Community
29
2026
Tacoma Commission on Disabilities/Disability Access Platform Subcommittee: 2025 Network Funding Spotlight
Guiding Focus of Network
Developing platforms and support for people with disabilities and their advocates.
There are two working goals: To design and propose a consolidated, one-stop model that co-locates disability-related resources under one roof as part of TACID’s relocation. The proposal will emphasize cross-agency collaboration and identify funding pathways to move Tacoma/Pierce County’s one-stop model from concept to implementation.
To expand the existing PC 2 Online Resource Guide into a comprehensive, shared inventory of disability-related resources for individuals, caregivers, and advocates. Develop the guide as a cooperative, multi-nonprofit initiative and align it with funding opportunities through Elevate Health and other partners.
Together, these initiatives will make disability-related supports easier to find, access, and coordinate. The one-stop model reduces barriers and strengthens relationships by bringing organizations and people together in a shared, collaborative space, while the expanded PC2 Resource Guide ensures timely, equitable access to information across the region. Combined, they create stronger connections, reduce duplication, and support a more inclusive, resilient Tacoma/Pierce County.
How Network Was Formed
The subcommittee was formed in response to interest from the Tacoma Area Commission on Disabilities, particularly Commissioner Cheri Coleman, to expand the Pierce County Coalition for Developmental Disabilities (PC2) online resource guide through multi-organization collaboration.
At the first meeting, discussion of a one-stop disability services model in Phoenix, Arizona—along with the news that the Tacoma Area Coalition of Individuals with Disabilities (TACID)’s lease ends in 2029—sparked interest in pursuing a similar model locally, with TACID as a potential anchor tenant. The subcommittee is now focused on both expanding the PC2 resource guide and exploring a collaborative one-stop model for Tacoma/Pierce County.
Shared Successes That Have Emerged From This Network
The group has met only since September 2024 and continues to grow. Even in these early stages, meetings have fostered active co-learning about disability resources across the region and practical problem-solving, for example, when one organization shared a need for a bed for a client and another was able to provide one the same day.
This ongoing exchange of knowledge and resources is already advancing both workgroup goals as the group moves through its discovery and into its planning phases.
1-2 Big Goals Your Network is Hoping to Achieve in 2026
- To develop the expanded PC2 Resource Guide and
- To identify organizations who would like to co-locate with TACID in a one-stop shop, and their potential location.
Advice For Others Looking to Leverage Networks to Help Build a Thriving Community
Challenges to Anticipate
As the group grows, scheduling becomes harder—finding meeting times that work for everyone, maintaining continuity of who shows up, and keeping momentum when attendance shifts from meeting to meeting.
Tips for Navigating Challenges
Regular communication is essential to keep people informed, but it needs to be balanced so it’s helpful rather than overwhelming. There’s also an ongoing challenge in deciding who to invite—bringing in the right voices without letting the group become so large that it’s hard to work effectively.
How to Build Shared Goals
- Start by taking time to get to know each other—relationships build trust, and trust makes alignment possible.
- Ask genuine questions and stay curious rather than assuming others see the work the same way you do.
- Focus on agreement around the big goals and be willing to let go of smaller details; shared direction matters more than perfect alignment on every point.