Screenshot of fundraising page showing results of $100,050 raised with 176 supporters.

We Did It—Together!

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 DisCo: Thriving Together campaign. In just one day, 176 supporters came together to raise a total of $100,050 to advance careers, transform lives, and build inclusion where we live, learn, work, and play.

This outpouring of support shows what happens when our community comes together for disability inclusion.

Every dollar donated during the campaign was tripled thanks to the generosity of our matching donors: Amy and Brian Bird, Gerard and Judy Buckley, Anne and Bill Chao, Brian Chao, Katie and Charlie Claggett, Steve Degnan, Christopher Gaines, Sam Harding, Kara Kopplin Krawat and Tony Krawat, Christina and Bryan Lawrence, Trent and Natalie Phelps, Jean Raybuck, Debbie Strobach, Susan and Tom Terrell, and Hobie Truesdell.

Their commitment ensured that each gift had three times the impact for people with disabilities in St. Louis and beyond.

Your gifts will fund disability-led programs that open doors to economic opportunity and drive change in workplaces and communities.

Together, we’ll continue educating nondisabled people about building inclusive environments where everyone has the opportunity to thrive and equipping students and job seekers, like Holly, with disabilities with the tools, resources, and confidence to achieve their career goals.

Impact x3

Thank You to Our Match Donors

Meet Holly

Holly is a bright student studying to be a veterinary technician. Holly is also Deaf and uses ASL (American Sign Language). On top of her coursework, Holly navigates many barriers that do not exist for her nondisabled peers.

Accommodations, like securing extended testing time in a private room with interpreter support and Deaf inclusive course materials, are the tools she needs to thrive in her academic career. Having the right to an accommodation doesn’t mean you automatically receive it. Once a student is out of high school, the responsibility to request and advocate for equal educational access falls completely on the student. These requests usually require educating administrators and individual professors about barriers they are not aware of (and feeling lucky if they do not accuse the student of angling for an unfair advantage over their classmates!).

No student wants to get on their professor’s radar as being the squeaky wheel—especially when their grade depends on it.

Holly did not know how to have these crucial conversations. She works hard but, without the accommodations she needs to get the same education as her hearing classmates, she was struggling. Her career goals felt unreachable.

Holly connected with Starkloff’s Deaf and Hard of Hearing Outreach Coordinator Karyn, a successful Deaf professional who has navigated the same barriers throughout her life, and learned a better approach.

With coaching from Karyn, Holly gained confidence. She learned about her rights under the ADA and Section 504, and how to effectively advocate for herself. While it’s still a long process, Holly is pursuing the support she needs to succeed in school and launch her career!

While the dance floor lights have dimmed, the energy of The Starkloff DisCo continues. Your generosity ensures that more disabled professionals will find meaningful careers, that more businesses will learn the value of disability inclusion, and that our shared community becomes stronger and more equitable for all.

From everyone at Starkloff Disability Institute—thank you for believing in our mission and helping us reach this remarkable milestone. Because when one of us shines, we all shine. 🪩

Disabled people thriving. Together.

The Starkloff DisCo: Thriving Together. 24 Hours Only. October 28-29. Disco balls and photos from Starkloff’s programs.
BlogCollegeCommunity InclusionDeaf & Hard of HearingDisCoImpactSDI News