March 12 – DEC Weekly Updates – Disability Equity Center

Happy Sunday, Disability Equity Center!

In this post you will find all kinds of things to learn about and participate in. Come join us and our community partners in this good work, fun, and world changing!

Disability Culture and Pride Building

This week on Wednesday is DEC’s Moth Dreams Collaborative Art & Zine, an art meet-up and zine collective
Every first and third Wednesday

DATE: March 15
TIME: 2:00 – 4:00 pm
LOCATION: In-person at the Kennedy School in Portland, 5736 NE 33rd Ave, Portland, OR 97211

AND Virtually over Zoom (click here for link)
Meeting ID: 974 9088 2507

For more info, email Kate at kate@disabilityequitycenter.org

World Down Syndrome Day Celebration

NW Disability Support is doing a countdown to World Down Syndrome Day with a celebration!

DATE: Sunday, March 19
TIME: 1:00 – 4:00 pm
LOCATION: Portland

Click this link to learn more: World Down Syndrome Day 2023 / Día Mundial del Síndrome de Down 2023 (qgiv.com)

Next week you can jam out with DEC’s Magic Luscious Spirit Sounds Music Collective!
Every first and third Monday

DATE: March 20
TIME: 2:00 – 4:00 pm
LOCATION: In-person at Turn, Turn, Turn (8 NE Killingsworth St, Portland, OR 97211)

AND Virtually over Zoom (click here for link)
Meeting ID: 814 6878 7797
Passcode: 053972

For more info, email Scott at music@disabilityequitycenter.org

Health, Wellness, and Navigation Support

Oregon Parks Forever is Rolling Out All-Terrain Track Chairs at the Coast!

Learn about this initiative here: Rolling Out All-Terrain Track Chairs at the Coast – Oregon Parks Forever (orparksforever.org)

Here is some information on SNAP benefits and food security: More than 720,000 Oregonians rely on the federal food Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program to eat. In April 2020, after the pandemic hit and many people lost wages and jobs, federal authorities increased monthly SNAP benefits by nearly 70% to an average of nearly $450 per household a month. But in March, those monthly emergency funds will go away, reducing the average benefit to nearly $270 a month for about 410,000 households.

To sign up for SNAP, go to benefits.oregon.gov or call 800-699-9075 or TTY 71, Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.

To find food resources go to or call:

DEC’s Wednesday Wellness support group that happens each week from 5-6pm is currently full. Stay tuned for other online opportunities for art and mindfulness.If youneed some community and support to feel more connected, grounded, and loved, you can still connect with DEC.

Please email corvallisdisabilityjustice@gmail.com or text 404-825-4524.

We are here for you!

Opportunities for Learning and Social Justice

Please remember to save the date for Keys for the People: A BIPOC-Centered Housing Festival (formerly ‘Keys for the Culture’)

DATE: Saturday, April 29
TIME: 1:00 – 5:00 pm
LOCATION: Corvallis Community Center (C3) 2601 NW Tyler Ave, Corvallis, OR 97330

This event is the second annual BIPOC-centered housing festival, and our community partners are delighted to build on the success of their prior event and make an even bigger impact. Please spread the word!

Linn Benton Community College is interested in developing a program to serve students with disabilities seeking an inclusive college experience that leads them to gainful employment.

They would like to hear from parents, students, and educators as they plan a curriculum.

Please join them for a focus group and share your experience! You can register here: Career and Community Studies Focus Group RSVP (google.com)

FACT Oregon has lots of trainings and opportunities to learn about disability supports. Check them out! FACT Oregon

The Othering and Belonging Institute at UC Berkeley is leading a discussion about Black identity, Black excellence, and the limits of seeking inclusion.

DATE: March 29
TIME: 8:00 – 9:00 am

Join OBI on Wednesday, March 29, 2023 (8:00 AM – 9:00 AM PST / 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM ET / 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM CET) for their next event in the ongoing series The Edges in the Middle, for a conversation with scholar and activist Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor and Global Senior Fellow Bayo Akomolafe.

You can register here: Event: “What if Justice is Getting in the Way?” with Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor and Bayo Akomolafe — Democracy & Belonging Forum (democracyandbelongingforum.org)