Disability Services Resource Center (DSRC), formally know 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 temporary and permanently disabled by helping them retain and/or become part of their community to the fullest extent of their physical and mental capabilities.  We believe that all people, regardless of their ability or disability, 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

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 400 pieces of medical equipment annually saving Bay County Residents over $150,000 in rental fees.  Items are on a first come first serve basis.  All of our equipment is throughly cleaned and bleached.  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.  Once you have the prescription, you will need to fill out a request form and fax it to our office, mail to our office, or stop by our office.  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.  There is a fee for delivery to your home.

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.

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.

The Disability Services Resource Center, formerly known as The Bay County Society for Crippled Children and Adults has been involved in Adaptive Sports for a long time.

Our Wheelers and Dealers Bowling League for disabled adults began it’s 21th season this fall. A second league was added 7 years ago in Pinconning bringing the total amount of bowlers to over 90.

Our Super Kids Derby (gallery)- soapbox racing for mentally & physically challenged young people just completed 18th season.

 Our newest program ACES – ALL CHILDREN EXPERIENCE SPORTS (for disabled children – ages 6-18 gallery) has completed 3 seasons that included an abbreviated summer baseball season and a power soccer clinic. Baseball is played at the Northeast Little League Field.

Where do we go from here? The dream is to fund and build our own adaptive baseball field with an accessible dugout.

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 2000 children, teachers, adults and employers annually. Call us today to set up your training.

DSRC recognizes that ramps are necessary for wheelchair users to access their homes with steps or steep door thresholds, and for accessing vans. Many disabled people 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.