Paul Landry celebrates 25 years advocating for people with disabilities...even Cerebral Palsy has not held him back

DETROIT, Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Paul Landry has cerebral palsy. He also has a wife, two children and for the past 25 years has been assisting people with disabilities find paths to independence as a staff member at MI-UCP (Michigan United Cerebral Palsy).

Currently, Landry serves as a Director of Employment Programs and manages the Work Incentive Planning & Assistance (WIPA) Project covering Livingston, Oakland and Wayne counties. He has established the Fee for Service with Michigan Rehabilitation Services & the Bureau of Services for Blind Persons. Paul is also involved in Michigan's Employment First initiative subcommittee, aiding Benefit Counseling services at a statewide level and making recommendations regarding the state's Medicaid ? Freedom to Work program.

"I've been fortunate to enjoy my work at MI-UCP for the past 25 years, assisting people with disabilities with options so they can make an informed choice regarding their own life," said Landry. "Thank you Elmer Cerano and Leslynn Angel for your leadership and allowing me to advocate in my own unique way."

Landry earned his master's from Central Michigan University in Public Administration, with a strong emphasis on Nonprofit Management. Within the community, he serves as a board member for Community Housing Network and Arc Livingston, and is also actively involved with Leadership Oakland as a past board member. In the spring of 2014, Landry received a Leader of Leaders award for Personal Leadership from Leadership Oakland.

Leslynn Angel, President & CEO of MI-UCP said, "I have known Paul for 25 years through the agency's ups and downs and he has been a major contributor to helping close the disability divide."

Paul is celebrating his 25 years by asking others to contribute to: http://www.mi-ucp.org/donate

Background:
Paul wasn't born with cerebral palsy. However, he stopped breathing at four months old. His father gave him mouth to mouth resuscitation, but in that short amount of time he developed cerebral palsy. This has led to many challenges, all of which Paul has successfully faced head-on. In the fall of 1991 while attending GVSU, Paul wanted to begin a career in city government. This led to the study of the Americans with Disabilities Act, which was just signed into law the previous year.

Paul completed an internship for the County of Ottawa in the spring of 1993. During that time, he was introduced to the disability community via the Center for Independent Living (CIL), Hope Network. He has helped Leadership Oakland and MI-UCP build an accessible ramp to support a young woman become more independent within her community. In 1996, Paul joined the UCP/Detroit (now MI-UCP) staff where he's made significant strides in the disability community ever since.

Youtube link: https://youtu.be/_hCNx_PIA9I

About MI-UCP
MI-UCP was founded in 1949 as United Cerebral Palsy Association of Metropolitan Detroit (UCP/Detroit). This included Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties. That same year, United Cerebral Palsy Association of Michigan (UCP/Michigan) was formed to serve the needs of constituents throughout the remainder of the state of Michigan.
 
In 2020, these two organizations merged into MI-UCP (Michigan United Cerebral Palsy). The goal is to expand our scope of service reach. In reality, more than 65 percent of the people we serve have a disability other than cerebral palsy. These include autism, spinal cord injuries, intellectual disabilities, visual impairments and many other disabling conditions.
 
By unifying as MI-UCP, we are able to operate more efficiently and effectively as one of the state's leading sources of information, referral and strategic partnerships with like-minded organizations. And by having offices in Detroit and Lansing, we can continue to be a leading advocate for all 1.4MM of Michiganders with disabilities. For more information or to contact MI-UCP, please visit the web site at mi-ucp.org

For media inquiries, contact:

Leslynn Angel
[email protected]
248-557-5070 x154

Paul Landry
[email protected]
248-557-5070 x113

Media Contact

Marc Harlow, Harlow Public Relations, +1 810-599-2558, [email protected]

SOURCE Michigan United Cerebral Palsy