Happy 67th birthday to UCP Oregon!
​
UCP Oregon was “born” in 1955—as two separate organizations in Astoria and Portland.
We’ve grown--and changed!-- a ton since then.

Learn more about UCP Oregon's history below.
​

Happy July! And happy Disabilities Pride Month to you!

This month, some folks who experience disabilities are choosing to “come out of the closet” by discussing their disabilities publicly for the first time.
​
Have you done this? It can be a scary process.
​
But, as Carly Fox (a 20-year-old disability rights advocate) says, “Disability self-disclosure has been freeing, empowering, and incredibly meaningful to me. It has allowed me to enter new professional spaces in my entirety. It enables me to use my expertise to make spaces more accessible and inclusive, and it creates representation that may make my disabled peers feel safer.”

Learn more about Carly's "self-disclosure" experience here.

July is Disabilities Pride Month.
 
It’s a time for celebration and for introspection. And sometimes it's a time for sadness.

It’s complicated.

If you’re struggling to know how to feel this month, you’re not alone. One of our favorite activists, Kelly Douglas (who experiences CP) recently shared, “I wonder if I’ll be able to muster up a shred of disability pride to get me through July.”
 
Like many of us this month, Kelly is wondering, “How do I share everything my disability has given me and still mourn everything it’s taken away?”

That's why we’ll be sharing a spectrum of disability-related experiences this month-- from celebration and pride to grief and annoyance. Because ALL of our experiences are valid!

What a busy week! Happy Juneteenth! Happy Father’s Day! Happy Pride!

This week (the week of Father’s Day in America), UCP Oregon is giving a shout-out to the parents of our customers.

Our Director of Brokerage Services, Sarah Noack, attended a picnic Blue Lake this week. The event was held by “Off the Couch” events, and several of UCP's customers attended.​

As Sarah says, “One of the things I walked away with was appreciation for the parents who show up for their kids their whole lives through.”
 
As Sarah adds, “We spend a lot of time in ‘adult services’ talking about self-determination… about and muddling our way through the conflicts that can arise between adult children and their parents. I want to take a moment to acknowledge the love and commitment many parents give to their adult children (our customers). As I caught up with a few parents yesterday, I was struck with the love, the impact, the hours, the grief, the heart, the strength, the grit, and the hope of so many parents, who are giving so much to their adult children over their entire lives. It is beautiful.”
 
Thank you to all the parents of our customers.

Join UCP Oregon on June 19th as we celebrate Juneteenth (also known as Freedom Day).
 
The holiday was named in honor of June 19th, 1865--the day that enslaved persons were finally freed in Texas (months after the Civil War has ended).

Last year, the day became a federal holiday. Woo hoo!
 
Juneteenth events are being held across the country.

If you live in Portland, you might want to attend the 2022 Juneteenth Oregon Parade and Festival. This free, community-empowered event features a parade, food, vendors, a kids’ area, local music (jazz, hip hop and soul), empowering speeches from community leaders and more.
 
For more information, visit the Juneteenth Oregon Celebration website.

Parenting a kiddo who experiences disabilities can be difficult.

Planning for that kiddo’s financial future can be even tricker!

That’s why UCP Oregon is pleased to be hosting a 2022 “Special Needs Planning Workshop Series.”

These workshops are being presented by the Abeona Group, and are sponsored by UCP Oregon’s ​Family Support Department.
 
The workshops include:

• September: Life Care Planning Workshop.
• October: Special Needs Trusts & Able Accounts Workshop.
• November: Government Benefits Workshop

 
These workshops are open to anyone who is parenting a child who experiences any developmental disability—not just cerebral palsy.

We had so much fun at the the 2022 Junior Rose Parade!

A huge thank you goes out to our Family Support Director, Katherine Ball, for organizing the event. Those balloons were so cool!

And another thanks to Lillieth Cusick Grand for taking (and sharing!) so many great photos.

And thanks to everyone who attended or watched!

Woo hoo! It's parade time!

UCP's Family Support Director, Katherine, and her son, Nicholas, are headed off to the 2022 Junior Rose Parade assembly point right this second!

This event is open to everyone who loves UCP Oregon--customers, friends, family members, and employees.

If you want to join our parade group, meet us at the assembly area (between NE 52nd and NE 56th and NE Sacramento and NE Tillamook). Katherine is hoping everyone will be there by 11:45am.

If you can't make it in time to join our group, feel free to watch the parade and yell "woo hoo" as we pass!
​
We can't wait to see you!!!