DJ is nine years old and loves music, coloring, bubbles, balloons, swimming, games, and going to the movies with his family. His parents, Devin and Shawntel, share how his communication and support needs have shaped their family’s life, and why they are advocating for meaningful paid caregiver support.

Angel Heaven Lee is a self-advocate who explains why people with disabilities must be meaningfully included in the decisions that affect their lives. Drawing from her own experience navigating accessibility, healthcare, employment, transportation, and public spaces, she makes the case that lived experience is expertise.

Donovan Ford is a youth self-advocate who shares a simple, confident message about autism, communication and leadership. He reminds others that different ways of looking, listening or responding do not mean someone is not paying attention, participating or capable.

Chelsea Mayne is a self-advocate who shares how traditional hiring practices, interviews, workplace expectations and inconsistent accommodations can create barriers for autistic and disabled job seekers. She calls for employers to focus on ability rather than social style and to provide fair, lasting opportunities to succeed.

As a self-advocate and researcher, Margaret Janse van Rensburg believes people with disabilities should help shape the research that affects their lives.

Joyce Davis explains why the words used to describe disability services matter, and why people with traumatic brain injury and spinal cord injury must not get lost when state systems and agency names change.

After a lifetime of caregiving, Yvette and Rich share the fear many aging parents face: what will happen to their adult child with a disability when they can no longer provide care?

Kim Brock is a mother, disability advocate and woman with cerebral palsy who shares what accessibility, personal care services and community-based supports mean in everyday life. Her story is a powerful reminder that access is directly connected to independence, dignity and full participation in the community.

Cassie Pettit shares her family’s experience navigating South Carolina’s disability support system while trying to keep her father safely at home. Their story highlights the real impact of waiver waiting lists, gaps between hospice and home-based care, and the strain families face when needed supports are out of reach.

Anastasia Ford is a disability and human rights advocate, activist, parent, and homeschooling parent who calls for disability rights to be recognized as human rights. Her story focuses on community inclusion, sustained support for disability advocacy, and the responsibility to keep advocating for future generations.

Ariel Mundy is a self-advocate and community leader from Aiken who believes people with disabilities should have an active role in decisions about where they live, work, worship, participate in the community, and what they want for their lives. She shares how leadership training and connection with other advocates have strengthened her voice and ability to support others.

As a parent advocate, Miranda Harris is calling for stronger special education through better training, accountability, collaboration, and a commitment to inclusion.

After Justin’s mother died unexpectedly, his family discovered how difficult South Carolina’s disability service system can be to navigate during a crisis. His story highlights the need for clear information, consistent communication, and planning before families are faced with an emergency.

Melanie Cason shares her family’s experience navigating decades of disability services, caregiving, waiting lists, and limited community-based options for her son, Will. Their story shows why families need meaningful supports close to home, not choices that separate people with disabilities from the communities that know and love them.

Kallyn Long is a youth self-advocate, author and student who shares her experience becoming single-sided deaf and learning to navigate school, testing accommodations and everyday life with a hidden disability. Her advocacy focuses on fair access, inclusion and making sure young people with disabilities have the opportunity to be heard.

Dr. Morelisa Sabb-Cordes is an IEP advocate and coach who helps families understand their rights, navigate special education meetings, and advocate for meaningful educational progress. She calls for stronger funding, training, oversight, and accountability so the promises made through an IEP are carried out in practice.

Robert Hinson is a brain injury survivor and self-advocate who shares how peer support helped him connect with others who understand the realities of brain injury and recovery. His story shows the importance of lived experience, friendship, connection, and knowing you are not alone.

Pam shares nearly two decades of raising her daughter PJ and the exhausting reality of fighting for nursing, respite, therapy, equipment, Medicaid waivers, and the supports that keep families together.

Amanda shares how limited personal care supports, inaccessible housing, and low wages for caregivers can make independence much harder for people with disabilities.