first arrived at Dream Big Summer Career Camp, he sat to the side and kept to himself.

Camp staff understood; they were patient and welcoming. Tyler grew more comfortable. For the first time, his disability meant he had something in common with everyone around him. He threw himself into camp projects and joined every hands-on activity. His confidence grew. By the last week, Tyler was the first to volunteer to present in front of campers, staff, and guests.

Dream Big helped Tyler see his unique strengths and a future within reach. With that foundation, Tyler applied for his first job and is now a proud member of the St. Louis Cardinals’ game-day staff. He works on a team of hundreds and welcomes thousands of fans to every game—achievements that seemed impossible when we first met him.

The confidence Tyler built at Dream Big empowered him to enter the workforce and gain skills that will serve him throughout his career.

Two Cardinals employees smiling at a Busch Stadium entrance gate.
Rooted and rising: programs with lifelong impact.

Former Dream Big student Tyler (left) applied for and landed his first job with the Cardinals. SDI programs are designed to root participants in their own confidence—building careers they love, not just nailing the next interview.

Two tween boys operate a robotic arm in a classroom lab.
Our future workforce.

Middle school students in Dream Big explored robotics at St. Louis Community College's Center for Workforce Innovation.

SDI leadership smiles in front of a shiny, new, accessible, high-capacity van.
Safe, reliable transportation for Dream Big students.

SDI purchased two accessible, high-capacity vans with grant funding early in the year. Our first van arrived in October and is ready for next summer.

Rising Impact in youth programs

Adding Middle School Programming

Since its pilot in 2017, Dream Big has made a difference for hundreds of high school students with disabilities, showing them that having a disability does not mean settling for less.

This year we piloted middle school programming through Dream Big. Research shows middle school is when students benefit most from career exploration. It’s also a major turning point. All the changes of the pre-teen years raise a critical question: will students stay engaged in learning?

Dream Big is designed to ignite students’ ambition. From college to lifelong careers, it helps students raise their expectations and picture their own success. That excitement—seeing a future they can imagine for themselves—is key to keeping students engaged in school.

Welcoming middle school students to Career Exploration Camp this summer and Career Club during the school year was a hit—and the students loved it!

We are excited to keep expanding middle school programming and are actively building relationships with schools and organizations to become a trusted resource for families of young students with disabilities.

◀ Barrier Breakthrough

Transportation is one of the biggest challenges we must solve for Camp each summer. Thanks to new grant funding, we now have two accessible vehicles ready for Dream Big Camp and more!

Candidates on the Rise

Emma, a talented young adult who is hard of hearing and relies on lip reading, was losing hope after applying for several positions without a response. She connected with Starkloff, and with resume help and one-on-one interview coaching, she secured a role as a Data Entry Specialist.

Mary, a seasoned professional, found an open role that checked every box. But a barrier nearly cost her the opportunity. As a top candidate, the employer called her multiple times. Mary answered using a relay service which makes phone calls accessible for Deaf people through an ASL interpreter. Because of a slight delay in connecting calls through the service, the employer kept hanging up, assuming Mary wasn’t answering.

The problem wasn’t that Mary is Deaf. The barrier was the employer’s unfamiliarity with relay services.

Starkloff connected with the employer, explained the issue, and educated their talent acquisition team about video relay and other common accommodations. The employer extended an offer. Mary accepted and smoothed the way for all future Deaf applicants.

Two adults giving a presentation to a room full of professionals.
Participants become partners as SDI Disability Trainers.

All Starkloff programs are grounded in the lived experience of people with disabilities. A core part of our employer and community education is our Disability Trainer program. These trainers are successful professionals (and occasionally students) with disabilities, many of whom are Starkloff program graduates.

Roxie, a recent Access U graduate, is a new trainer who recently presented with staff on welcoming neurodiversity at an organizational level. Trainers make it possible to have personal, experience-based conversations that bring “barriers” from abstract concepts to lived reality—even with large audiences. This approach maximizes our impact.

Starkloff Disability Employment Summit.

10 Years of Building Workplace Inclusion

Education I will carry with me for my whole career.

– Attendee, Starkloff Disability Employment Summit

168 professionals attended

100% reported increased disability confidence

Rebecca Cokely speaking in a crowded auditorium.
Rising from our roots to shape the modern workplace.

Opening keynote with Rebecca Cokely, advocate and first U.S. Disability Rights Program Officer at the Ford Foundation. Centering leaders with disabilities keeps content highly relevant and drives real-world impact.

Keynotes:

  • Rebecca Cokely
    Program Officer, U.S. Disability Rights
    Ford Foundation
  • Vincenzo Piscopo
    President & CEO, United Spinal Association;
    25 years in senior leadership at The Coca-Cola Company

Evidence-based training on: Accommodations • Barriers in the Workplace • Benefits of Disability Inclusion • Diversity Within Disability • Experience of Disabled Employees • Inclusive Communications • Self ID-Campaigns • Universal Design

5 professionals seated as a panel on an auditorium stage, some of whom have obvious disabilities.
Sharing real experiences makes a big impact.

Always one of the most popular sessions: successful professionals with disabilities share their workplace experiences, discuss barriers, and answer audience questions.

Three women laugh together. Two are little people and the other is average height.
Leading with excellence and experience.

The Ford Foundation's Rebecca Cokely, SDI Board member Pamela King, and founder and executive director of the Disabled Journalists Association Cara Reedy enjoy a laugh together between sessions at the 10th Starkloff Disability Employment Summit.

Conference room of professionals listening to presentation.
Diving deeper with breakout sessions.

Based on attendee feedback, we extended breakout sessions to 75 minutes to allow more time for Q&A.

Additional display screens in the control room show the virtual broadcast.
Hybrid format expands our reach.

Thanks to our generous host partners at World Wide Technology Global HQ for world-class tech support again this year.

6 professionals seated as a panel on an auditorium stage, some of whom have obvious disabilities.
Universal Design benefits the whole workforce.

A panel of disabled professionals shares how thoughtful design can turn an awkward individual accommodation into a feature that adds value for all employees.

Rising Recognition

Starkloff Disability Institute is breaking through to national and global audiences. Here are some of the organizations that recognized our work in 2024:

  • Grant from the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation in support of our innovative employment programs
  • Double grant from Yield Giving
  • Partnership with Neuro360, a regional coalition developing the future neuroscience workforce
  • Invited to share expertise with Missouri’s legislature
  • Frank Harkin Memorial Award from the National Council on Independent Living (NCIL)
  • Forbes feature with Board Chair Steve Degnan and CEO Lori Becker
  • Webster University named Access U Coordinator Katie Fields their 2024 Game Changer for developing our unparalleled college program, Access U

We are proud to share these honors with each of you whose time, talent, and generosity power our work.

12 professionals smiling on the steps of Missouri's capitol building, some of whom have obvious disabilities.
Invited to give expert testimony before the state legislature.

The Missouri House of Representatives' Special Interim Committee on Workforce Innovation and Technology invited us to testify as experts on disability employment.

National Council on Independent Living Frank Harkin Memorial Award. Senator Tom Harkin using sign language during a speech.
Recipient of NCIL's 2024 Frank Harkin Memorial Award.

Honoring SDI's commitment to advancing the rights of and creating opportunities for Americans with disabilities. (Fun fact: Max Starkloff founded NCIL, making this recognition especially meaningful.)

Forbes screenshot: Inside the Starkloff Disability Institute's Mission to Help Disabled People Thrive in Life, smiling Dream Big students.
Forbes feature with Board Chair Steve Degnan and CEO Lori Becker.

Steve's years of service with SDI led to a deeper conversation about disability inclusion in the workplace—and introduced our mission to Forbes' global audience.

7 people smile together on stage at Webster University, some of whom have obvious disabilities.
Access U Coordinator recognized as 2024 Game Changer.

Webster University named Katie Fields their 2024 Game Changer for developing Access U, our college program for students with disabilities.

Rising Together: Thank You

We are deeply grateful to the individuals and organizations whose generosity, partnership, and service grew our impact in 2024.

The Max Starkloff Society

$100,000+
  • Adele Braun Charitable Foundation
  • Anonymous (2)
  • Yield Giving
$50,000 – $99,999
  • United Way of Greater St. Louis
$25,000 – $49,999
  • Steve Degnan
  • Jean Raybuck
$10,000 – $24,999
  • American Direct Marketing Resources
  • Carol Benoist
  • David A. Blanton, III
  • The Dana Brown Charitable Trust, U.S. Bank, Trustee
  • Employees Community Fund of Boeing
  • Guth Family Foundation, Bank of America, N.A., Trustee
  • Sally Lemkemeier
  • Nestlé Purina PetCare
  • Trent Barnes Phelps
$10,000 – $24,999 cont.
  • Richard and Josephine Weil
  • Wipfli LLP
$5,000 – $9,999
  • Ameren Missouri
  • BJC HealthCare
  • Robert Butler & Susan Brown
  • Empowered Homes LLC
  • Joe & Mary Kay Freund
  • Christopher Gaines
  • Hugh & Janice Grant
  • John Allan Love Charitable Foundation
  • Kara Kopplin Krawat & Tony Krawat
  • Eddie & Betsy Lawlor
  • Mary Ranken Jordan & Ettie A. Jordan Charitable Foundation
  • MilliporeSigma
  • Ann Vogt
$5,000 – $9,999
  • Boeing Company
  • CannonDesign
$2,500 – $4,999 cont.
  • Edward Jones
  • FleishmanHillard
  • Graybar Foundation
  • Christina & Bryan Lawrence
  • Lawrence Group
  • McCarthy Building Companies, Inc.
  • Metro
  • Permobil Foundation
  • Lynda & Steve Peyton
  • Rick & Shelby Spiekermann
  • Debbie Strobach
  • Sue & Tom Terrell
  • World Wide Technology
$1,000 – $2,499
  • Pete & Margaret Beck
  • Lori Becker
  • Milton and Ruth Berman Family Foundation
  • Amy & Bryan Bird
  • Gerard & Judy Buckley
  • November & Mike Champion
$1,000 – $2,499 cont.
  • Brian W. Chao
  • Mary Lou Chao-Shoemaker
  • Charlie & Katie Claggett
  • Yoshiko Dart
  • Rose Mary Dieckhaus
  • James & Lionelle Elsesser
  • Richard Engelsmann & Diane Buhr Engelsmann, Engelsmann Charitable Fund
  • Karen Foss
  • Patsy French
  • Karen & Lawrence Goering
  • Duane & Catherine Hagen
  • Bradley & Brittany Hoffman
  • Karyn & Charles Houston
  • Kate Lane
  • Maggie Mahoney
  • The McPheeters Family
  • Faith Stevison
  • Marty & Susie Tendler
  • John Vella
  • Jean & William Wasko
B.W. "Bill" Durham, Jr.

Remembering Bill Durham

SDI Board of Directors 2009–2019 • SDI Leadership Council 2020–2024

Our longtime friend and board member, B.W. “Bill” Durham, Jr., passed away in June. Bill cared deeply about improving employment opportunities for the disability community, and he showed this through his dedication to SDI’s growth and stability during its formative early years.

We are deeply grateful for his friendship and many years of service to our mission.

$500 – $999
  • Kitty Bollinger
  • Marilyn & Dan Claggett
  • Tom & Meg Claggett
  • Robert & Diane Duddy
  • Sam Franklin
  • Patti White & Steve Fuller
  • Robert & Susan Goldstein
  • Gina Hilberry
  • Elizabeth Jantz
  • Thomas Ott & Steven Koehler
  • Carolyn Losos
  • Kelly Martin
  • Robert & Anita Messmer
  • David & Merle Millar
  • Paul Prifti
  • Jeff & Stephanie Zornes
$5 – $499
  • Dallas Adams
  • Shelley Adams
  • Marcus Adrian
  • Kaylin Alexander
  • Craig & Nellie Andrews
  • Anonymous (2)
  • Tempest Anthony
  • Hana Ayele
  • Richard & Iona Baldwin
  • Maryanne Barber
  • Gavin Barrett-Hayes
  • David Becker
  • John Becker
  • Margaret & Philip Beckley
  • Vernal & Nancy Beckmann
  • Jim Beirne
  • Patrick Bennett
  • Kim Benson
  • Jennifer Bess
  • Lisa Bettcher
  • Heather & Hank Blumenkemper
  • Robert & Claudia Bommarito
  • Katie Boren
  • Mindy Bormann
  • Hara Ann Bouganim
  • Kathie Boyer
  • Rachelle Branch
  • Jacob Brandt
  • Donald L. Brown
  • Shelby Brown
  • Allison Bruns
  • Michele Bryan
  • Carol Carter
  • Ed Casabar
$5 – $499 cont.
  • Christopher D. Castellanos
  • Andrew Chao
  • Anne & Bill Chao
  • Patti Chesler
  • Danielle Giuffrida & Paul Chicoineau
  • Phil Chicoineau
  • Kelly Christensen
  • Color Art
  • Matt Conboy
  • Charlene Zeni Connolly
  • Joseph Conway
  • Valerie Craig
  • Geoffrey Crowley
  • Ben Crowner
  • Joan & David Culver
  • Erin Cushing
  • Anthony Dalmeida
  • Blair Dammerman
  • Neil E. Das
  • Debbie & Eric Davis
  • Brian & Barbara Degnan
  • Marianne Degnan
  • Carol Dellwo
  • Phoebe Dent Weil
  • Astad Dhunjisha
  • Avery Dickinson
  • Madison Diemer
  • Diane Doggendorf
  • Tammie Donahue
  • Annie Donnell
  • John & Libby Donnell
  • Melanie Donnelly
  • Frederick Doss
  • Emily & Tyler Duddy
  • Janet Dussold
  • Lawrence Ennis
  • Kevin Erbs
  • Teresa & Jon Erickson
  • Danielle Faucett
  • Sarah Felts
  • Gavin Bettcher
  • Karen Fields
  • Katie Fields
  • Lance Finney
  • Barbra Fite
  • Donna Foelsch
  • Steve Foelsch
  • Meredith & Steve Friedman
  • Beth Fultz
  • Donna Gaines
  • Steve & Mary Alice Gallagher
  • Jim & Susan Gamble
$5 – $499 cont.
  • Jennifer & James Gansner
  • Linda Garcia
  • Mary Lou Garmoe
  • Meg & Nick Geiger
  • Allison Gerli
  • Hillary Gerling
  • Margaret Giles
  • Tom Giles
  • Brenda Giuffrida
  • Miranda Giuffrida
  • William Goodfriend
  • Shannon Grass
  • Margaret Gray
  • Monica Groth Farrar
  • Paul Gruber
  • Richard Gruber
  • Arthur & Abby Hailand
  • Let’s Build Hope
  • Jean Hamilton
  • Bruce & Diane Hartsfield
  • Jason Hartsfield
  • Yvette LeGear Hartsfield
  • Gabriel Hassan
  • Pam Hausmann
  • Cathy & Ward Hebert
  • Dalya Heller
  • Erin Herrera
  • Mary Lois Hilton
  • Cody Hinkle
  • Megan Hoermann
  • Nicole Holst
  • Katie Hrdlicka
  • Cyn-Thina Hughes
  • Leigh Hullverson
  • Brooke Hurst
  • Jacqueline Jefferson
  • Brent Joy
  • Stephen Jung
  • Bonnie Kallaos
  • Julie A. Kauffmann
  • Megan Kennedy
  • Tom Kerans & Mary Cox
  • Janice Kestler
  • Timothy Kiefer
  • Regina Kimbrel
  • Pamela King
  • Hannah Klein
  • Kenneth & Ingrid Klesh
  • Brett Klosterhoff
  • Meira Kreuter
  • Ty Krewson
  • Josie Kurz
$5 – $499 cont.
  • Lynn & Tim LaChance
  • Andrew & Kim Lackey
  • Ladue Chapel Women’s Association
  • Steffani & Lanny Lautenschlager
  • Anna Leavey
  • Daniel Lisella
  • Kate Mahoney
  • Mimi Newsham Mahoney
  • Pete & Jenni Mahoney
  • Jack & Sharon Marbarger
  • Christa Martin
  • Sarah Martin
  • Maribeth McAnany
  • Cynthia McCafferty
  • Anne Mitchell McCarthy
  • Kate McCarthy
  • Sheila McCarthy
  • Courtney McClellan
  • Guy & Peggy McClellan
  • Kim McDaniel
  • Tara McKeen
  • Laurie McLiney
  • Sarah Melinger
  • Matt Menietti
  • Anne Messmer
  • John Messmer
  • Karen Messmer
  • Dawn Miller
  • Debra Mize
  • Marjorie Moore
  • Kerri Morgan
  • Annie Morrow
  • Haley Moss
  • Julie Murphy
  • Debra Nani
  • Doug Nelson
  • Mary Jo Nelson
  • Janis Nemeth
  • Julian Nicks
  • Melissa O’Connor
  • Michael Olliver
  • Bev Palmquist
  • Vicki A. Pandolfo
  • Britt & Andres Parra
  • Paypal Charitable Giving Fund
  • Tom & Kris Pelizzaro
  • Margaret Petersen
  • Hannah Phillips
  • Tabitha Porter
  • Karen Poston
  • Ashley Pyle
$5 – $499 cont.
  • Gary & Marilyn Ratkin
  • Austin Ray
  • Tami Reask
  • Sarah Rebholz
  • Allison & Brock Reichart
  • David Rose
  • Todd Roth
  • Allie & Mike Rudroff
  • Ken Ryan
  • Betsy Sampson
  • Mackenzie Schaefer
  • Jim & Sheila Schnurbusch
  • Janice Schultz
  • Debbi & Ed Schwarz
  • Jennifer Shearon
  • William B. Sheldon
  • Sharon Silverstein
  • Angie Smart
  • Raymond Smith
  • Adewalé Soluade
  • Jennifer Song
  • Spark Coworking – St. Louis
  • Tracy Spivey
  • Karen Starks
  • Jan Stokes
  • J. Kennard Streett
  • Debbie Strobach
  • Carolyn & Daniel Teasley
  • Kathryn Tenkku
  • Luke Terrell & Andrea Schmid
  • Sherrie Thevel
  • Courtney Trocinski
  • Sarah Trulaske
  • Nancy Tucker
  • Anthony Turek
  • Cherie Viator
  • Pat Schmidt & Gary Vicik
  • Jane & Tom Vickrey
  • Daphne Viscomi
  • Chris & Erin Wagner
  • Margaret Wagner
  • Washington University in St. Louis
  • Roger & Christy Waxelman
  • Harry & Anne Weber
  • Shannon Weber
  • Aimee Wehmeier & Phil Ruth
  • Wells Fargo
  • Family of Anthony J. Windisch
  • Jean Yemm
  • YouthBridge Community Foundation
  • Allison Zuck

Thank you for helping disabled people thrive!

Community: The Reason We Rise

Deeply rooted values—by and for the disability community—realized $2 million gift

New heights to help disabled people thrive came within reach thanks to Yield Giving, MacKenzie Scott’s philanthropic organization.

The opportunity: In March 2023, Yield Giving invited community-led, community-focused organizations to apply for funding. Their goal: enable individuals and families to achieve meaningful improvements in their well-being through foundational resources. They planned to award $1 million each to 250 organizations. Starkloff was one of 6,353 applicants.

The process: Grantees were evaluated in three rounds. The first was peer evaluation. Top-rated organizations advanced to review by an external expert panel, and finalists underwent a round of due diligence. In recognition of the exceptional work of the top organizations as judged by peers and external panelists, the donor team expanded both the pool of awardees and the award amounts: 361 organizations would receive funding. Top-tier scorers would receive $2 million each (double the original award); the next tier would receive $1 million each.

The outcome: Starkloff Disability Institute was among 279 top-tier organizations, receiving a $2 million gift from Yield Giving in March 2024.

This award is transformative for our organization.

Disability is part of our diverse and vibrant human experience—an identity anyone can acquire at any time. Having a disability should not mean losing access to a meaningful career and full participation in your community.

This funding will increase our capacity to help more people and build inclusion everywhere we live, learn, work, and play. Together we will raise the bar so disabled people can thrive!

– Lori Becker, CEO

Financial Snapshot: 2024

For the fiscal year January 1, 2024 – December 31, 2024. The auditor’s report and complete financial statements are available upon request.

Support and Revenue
Contributions
Individual $         542,764
Corporate 91,450
Foundation 2,229,304
Total Contributions 2,863,518
Professional Services 111,906
Other 132,384
Total Support + Revenue $  3,107,808

Expenses

New Heights:

Growing Stronger Together

To our donors, partners, and community,

Your support is the foundation from which our mission grows.

Because of you, we are working toward ambitious goals to move the needle on disability inclusion:

  • Equip 100,000 people to be Disability Confident by 2035, challenging systemic exclusion
  • Establish regular Universal Design programming, host Universal Design Summit 8 in 2026, and make equity central to community development
  • Trademark and license our “Disability Confident” curriculum to amplify our impact nationwide
  • Continue growing candidate programs, reaching more students and professionals
  • Strengthen partnerships locally and nationally to advance disability inclusion

Together, we are building disability confidence, honoring our roots, and reaching for new heights.

Thank you for helping us build a brighter, more inclusive future.

Starkloff Board and staff with Rebecca Cokely smiling as a group on the Employment Summit mainstage.
Rebecca Cokely and the Starkloff Disability Institute team.

Members of SDI's Board of Directors and staff were honored to host Rebecca Cokely during our 10th Starkloff Disability Employment Summit. (Fun fact: Rebecca coined #DisCo on Twitter as easy shorthand for Disability Community, now used far and wide!)