(Description: A row of 5 daisies in different stages of growth)
Connections between our past and our future
This month is the 27th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). As we celebrate and appreciate the protections the ADA affords people with disabilities, the staff at WITH have also been contemplating the connections between Foundation’s past and its future.
About WITH
Established in 2002, WITH Foundation (formerly known as Special Hope Foundation) is a private foundation. During the Foundation’s early years its grantmaking benefited the disability community. During that time we heard the following types of statements from people with disabilities:
“When I moved, I was calling to find a new doctor. One clinic said they did not take people with disabilities.”
“I don’t get to talk to my doctors. Mom does the talking. It’s hard because she goes by observations, not what’s really wrong.”
“There is no accessible transportation after 5 pm. I use a wheelchair all the time. I was at the hospital and I could not get my wheelchair home with me when I left. I had to leave it at the hospital and send someone to get it the next day.”
Due to these kinds of statements, in 2011, the Foundation began to focus its support on organizations and projects that promote the establishment of comprehensive and accessible healthcare for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Currently, the Foundation gives out around $750,000 each year and has provided (in total) more than $6.5 million in funding support.
Read more about our history of grantmaking.
A new chapter
On July 5, 2017, the Foundation officially changed its name to WITH (Working for Inclusive and Transformative Healthcare) with the belief that this name better represents our work and the communities we serve. After fifteen years at the helm, Lynne O’Hara, left the position of Executive Director, but remains with the organization as the President of the Board of Directors. In our search for the leader who will guide this foundation’s future, we found the perfect person–Ryan Easterly–was announced as the Executive Director of WITH Foundation.
Ryan previously served on SHF’s Board of Directors. He has a background in foundation work both in the government and the nonprofit sector. He is a talented individual and highly respected in the field. Most recently, Ryan worked in the for-profit world and was also appointed by President Obama to serve on the President’s Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities.
“As a black, gay man with cerebral palsy and mental health diagnoses who also spent my earliest years in the foster care system,” says Ryan, “I understand that access to healthcare is crucial for a good quality of life. I am passionate about equipping those with fewer resources and less access with information and services.”
New name, new mission?
Although the Foundation has a new name, it still has the same mission. In order to fulfill that mission, the Foundation’s efforts will focus in these three areas:
- The Foundation will continue to support organizations and projects that assist adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities in accessing healthcare as well as working with medical professionals and medical institutions to support accessible, inclusive healthcare delivery. We value self-determination and dignity for ALL individuals. We understand how critical the Foundation’s support is, especially in these changing political landscapes. I understand lives are at stake and will work, in partnership with the Board, to ensure that grantees and partners experience a process that is as smooth and responsive as possible.
- The Foundation will also continue forming partnerships in the digital health space. As a foundation based in Silicon Valley, we understand that healthcare delivery will look different in five, ten, fifteen years. We have a unique opportunity to involve the disability community in the initial stages of the development of digital health technologies, to be at the table as the applications are designed, launched and marketed. We will continue to make investments and form partnerships that enhance digital health developers and companies understanding that if they wish to innovate within the healthcare industry, the disability community should be at the forefront in their planning and development of healthcare technologies and applications.
- The Foundation will work to deepen collaborations with other funders. We hope to help educate other funders about the good work our grantees are doing, as well as assist funders, especially health funders, in developing partnerships within the disability community. We believe the communities we serve have an important voice in efforts to support effective, inclusive grantmaking.
WITH Foundation is excited about our future. We are grateful to our Founder and President of the Board of Directors Lynne O’Hara for the relationships and partnerships she has cultivated over the years. A lot of work has happened over the past 15 years, our future will also require work, we look forward to working WITH the communities we serve.
Be sure to stay up-to-date with WITH on Facebook and Twitter. Do you have healthcare story to share? Your voice is important to us. Contact us at communications@withfoundation.org.