Episode 1: Crafts with Karon
Follow along with Karon from Disability Network Lakeshore in this hands-on DNL Live craft episode. A fun, low-cost activity you can do at home.
Watch Crafts with Karon
A video series made for our community
DNL Live is a video series from Disability Network Lakeshore, the Center for Independent Living serving Ottawa and Allegan counties in Michigan. Each episode features a member of our team sharing something useful — a craft you can make at home, a simple way to build a monthly budget, a plain-language guide to your rights at work under the Americans with Disabilities Act, and more.
We started DNL Live to bring our services to you, wherever you are. Not everyone can visit our office in Holland, and not everyone learns best from a pamphlet. Video lets us show, not just tell. You can watch on your own schedule, pause when you need to and rewatch any part as many times as you like. Every video is hosted on YouTube, where captions are available for viewers who are Deaf or hard of hearing.
Like everything we do, DNL Live is grounded in the independent living philosophy: people with disabilities are the best experts on their own lives. Many of the presenters in this series live with disabilities themselves. They bring real, lived experience to topics like budgeting, self-advocacy, health care planning and everyday problem-solving.
The series covers a wide range because independent living covers a wide range. Some episodes teach hands-on skills, like creating a budget. Some explain your legal rights, like employee rights under the ADA. Some help you plan ahead, like advance directives. And some are just for fun — because joy, hobbies and connection are part of a full, independent life too.
Pick an episode below and press play. If a topic raises questions for you, we would love to talk. All of our individual services are free. Call us at (616) 396-5326 or visit our About Us page to learn more.
Watch the episodes
Episode 2: Mark Leeson's Blind Taste Test
Join Mark Leeson for a fun blind taste test on DNL Live — and a real look at how people who are blind or have low vision use their other senses every day.
Watch Mark Leeson's Blind Taste Test
Episode 3: How To Create a Budget with Holly
Holly from Disability Network Lakeshore shows you how to build a simple monthly budget, step by step, in this practical DNL Live episode.
Watch How To Create a Budget with Holly
Episode 4: Employee Rights and Responsibilities Under the ADA
Learn what the Americans with Disabilities Act means for you at work — your rights, your responsibilities and how to ask for accommodations.
Watch Employee Rights and Responsibilities Under the ADA
Episode 5: Advanced Directives
What is an advance directive, and why does every adult need one? This DNL Live episode explains how to put your health care wishes in writing.
Watch Advanced Directives