ACCESSIBILITY
In the Concho Valley, one nonprofit is on a mission to challenge the way we think about accessibility – not just as a medical necessity, but as a community responsibility.
The Accessibility First Foundation is helping families of children with disabilities navigate the gaps in insurance coverage and everyday support.
How It Started
Parents Jordan and Nick DiiBon founded the agency after their son, Damien, was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy.
As Damien’s mobility declined, they quickly discovered the critical gaps in insurance coverage for accessibility aids. While insurance would cover a power wheelchair, it wouldn’t cover the $14,000 – a cost high for most American families – to modify their vehicle so they could use it.
“We saw firsthand the hardships and struggles that come with that,” Jordan said. And she asked herself, “why isn’t someone doing anything about it?”
She decided that she would be that person.
Jordan started by researching how families typically pay for these accessibility needs. And the answers she got? Bake sales, fund raisers, and churches.
The DiiBons created Accessibility First before even modifying their own family vehicle.
“We just kind of felt pulled, like, ‘Hey – you need to start something to help other people.’ And we were just trusting that we were on the right path and to keep going.”
The DiiBons eventually got the vehicle modification they needed for their son after his grandparents stepped in to help, but there was still clearly a need for others without this source of support.
“As we kept hosting different events and things, we would see more and more coming. We were like, ‘Wow, there’s a lot of people here.’ So that really showed us that there’s a need, and we kept going.”
Community Impact
Since its founding in 2023, Accessibility First has grown to offer vital resources for hundreds of people across the region. In 2024, the agency gave out over 20,000 dollars worth of medical equipment.
Accessibility First partners with other organizations such as West Texas Rehab and Concho Valley Council of Governments to host inclusive events like sensory-friendly movie days or “Stim Gyms” at the trampoline park.
They also offer financial assistance for accessibility needs that insurance won’t cover.
“There’s always going to probably be more needs than there is availability to help those families,” Jordan acknowledged. “But it’s one of the things we do.”
The agency maintains a medical supply closet in San Angelo, and families can request items like wheelchairs, crutches, and braces – free of charge.
Community members are free to donate old or unused medical supplies to the closet, which is always free-of-charge and open to anyone in the community who needs it: children, seniors, or those with temporary disabilities such as a broken leg.
Accessibility First also offers monthly support groups for families, parents, and caregivers of children with special needs or disabilities, held at Bearded Barista on the third Saturday of each month at 9 a.m. (currently paused for the holidays but returning in January). The supportive gatherings are free to attend and come with a free coffee.
“Just mention to the baristas you’re there for the group and your drink will be covered,” she said.
A New Perspective
As members of the ADA Committee, the DiiBons are dedicated to educating the public on the truth about accessibility – that it benefits everyone.
“Why not do this? Why not make this a standard kind of thing?” Jordan asks.
She gives the example of wider doorways.
“They don’t just benefit people in wheelchairs, but others too.”
Jordan’s advice for families needing vehicle modifications is to avoid doing the side of the vehicle.
“Don’t do it from the side, because if you do it from the back, you can park anywhere. And then you can get out from the back.”
Her advice for everyone else is that an inclusive world is a better world for everyone.
“Making things accessible doesn’t take away from other people.”
And finally, she reminds us that we can all help in some way.
“Maybe you can’t do everything, but you can always do something.”
