News — DISABILITY SERVICES RESOURCE CENTER

Medical Loan Closet

The Medical Equipment Loan Closet provides medical equipment at no charge. Our inventory of gently used medical equipment generally includes hospital beds, bedside commodes, walkers, canes, wheelchairs, and bath benches. If we have it in stock, you can have it in your home. We loan over 600 pieces of medical equipment annually saving Bay County Residents over $250,000 in rental fees. Items are on a first come first serve basis. All of our equipment is throughly cleaned. You can have the equipment as long as you need it. When you are done, we ask that you return it to our agency.

To request a piece of equipment, you must have a prescription from your doctor. Your doctor can fax the prescription to our office or you are welcome to bring it into the office. When you arrive at our office, you will need to fill out some simple paperwork to go with your prescription. If we have the equipment in our inventory, you can pick-it up Monday through Thursday from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. If the equipment is unavailable we are more than happy to add you to our wait list, and we will contact you when the equipment you requested is available. With our large equipment, such as Hoyer Lifts, Hospital Beds, electric wheelchairs etc., we offer a delivery service for a small fee, when available.

Do you have a wheelchair or other piece of medical equipment sitting around? We will take your donated item and put it to good use. Clean, usable equipment in good condition is always welcomed.

Our Mission

Disability Services Resource Center (DSRC), formally known as the Bay County Society for Crippled Children and Adults, was founded in 1933 and is dedicated to helping people with disabilities.

Our mission is to serve individuals who are temporarily or permanently disabled with awareness, support and recreational opportunities. We believe that all people, regardless of their ability, should have the opportunity to experience the rich rewards of daily living.

Disability Services Resource Center operates:

Camping for Children and Adults
Disability Awareness Training™
Ramp Building
Durable Medical Goods Loan Closet
Adaptive Sports and Athletic Events – A.C.E.S.™

Adaptive Sports

There is real value in the therapeutic and socialization benefits of participating in sports – the strengthening of participants’ self esteem and the disciplines of teamwork, sportsmanship and fair play. DSRC sponsors a bowling league and a baseball program called ACES.

ACES – All Children Experience Sports™ was founded in 2002 and has hosted softball for children ages 6 to 18. We supply an opportunity for people with disabilities to participate fully in sports regardless of their ability. It is our goal to get children and adults with disabilites off the sidelines and into the game.

Bowling – our league takes place from September thru April. Call the office if you are interested in bowling on a team.

Camping For Children and Adults

Everyone should have the opportunity to experience the great outdoors. DSRC provides scholarships for children and adults to attend educational and recreational camps throughout the state of Michigan.

The camping experience is unique to each camper. Some camps simply allow the campers to play and spend time with others who have similar challenges. Other camps teach the campers fishing, archery, basketball and arts and crafts. Imagine sleeping in a cabin for the first time or strolling along a woodland path. The experience at camp gives each camper a time to grow, experience new people in their lives, and ultimately develop life skills. In addition to helping the campers, the camping experience also benefits the families of campers, providing a much-needed respite.

Scholarships are based on financial need of the family. A financial statement and an application for financial assistance must be completed and sent to DSRC by March 30th. Please see the donation section of our web page for the application. You may either mail the application to our agency or you may send the application by fax. DSRC will pay up to $300 toward the camp cost for one session. The family is responsible for the rest of the camp fee. Scholarships are provided on a first come first served basis.

Disability Awareness Training™

The Disability Awareness Training (DAT) is an in-person, hands-on training course designed to
educate people on how to interact and communicate with people with disabilities and to learn the difficulties and challenges facing people with disabilities.
Program participants will learn the special needs of different disabilities – Mobility – permanent and temporary; Hearing, Vision and Hidden Disabilities.
A paid core team of adults with disabilities demonstrates to participants what it would be like to have a disability. Participants will gain understanding of a particular disability by attempting to navigate in wheelchairs, on crutches and blindfolded to help them understand what it is like to have a disability. Participants will also gain a greater understanding of availably assistive technology. In-person training gives participants the opportunity to exchange ideas and information about their own experiences in addition to gaining new knowledge and skills.
Started in 1997, DAT’s goal is to raise awareness and foster informed relationship among people of all abilities. Our audience includes everyone. School children learn of prejudices and hardships experienced by children with disabilities. Employers gain confidence and understanding on how to serve this important group of people. Healthcare workers learn the proper way to address and work with disabled patients.
Training is presented year-round. We train over 2,000 children, teachers, adults and employers annually. Call us today to set up your training.

RAMP BUILDING

DSRC recognizes that ramps are necessary for wheelchair users to access their homes with steps or steep door thresholds, and for accessing vans. Many people with disabilities use wheelchairs to compensate for their mobility impairments, but full accessibility requires a wheelchair ramp. Ramps are the gateway necessary for individuals with disabilities to have access to their communities to improve their quality of life.
Ramp Building is a year-round program with emphasis on our annual Ramp Blitz held in June. This campaign brings professional contractors together with community volunteers to construct 10 or more ramps in a single day. All constructed ramps are professionally built, measured and designed. Outside the Ramp Blitz, a professional contractor is engaged for ramp construction. At the completion of each ramp, an inspector approves the ramp assuring that each ramp meets all requirements of the township, city and ADA codes.
Our ramp building program is one of a kind in our area. But we cannot do it without constant community support. We are looking for volunteer building teams and contractors to donate their time for ramp construction.
Purchasing materials and building the ramps to meet ADA codes can be very costly. Each year we build over 20 ramps and the need continues to grow. Since DSRC receives an overwhelming number of requests for ramp building assistance our ramps are built on a first come first serve basis. We openly seek collaborations and network within the community to help keep costs down, maintain high standards and enhance accessibility to all.
Our Ramp Building program benefits only Bay County residents for little or no cost to the family. You are required to have a prescription from your doctor for the ramp. If you need a ramp for your home, please complete our ramp application and fax it or mail it to our agency. If you live in the City of Bay City, there will be additional financial criteria due to federal requirements.