Access Eau Claire Fund

Katherine Schneider and her guide dog at the celebration of the 27th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act

Established by Dr. Katherine Schneider, this fund’s purpose is to promote the full inclusion of people with disabilities in the leadership, programs, and services offered by Chippewa Valley nonprofit organizations.

Dr. Schneider has been a resident of Eau Claire for more than twenty-five years and has given many talks to local groups about access issues and about living as a blind woman in Eau Claire. It is her goal to support projects such as developing staff training on disability issues, providing inclusive materials like adapted equipment, implementing special program initiatives to reach out to people with disabilities, and purchasing materials in alternate formats such as Braille.

Looking to the future, Dr. Schneider says, “People need to consider that half the people over sixty-five have disabilities, so if they do not have a disability now, they may in the future. Then they can think about what needs to happen so that if they develop a disability, they could still live the good life in Eau Claire.”

Nonprofits can apply for Access Eau Claire grants to help them increase their accessibility to people with disabilities. Read the Access Eau Claire tab on our Grant Opportunities page for more information. 

Dr. Schneider is encouraging all members of the community who value inclusion of people with disabilities to donate to the Access Eau Claire Fund. Gifts of all sizes are encouraged and are tax deductible.

CLICK HERE TO DONATE