Blog

Read about our impact, latest updates, resources, and Disability Community news! Click on a title view each issue. January 2026 – Starting 2026 Strong—thanks to you. December 2025 –→

Our power comes from working together to break down barriers and toward a world where all of us have equal opportunity to thrive. “Injustice anywhere is a→

By: Danielle Guiffrida, MSW • Dream Big Coordinator Starkloff Disability Institute is proud to be a disability-led organization. It is so fundamental to our philosophy→

Our community’s support equipped 1,913 people with the knowledge, tools, and resources to be disability confident. Together we made a big impact this year! Thank you. What→

After hosting seven global Universal Design Summits, this year brought an exciting expansion to year-round programming! Our Universal Design Program Coordinator, Rachel Goldmeier, MSA, MPPA, made it a huge→

FOCUS’ Leadership St. Louis Visits Starkloff Disability Institute and the Transformative Power of Universal Design Participants in Leadership St. Louis (LSL), a renowned civic leadership program at FOCUS→

Starkloff CEO Lori Becker appeared on Monday's St. Louis On the Air, a public radio show, with two other members of the disability community to discuss their experiences of→

Max Starkloff knew that employment was the key to full independence. A job brings purpose, economic opportunity, and community connection. He believed that everyone deserved the opportunity for a→

A Season of Thanks at Starkloff Disability Institute Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and it’s the perfect time to think about all the things we’re grateful→

Shared from a Community Partner Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis are looking for adults with physical disabilities to take part in an online study. The goal→

We join with our global community of disabled people and allies to celebrate the life of activist Alice Wong who passed away on November 14, 2025. Alice was a→

Currently Starkloff Disability Institute is hiring for two roles on our Programs Team: Associate Director of Career Services Career Services Coordinator Both roles are crucial to delivering our innovative→

Highlights from the 11th Annual Starkloff Disability Employment Summit During the 80th anniversary of National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) this October, we proudly hosted the 11th→

The Starkloff DisCo: Thriving Together. Thanks to the incredible generosity of our community, the Starkloff Disability Institute reached—and even surpassed—our goal of raising $100,000 during The Starkloff→

by Steve Foelsch, Disability Policy Advisor On the list of things you need to have and do in order to live, learn, work, and play—to fully participate—in your→

Students exploring careers with top companies and building Disability Confidence. In the U.S., 1 in 4 people have a disability. Scientists, welders, bankers, designers…it’s impossible to→

Dismantling Barriers to Deaf Inclusion September is National Service Dog Month. SDI's Deaf and Hard of Hearing Outreach Coordinator, Karyn Houston, shares the life-changing impact of hearing dogs→

St. Louis County Library has assistive technology available for loan with your library card. At the St. Louis County Library (SLCL), assistive technology plays a pivotal role in→

Damian’s connection with Dream Big began in 2020, when he was just 14 years old and entering his freshman year of high school. That summer, Career Camp was held→

By Steve Foelsch, Disability Policy Advisor Sixty years ago, on July 30, 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed Medicare into law, launching one of the most transformative programs→

[Note: The incorrect link for the Universal Design Workplace Challenge was sent in our July newsletter. Our apologies for this error.] The Starkloff Disability Institute remembers with deep→

Competitive, Intense, and Coming to St. Louis in 2025 If you think baseball is exciting, just wait until you see a beep baseball game. This high-speed, high-stakes sport is→

On June 22, 1999, the United States Supreme Court ruled in Olmstead v. L.C. that segregation of people with disabilities in institutions and nursing homes→

Early this spring, SDI received an unexpected invitation to apply for a grant…and it turned out to be much more than a financial gift. The invitation came from the→

by: Lori Becker Last week, I was honored to be named a Titan 100 St. Louis—an award recognizing business executives who demonstrate exceptional leadership, vision,→

Press Release: St. Louis Camp Removes Cost Barrier, Empowering Youth with Disabilities to Dream Big St. Louis, MO – May 7, 2025 – What does it look like when→

by: Steven Foelsch, M. Ed. Reintroducing Myself and the Mission of Starkloff Disability Institute It’s been a long, cold, lonely winter—but now the weather→

by Rachel Goldmeier "It's Wait-for-Me Power!" The first time I shouted those words, I was sprinting past my family on a sidewalk. We were→

Mr. Graebe “literally saved my butt” and millions more.  This week, we join a global community in mourning the loss of an extraordinary innovator and→

A Response to Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Dehumanizing Remarks We echo Colin Killick, executive director of the Autism Self Advocacy Network, autistic people, and the wider disability community→

What do you want to be when you grow up? At Dream Big Camp, middle and high school students with disabilities can explore exciting career possibilities while connecting with peers,→

Like disability, learning about Black history [… was …] an affirmative self-undertaking. -- Britney Wilson, Associate Professor of Law and Director of the Civil Rights & Disability Justice Clinic, New→

We’re thrilled to announce the expansion of our Universal Design (UD) program from our biennial global conference to a dynamic, year-round initiative! This evolution reflects our commitment to making→

Dear Friends, We are facing an incredibly difficult and confusing time. The executive actions taken this past week threaten to undo decades of progress toward equality and inclusion, leaving→

Press Release: Aimee Wehmeier Joins Starkloff Disability Institute As Inaugural Chief Development Officer  St. Louis, MO – January 6, 2025 – Starkloff Disability Institute (SDI) today announced that Aimee Wehmeier→

I have met more people in positions of power at Starkloff with disabilities than anywhere else. Starkloff has empowered me to share my disabilities with others and live my→

Every organization should run voluntary self-ID campaigns. They should be run regularly, and the organization should report their results. What even is a voluntary self-ID campaign? Say you’re a→

Our longtime friend and board member, B.W. “Bill” Durham, Jr., passed away this week. As a board member from 2009 through 2019 and a member of our Leadership Council since→

On April 18, Starkloff Disability Institute welcomed an international delegation of education ministers from the Republic of Kazakhstan. This wasn’t our first time on the global stage. One of our→

Last week I was lucky enough to snag a ticket to the St. Louis Cardinals home opener, practically a holiday here in town. Between innings I was bopping around→

Disabled People Thriving: Starkloff Disability Institute Ready to Increase Impact with New Gift St. Louis, MO, March 19, 2024 – Today, MacKenzie Scott’s Yield Giving announced the Starkloff Disability Institute as→

Black Disabled People In the Arts Learn More About Featured Artists and Resources: Lindsay Adams, painter Mama Cax, model Diana Elizabeth Jordan, actor Phife Dawg and the tradition of→