Solutions by Prosperity Initiative

Everyone has “Special Needs”!

2025-11-07 22:08:50 UTC

When speaking about disabled folks, especially invisible disabilities like neurodivergency, it’s important to keep in mind that everyone has “special needs”. Special needs as a euphemism for Disabled people does a disservice to the disability community, and creates a stigma around people without access/functional needs or disabilities asking for what they need to be successful. It also suggests that the needs disabled people have are “special”, when usually the “need” is to ensure equitable access. Language matters, especially when discussing marginalized communities.

Please stop using “Special Needs” as a euphemism for disabled folks!

Thank you

2025-11-07 22:29:33 UTC

Thank you to Mario for speaking to the challenges that we all face as nonprofits in this work!

2025-11-07 22:31:17 UTC

We need to make sure all non profit has access to funds and we really need to track how we much impact is happening.

2025-11-07 22:31:50 UTC

Inspired to speak with colleagues and some of these panelists to further systems thinking and solutions

Removing Barriers

2025-11-07 22:47:53 UTC

It’s important that government funders (DCYF, ExCEL, HSA) remove barriers to how we invoice them amd how they separate out their contracts.

It is also important that I remove barriers from my staff in removing or reducing unnecessary processes and approvals in their work. As Landon said earlier, “Fix the work, not the worker.”