disabilities

Back in the fall of 2024, Eastern Michigan University added a new, four-legged staff member. Tinker, a PAWS facility golden retriever, provides emotional comfort and relief to students and the campus community. Lee Van Roth shared Tinker's story and what her ongoing duties will be with her handler, Alexis Braun Marks.

The Michigan State Housing Development Grant Authority has awarded over $1.2 million in tax credits to Avalon Housing. The credit will go towards Phase 3 of the Hickory Way Apartments in Ann Arbor. WEMU’s Kevin Meerschaert reports.

The City of Ann Arbor’s Snow Match program has been growing steadily with more volunteers signing up to help their fellow residents with snow removal. WEMU’s Ana Longoria has the details.

The Michigan Senate has passed a pair of bills to prevent abuse of vulnerable people. WEMU’s Kevin Meerschaert reports.

Beginning January 1, People’s Express will launch a new public transportation service for all of Pittsfield Township. AAATA’s Flexride will be discontinued. WEMU’s Kevin Meerschaert reports.

At Eastern Michigan University, the Speech and Hearing Clinic has been quietly transforming lives in Ypsilanti and beyond. The clinic is housed in the College of Education and helps everyone from young children learning their first words to adults recovering from strokes. Lee Van Roth discussed the clinic's work with its co-director, Karen Parish-Foster, and with EMU graduate student Mollie Spencer.

On November 4, voters will decide between two candidates running for mayor of Milan. Laura Russeau is a longtime advocate and community organizer who ran for Milan City Council two years ago is running against incumbent Mayor Ed Kolar, who is seeking his third two-year term. Russeau joined WEMU’s Caroline MacGregor to talk about her candidacy and the issues that are important to her.

Many Hands Lifesharing Community is celebrating its next step in helping the developmentally disabled in Washtenaw County. WEMU’s Kevin Meerschaert reports.

We all need a hand-up sometimes. Some of us need a little more. Since 1949, the Washtenaw Association for Community Advocacy has offered that support to those with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). A court decision in 2024 offered a boost in those services and changed the way the state approaches IDD. But the new federal administration’s policy changes and budget cuts put that progress at risk. WEMU's David Fair talked with the association’s President and CEO, Kristen Columbus, about all of it on this week’s "Washtenaw United".

Transportation is expected to be congested around Ann Arbor as the Art Fair enters full swing. City officials have arranged shuttle transportation services with National Trails to help locals and visitors commute downtown to enjoy the fair. WEMU’s Ana Longoria reports.