Be A Hero
Become a Sidekick

What's Your Superpower?

Every superhero needs a community behind them.

It's not about flying. It's about what makes you extraordinary.

A superpower isn’t something you’re born with on another planet…

It’s about showcasing the extraordinary things you do… the way you show up, the skill you’ve built, the quality that makes the people around you better. Everyone has one. Most people just haven’t been asked about theirs yet.

Sign Up to be a Superhero

Every superhero needs
a sidekick. That's you.

You don’t have to have a disability to be part of this story. In fact, the superheroes you’ve met on this site couldn’t do what they do without the community around them… the employers who took a chance, the neighbors who showed up, the advocates who spoke up, and the loving family that care for them.

In every great superhero story, the sidekick isn’t less important than the hero, they’re essential. They open doors. They create opportunities. They show up. The Tri-Cities Superheroes campaign is a celebration of our local superheroes, but it’s also a call to everyone around them: What kind of sidekick will you be?

The Employer Sidekick

People with disabilities need to work too. They have families, ambition, and skills. If you're a business in the Tri-Cities, you have the power to change someone's story by opening your door.
Learn More

The Donor Sidekick

Behind every hero is a program that helped them get there. Your donation funds job coaching, community activities, and the support that helps people discover and share their superpower.
Make a Donation

The Storyteller Sidekick

Share our superheroes! Tag a post. Tell a friend. Every time you share a story from this campaign, you extend its reach and help more people see disability the way it really looks: extraordinary.
Jump on Facebook

How much do you really know about disability?

Most assumptions about disability were never challenged. Six questions. Real answers. You might be surprised by what you learn.

FALSE
Most disabilities are acquired during a person's lifetime —through illness, injury, aging, or other life events. Disability can happen to anyone, at any point. In fact, adults over 65 have the highest disability prevalence at nearly 44%.
1 IN 4
More than 70 million U.S. adults, over 28%, report having at least one disability, according to the CDC. Disability isn't rare. It's part of every community, every neighborhood, and every family. Including ours here in the Tri-Cities.
FALSE
The majority of disabilities are invisible, including chronic pain, mental health conditions, learning disabilities, autism, hearing loss, and many others. Assuming you know someone's abilities, or limits, based on appearance is one of the most common and harmful misconceptions about disability.
Employer attitudes and accommodation
Research consistently shows that the primary barrier to employment for people with disabilities isn't ability... it's how employers perceive and accommodate them. The employment rate for people with disabilities sits at 22.7%, compared to 65.5% for those without. That gap is about barriers, not capability.

Theresa knows this firsthand: "There are not a lot of places out there that would hire people with a disability. We need to work too."
FALSE
Most people with disabilities want exactly what everyone else wants: to be seen, heard, valued, and treated as capable individuals. The desire isn't for special treatment; it's for equal treatment. As one of our Tri-Cities Superheroes put it: "We are all the same. Wants and needs. We want to be treated and seen like everyone else."
— Theresa, Tri-Cities Superhero
DIFFERENCE
The CDC describes disability not as a health outcome, but as "part of the way people experience life such as hearing, seeing, moving, processing information, and caring for oneself." Disability is diversity. And every person in the Tri-Cities Superheroes campaign is proof of what that looks like when it's celebrated instead of overlooked.

⚡ Every hero on this site has a story worth knowing. Go meet them.

Know someone who deserves a spotlight?

If someone in your life has a superpower the Tri-Cities needs to hear about, we want to tell their story.

Nominate a Superhero