Disability EmpowHer Network

Thank you to everyone who came out for our ROC+ Penne For Your Thoughts night last week! It was a night full of fun, empowHERing cooking and emotional regulation. Stay tuned for our announcement on next month’s joint ROC/ROC+ event👀 ID: a photo of a woman sitting in a powerchair eating pasta. The second photo shows four people in front of trays of food. The third photo shows a group of people eating at a table.

May is National Bike Month! Thousands of children and adults will be enjoying the warm weather on bicycles of all kinds, including disabled kids like Lilliana. Lilliana, age 6, just won an adaptive bike through @freedomconcepts . Wishing you a fun summer, Lilliana! Image ID: All on a hot pink background. Slide 1: The hot pink and white logo for National Bike Month is at the top, and at the bottom is a black and white image of a smiling disabled child. White text reads “Disabled girls ride bikes too!” Slide 2: White text reads “Lilliana, age 6, just won the Great Bike Giveaway from Freedom Concepts, Inc!” Under this is a black and white photo of a young girl sitting in her wheelchair and smiling Slide 3: A purple adaptive bike is above white text that reads “Congrats Lilliana! Have a great summer riding your new bike!” #nationalbikemonth #freedomconcepts #disabledgirlscan

Ever dreamed of having a storage unit named after you… or your beloved pet? 🐾📦 Now’s your chance! For a commitment of $2,000 per year, we’ll proudly name our organization’s storage unit in your honor — whether that’s “Bella’s Bins,” “Max’s Storage Spot,” or even “The [Your Name] Vault.” ✨ Your support helps us safely store the supplies, equipment, and resources that power our programs for disabled girls and women all year long 💜 Email us at [email protected] if interested! ID: a graphic with a photo of a storage unit in the center. The text reads Help us name our storage unit! By committing to $2000 a year to help us pay for our storage unit, you could have our storage unit named after yourself (or even your pet!).

We’re excited to celebrate two of our amazing Empowered Futures participants, Eric and Makayla, on their commitment to attend Rochester Institute of Technology this fall! 🎉 Through our Empowered Futures program, students with disabilities receive individualized support in areas like career exploration, workplace readiness, post-secondary planning, self-advocacy, and transition preparation for life after high school. Whether students are exploring college, employment, training programs, or independent living goals, Empowered Futures helps them build confidence and create a plan for their future. “I am happy to have help establishing my future.” – Eric “Disability EmpowHer Network has helped me tremendously this year as I begin my transition out of high school and into college. They have helped me apply to colleges, find scholarships, prepare for interviews, and advocate for myself. Through them I have been able to apply to college and for about 15 scholarships, know how to prepare for a variety of different interviews, and be able to transfer my accommodations over into college. I can’t wait to see what Disability EmpowHer Network helps me achieve next!” – Makayla We are so proud of everything these students have accomplished and can’t wait to see all they achieve in this next chapter! ID in captions

In May, we recognize those living with chronic fatigue syndrome, also known as myalgic encephalomyelitis. CFS/ME is a life altering invisible disability that could be affecting up to 3.3 million Americans, with most being undiagnosed. Image ID: On a light purple background with pastel clouds. Slide one reads CFE/ME AWARENESS in light purple bubble letters. Following this, in dark purple, it reads Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis Slide two reads What is CFS/ME? Chronic fatigue syndrome, also known as myalgic encephalomyelitis, is serious fatigue or malaise that is not improved by rest. Sufferers may have energy crashes, brain fog, pain, dizziness, joint or muscle pain, and/or headaches. Slide three reads How is it caused? The causes of CFS/ME are unknown, although a variety of factors have been reported, such as onset after infection, trauma, or genetics. How is it treated? CFS/ME currently has no FDA treatments. Sufferers can focus on managing symptoms and quality of life. Slide four reads Invisible disabilities exist! You can support people with CFS/ME by being patient with their energy levels, asking questions and truly listening to their responses, and believing their pain.

Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms — and especially the disabled moms — out there! 🌺 ID: Pink and Black text reading ‘Happy Mother’s Day’ on a purple background.

Join us for our upcoming book club meeting on Sunday, May 24 at 5:00p.m. EST, where we will be discussing True Biz by Sara Novic. The last day to sign up is May 15. Don’t forget to sign up through the link in our bio!

Our 2025 annual report is here! Take a look at the stories, milestones, and impact we made together in 2025. We are so proud of all we’ve accomplished and what is to come. Check out our annual report on our website using the links in our bio. Image description: photos of diverse disabled women, girls, and nonbinary people in different settings. Text reads: Annual Report 2025 When Disabled Girls Lead, We All Succeed!

Thank you so much to those of you who sent us gifts on our wish list. These gifts will help us so much with EmpowHer Camp, from the first aid kits to tie dye kits. We have an incredible group of young leaders joining us this year and we can’t wait for you to learn more about them when they join us this summer 💜

From Rochester to Spokane, our CEO Stephanie Woodward was honored to keynote the Washington Association on Postsecondary Education and Disability conference and lead workshops with disability services professionals from across Washington State. Together, they explored how to use the law and the power of community to create real solutions to access barriers and better support disabled students in higher education. Even better, this moment included connecting with our own board member Davi Kallman, who is part of the WAPED community. This is exactly what Disability EmpowHer Network is all about, building leadership, strengthening systems, and making sure disabled people are shaping the spaces we are part of. Image description: The first photo is of Stephanie sitting in her wheelchair in front of a screen and behind a table. She is next to Judy Risch, J.D., Ph.D who she co-presented workshops with. The second photo shows Davi Kallman (left) and Stephanie (right) smiling for a selfie.

We're coming to your feed with oodles of cuteness for National Therapy Dog Day! One of our 2025 EmpowHer Camp Graduates, Solen Duwell-Le Bihan, recognized the power of therapy dogs and wanted to make a difference in her community. Her project focused on bringing free therapy dog aid to vulnerable communities and measuring how much it can help those in need. After hours of time spent with the community and an adorable armada of canine companions, she gathered data that clearly shows that time spent with some darling doggos can significantly reduce stress levels! Thanks to Solen and the team of volunteer therapy dogs and their handlers for Lending A Paw to their community! image descriptions: 1. Solen a white woman with glasses hugs a golden retriever 2. a golden retriever puts his paws on the shoulders of a white person with long hair and a black hat kneeling in front of him with their back to the camera. 3. a fluffy dark brown and white dog lies on its back getting tummy scratches from a white hand connected to a body off screen.

Ready to make this summer count? ☀️ Our Empowered Futures Summer Sessions are here, and they’re completely FREE for students with disabilities who want to start planning for life after high school. Whether you’re thinking about college, careers, or just figuring out what comes next, we’ve got you covered. This summer we’re offering sessions focused on: 6/29-7/2 Nazareth University College Prep (applications, supports, what to expect) 7/6-7/9 Gates Library Self-Advocacy (learn how to speak up, set goals, and navigate systems) 7/13-7/16 Irondequoit Library Workplace Readiness (real-life skills that matter) All sessions are 9am-2:30pm and include lunch. 💡 These are interactive, supportive sessions with real conversations, not lectures. 💡 Meet other students, explore your goals, and build confidence for your future. Spots are limited, so don’t wait to sign up through the link in our bio. Image description: A bright summer-themed social media graphic promoting free Empowered Futures Summer Sessions for students with disabilities. The design includes warm colors, playful elements like sunshine and icons, and highlights topics such as college prep, job exploration, workplace readiness, and self-advocacy, along with dates and locations.