ABOUT KRISTEN COLUMBUS:
Before stepping up into the President/CEO role in April 2025, Kristen was thrilled to return to Washtenaw Association for Community Advocacy in October 2023. Kristen’s interest in disability advocacy comes from her experiences as the mother of a young adult who lives with complex developmental disabilities.
Prior to her recent tenure with ACA, Kristen was a project manager at the Michigan Developmental Disabilities Institute at Wayne State University from 2020-2023, and a parent mentor with Michigan Alliance for Families from 2011-2020. Kristen holds a master’s degree in social work from Michigan State University and a graduate certificate in nonprofit management from Wayne State University. She lives in Saline, Michigan.
RESOURCES:
Washtenaw Association for Community Advocacy (WACA)
TRANSCRIPTION:
David Fair: This is 89.1 WEMU, and what we can say about the first eight months of this year with certainty is we're living in a time of great uncertainty. That is true on a number of fronts. I'm David Fair, and welcome to this week's edition of Washtenaw United. It's our weekly exploration of equity and equality and opportunity in our community. Fact of the matter is, we all need a hand-up sometimes. For over 75 years, the Washtenaw Association for Community Advocacy has offered that extra support to those with Intellectual and development disabilities, or IDD. At the end of last year, there was a big boost to those efforts. This year, changes in federal policy and priorities present some bigger challenges. Here to talk us through it is Kristen Columbus. She is President and CEO of the Association, and thanks so much for the time today! I appreciate it!
Kristen Columbus: Well, thank you for having me! I'm glad to be here!
David Fair: You returned to the organization in 2023 and, as of April, ascended to the position of President and CEO, but you've been working in the field a long time. Have you experienced anything as politically and financially turbulent as what we've seen so far this year?
Kristen Columbus: Absolutely not! I think this is quite, as you alluded to, very, very unprecedented, just in the number of changes in the five of these changes that are all happening together and certainly the people that we support, people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, or IDD, and their families, a lot of these individuals really rely on public services: social security and Medicaid and public education in school. It's definitely a very anxiety-producing time for those that we serve.
David Fair: So, let's take a step back for a minute and perhaps better explain exactly what the Washtenaw Association for Community Advocacy is and what it does. I think there may be some misconceptions about the population you serve. When talking with people about IDD, I found most immediately assumed that you're talking about people with autism. That's an incomplete picture, right?
Kristen Columbus: Yes. Certainly, autism is one of the many, many, what we call, developmental disabilities. It impacts people across human society. You know, humans are diverse, and disability is part of the natural human experience. But autism, like all disabilities, it manifests or shows up in a person before age 22. And developmental disabilities are lifelong, and the key about them is they usually affect more than one part of a person's life. So, they include conditions like Down syndrome, fetal alcohol syndrome, also autism, and the needs tend to be high and complex and does affect the entire family in different ways.
David Fair: Since 2015, your organization was part of a lawsuit, and, at the end of last year, a federal judge made a ruling that fundamentally changed the level of support that could be offered to some of those you work with. What changed for the better?
Kristen Columbus: After nine long years in federal court, we really got everything that we wanted and needed out of that ruling. The settlement really affirmed the right and need of people with developmental disabilities to hire and retain caregivers. And these caregivers provide people with IDD the support they need to live and be of their communities to do very basic things that you and I take for granted, like being able to leave our house and do the things that we need and want to do each day. And some decisions that were made locally in 2015 meant that people with IDD all of a sudden couldn't get those services that they need. They couldn't find the caregivers that they needed to live. And this will provide a higher wage for caregivers and really support and affirm the right of people with IDD to live and be part of their community.
David Fair: Our Washtenaw United conversation with Washtenaw Association for Community Advocacy President and CEO, Kristen Columbus, continues on 89.1 WEMU. Glad you brought up caregivers. As you've noted, pay in most cases is insufficient. As I understand it, tapping into the student population at Eastern Michigan University has been a benefit to those families dealing with IDD.
Kristen Columbus: Absolutely! And I've been one of those families. We have found some wonderful caregivers for my son. They were students at EMU--Eastern's academic programs, including occupational therapy, special education, social work and more--they have produced many local professionals over the years to have and continue to do great work in the disability field. And while they are college students and learning, they have provided a very valuable service to families, and I think also gotten some wonderful experience that they then used over the course of their careers.
David Fair: You mentioned that you have been a personal beneficiary. Is there a reason that this work and this subject matter is so personal to you?
Kristen Columbus: Yes, absolutely! My original goal and plan for life: I was going to go into chemistry when I graduated college. And I came out to Michigan, actually. I was a Ph.D student at the University of Michigan when my first child was born. And when he was only a few months old, we started to realize that he had a type of developmental disability. He's now 24 and doing very, very well. And the first couple years of his life, we were going to a lot of doctors' appointments and therapies and trying to figure out what was going on with him, and I met other parents who were all going through the same thing. I learned that we had a lot in common but also that each family's experiences is unique. And I started volunteering with advocacy groups, and, really, it's been a wonderful journey!
David Fair: What about those life experiences and the family experience informs the manner in which you now approach your professional life?
Kristen Columbus: Well, because I do have both a professional interest, I am a social worker, but also the personal interest as a parent of a person living with IDD. It reminds me every day how important ACA's work is. So, for example, when I talk with a parent who is older and trying to plan for who will care for her child after she's gone, I know that she was once my age. And I will, one day, if I am lucky, be her age. So, ACA has been working, as you mentioned, in Washtenaw County for over 75 years. And people with IDD, like my son, and all the other individuals with disabilities will always be important and valued members of our communities. And ACA is the advocacy force that continues to support and nurture that sense of belonging.
David Fair: Once again, this is 89.1 WEMU. We're talking with Washtenaw Association for Community Advocacy President and CEO, Kristen Columbus. And as such, Kristen, you know better than most that it's difficult under the best of circumstances. But the President's One Big, Beautiful Bill, as he calls it, is expected to result in more than a $1 billion hit to the state budget. That's going to dramatically impact safety net programs, like SNAP and Medicaid. What have you found so far in researching how that may impact people with IDD and their families?
Kristen Columbus: Well, I think I've heard a lot of people talk sometimes that if I was just going after fraud waste and abuse, they're not really targeting people with disabilities, they're not targeting my loved ones. And even though that the bill--the federal bill--did not directly target services for people with IDD, we're very concerned that because of those budget deficits that you mentioned, they're going to have to make cuts somewhere. And so, for example, they might decide to cut the services that people with IDD need like those Medicaid home and community-based services--the services but we fought so hard to win and protect in the WACA settlement. The state is looking at a budget deficit of a billion dollars or more that they have to deal with somehow, and it's clear that people with IDD are going to be impacted in harmed by these cuts.
David Fair: Well, that leads us to the other part of what you do. Beyond services, the other function is advocacy. Where are you finding successes or support in our various levels and branches of government?
Kristen Columbus: Certainly, the WACA case was a wonderful example of a legal and judicial victory. We also have some great relations with our local schools. Part of my work, in particular with the agency, is education advocacy. And so, we advocate with and for families that have children who receive special education in school. But we call ourselves "unapologetic advocates." We are absolutely ready and willing and able to be the firm voice at the table. But, ultimately, it's about working together as a team, and everybody needs to collaborate. And we're proud of the relationships that we've been able to form with families with local school districts and with community agencies.
David Fair: Well, given all of the new challenges that have been put on your table, adding two existing ones, what does the next year look like for the association and those it serves?
Kristen Columbus: Well, last year, we celebrated our 75th anniversary, so now, we are 76 years strong in the in the year 2025. And we look forward to being here for 75 more years and beyond! We really want people to know that the Washtenaw ACA is a long-standing, trusted and local resource for support and advocacy. We want to make sure that everybody in all parts of the county know that ACA is is here to support they and their loved ones with IDD. So, one of the priorities for me is really making sure that we are reaching out to those of the rural part of the county. You know, Ypsilanti, I think it's pretty fair to say that we're better known in the Ann Arbor/Saline/Dexter area, and we shouldn't be comfortable with that. We want to make sure that we are providing good support and service across the county.
David Fair: Kristen, thank you so much for the conversation today and the information you've provided! I appreciate it!
Kristen Columbus: Thank you very much for having me!
David Fair: That is Kristen Columbus, President and CEO of the Washtenaw Association for Community Advocacy--our guest on Washtenaw United. For more information on the Association's work with IDD and in the community, stop by our website at WEMU.org. Washtenaw United is produced in partnership with the United Way for Southeastern Michigan, and you hear it every Monday. I'm David Fair, and this is your community NPR station, 89.1 WEMU-FM Ypsilanti. Celebrating 60 years of broadcasting from the campus of Eastern Michigan University!
WEMU has partnered with the United Way for Southeastern Michigan to explore the people, organizations, and institutions creating opportunity and equity in our area. And, as part of this ongoing series, you’ll also hear from the people benefiting and growing from the investments being made in the areas of our community where there are gaps in available services. It is a community voice. It is 'Washtenaw United.'
Non-commercial, fact based reporting is made possible by your financial support. Make your donation to WEMU today to keep your community NPR station thriving.
Like 89.1 WEMU on Facebook and follow us on X (Twitter)
Contact WEMU News at 734.487.3363 or email us at studio@wemu.org
