Paraquad

08/08/2025

To close out Week 4 of , our final spotlight for the week is on Rush Wilkerson! From leading groups and tech demos to supporting youth and advocating for accessibility across St. Louis, Rush brings passion and purpose to everything he does.🌟

Swipe through to learn more about his journey, his work, and what drives him!

Thanks for all that you do, Rush!



ALT TEXT:
All pictures have a lime green background, teal bold title that says "Meet Rush Wilkerson", with a pink subtitle that says "Paraquad's Accessibility Specialist". They all have a "Cheers to 55 years" logo in the bottom corner.

Slide 1: Rush, a man in a red and white wheelchair, smiles with arms open. He wears a navy shirt, yellow-striped pants, glasses, and a name badge. “The mission of Paraquad means that I am a productive part of this world helping others achieve and realize the value of wanting to live their best life.”

Slide 2: Rush in an orange polo, seated at a desk. Text shares he joined Paraquad in 2017, later became a part-time staff member.

Slide 3: Rush in a green shirt holds his "Coordinator Training" certificate from University of Missouri. Text lists his roles in education, tech, public speaking, peer support, and youth job coaching.

Slide 4: Rush in a gray Paraquad shirt with tablet. Text describes role tasks like teaching, ADA reviews, giving tours, peer support, and attending events.

Slide 5: In a gray Paraquad shirt at a retreat. Text lists his hobbies like learning, reading, music, and working out.

Slide 6: Text mentions his pride in helping others through education and adaptive tools. He gives advice for someone starting a career in disability services/ advocacy.

08/06/2025

Great turnout at Metro Transit's Community Connect being held today at Paraquad! The event goes until 6:00pm so there is still plenty of time to come out.

08/06/2025

Accessibility isn't optional—and we’re always learning!

From now on, we’re including alt text (image descriptions) in our captions to help make our content more inclusive for blind and low vision community members.

It’s a simple step we should’ve taken sooner, but one we’re committed to moving forward.



Alt Text: Text-only post, Teal background, Green banner across the top, with white bold text saying "Paraquad Implementing 'Alt Text'", White Paraquad logo in bottom right corner, centered quote reads: Alt text (short for “alternative text”) is a brief description of an image that makes visual content accessible to people who are blind or have low vision. It’s typically read aloud by screen readers or displayed when an image fails to load. While some platforms don’t always display alt text directly, we’re including it in our captions to make sure our content is more inclusive and accessible to everyone—especially since not all platforms or devices handle alt text the same way. From now on, Paraquad is adding alt text in captions to describe visual elements of our images so all viewers can better engage with our stories and mission!

08/06/2025

Our spotlight for today is Diane Wieland. She is our Youth & Family Independent Living Specialist that has been at Paraquad for 25 years! Read more Diane’s personal journey in this heartfelt testimonial she wrote herself.

Thanks for all that you do, Diane!



Alt Text: All images have a gray background, text overlay up top saying "Meet Diane Wieland" in large blue font, "Youth & Family Independent Living Specialist" in smaller green font, and Paraquad’s 55th anniversary logo in the bottom corner saying "Cheers to 55 years"

Photo 1: Older woman (Diane) on the left, with short gray hair, smiling, wearing a floral dress, seated on red and black mobility scooter. Text box on right saying "Experience Diane's journey through her own words in this moving testimonial."

Photo 2: Older woman (Diane) on the right, with short brown hair and glasses, in a green sweater, serious expression, speaking into a mic while seated on a black scooter at an indoor event. Text box on the left about meeting someone named Nancy who changed her life!

Photo 3: Centered text quote describing how a woman named Nancy inspired Diane to dream bigger and believe in herself.

Photo 4: Centered text quote about Diane’s 25-year journey at Paraquad and her work leading the Youth & Family Program.

Photo 5: Older woman (Diane), short brown hair, glasses, wearing a green knitted sweater, sitting on a black scooter, smiling, centered quote about her experience working with Paraquad for 25 years and the joy of her accomplishments.

08/05/2025

We are excited to invite you to Metro Transit’s Community Connect event tomorrow, August 6, 2025, from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM hosted in the Tuscher Auditorium at Paraquad. This is a fantastic opportunity to engage directly with Metro Transit teams, learn about updates to their services, and share your input to help shape a more accessible, efficient, and user-focused transit system.

Many of us at Paraquad, including employees and participants, rely on Metro’s services like Call-A-Ride for transportation to work and our programs. This event is especially relevant for our St. Louis Metropolitan Alliance for Reliable Transit (S.M.A.R.T) advocacy group, which champions accessible transit solutions. Your presence and voice can make a real impact!

Event Highlights:
• Hear the latest news and upcoming changes from Metro Transit.
• Discuss strategies for a sustainable and user-focused transit system.
• Connect directly with Metro Transit teams to share feedback and ideas.

We encourage everyone to attend and be part of this important conversation. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out. We look forward to seeing you there!

Join us on Wednesday, August 6, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Paraquad (5240 Oakland Ave.) for our next Community Connect event. Community Connect gives you an opportunity to meet directly with Metro team members to ask questions, learn about new projects and services, and share your feedback about your....

08/04/2025

Week 4 of is a spotlight feature on three of our employees at Paraquad! They all do such amazing work that deserves to shine ⭐️

The first spotlight this week is Anna Corbitt, our Advancement Manager! Learn more about her 10-year long career with us, her insight into her workdays, and her adorable fur babies!

Thanks for all that you do, Anna!

08/01/2025

To wrap up Week 3 of , we're shining a spotlight on one of the amazing leaders behind the programs that power our mission💙

Meet Briana Conley, Paraquad's Senior Director of Programs! Swipe through this Q&A to learn about her journey here, why the mission matters to her, and even what she loves to do beyond the office.

Thank you for all that you do, Briana!

07/30/2025

Did you know the 5 Core Services that Paraquad offers? If you caught our last post, we gave an overview of what is means to operate as a CIL (Center for Independent Living.)

The Paraquad team works hard to provide these services to the community. Your support for will ensure that we can keep creating change!

07/28/2025

What does the Rehabilitation Act, Independent Living (IL), and Centers for Independent Living (CIL) have in common? They all helped ignite the modern disability rights movement!

For Week 3 of , we’re exploring the history of the Rehabilitation Act, how it led to the Independent Living movement, and why Centers for Independent Living like Paraquad continue to matter today.

Every dollar helps someone live more independently! You can scan the QR code to support Paraquad today.

07/26/2025

Happy 35th Anniversary to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)! Today is both a celebration of hard-earned rights and a reminder of the work that remains.

Disability justice is an ongoing movement! Let's continue working toward a more inclusive and accessible future.

07/25/2025

From grassroots advocacy to federal reform, the path to disability rights was carved by bold leaders-many of them right here in St. Louis!

Paraquad is proud to be part of that history, and honored to be shaping the future. 🌟

07/23/2025

Paraquad has spent 55 years removing barriers, shifting systems, and elevating the voices of people with disabilities.

This timeline reflects not just where we've been, but also the foundation of what we are building on each day.

Your support helps us take the next step towards a more accessible future!