Living a life of advocacy and adventure

Celebrating New Year’s Eve 2024

Around the Cedarwood Apartments in Crystal, Kelly Lee is known as the gal with a personality and smile that can light up a room. She is also a very independent woman who advocates for herself and others living with disabilities.

“I am a person with cerebral palsy,” Kelly will tell you. “I always wanted to live on my own, but my family wasn’t so sure.”

Kelly lived with her sister, Anne, for many years. “It was just the two of us,” says Anne,” but when I got married, I wasn’t able to do the things for her that she needed. The best thing for her was to find someplace where she could be more independent so she could live her own life while still being around people.” An assessment determined that Kelly could be in her own place. “Once we talked everything over with her counselors and met with Cedarwood and learned what it would look like and how much support she would have, I was more comfortable with her having her own apartment,” Anne says. “Our mom raised her to be independent.”

Kelly was very pleased with the move to the Cedarwood Apartments. “It was all very new to me, but I made a whole lot of friends,” she says.

“I knew Kelly would be a good fit here,” says Program Director Jay Butler. “Kelly is proud of being a self-advocate. She represents people with disabilities and likes to talk with people about it. She likes working with The Arc, attends monthly meetings, and has gone to their national conventions.”

Anne agrees. “Kelly talks to people about how important it is for people living with disabilities to be seen and heard. She encourages them to speak up for themselves and not let people talk down to them or talk about them. That’s what a lot of her work with self-advocacy is about.”

Visiting Saudi Arabia during an international disabilities conference

Prior to getting involved with The Arc, Kelly was involved with ACT, another disability advocacy group. “She did a lot of speaking engagements,” says Anne. “They took her many places, including Saudi Arabia for an international disability conference. She’s not afraid to speak in front of people.”

Kelly says she wants people to accept her for who she is. “I have a life to live,” she says. “There are people who have been hurt like I’ve been hurt. Sometimes you have sad times. Some people don’t listen to those with disabilities. Sometimes they don’t want to be bothered by people with disabilities. I know I’m doing the very best I can.”

Kelly has a job at Lifetime Fitness that makes her feel valued. She was laid off during the pandemic, which really took a toll on her. Happily, she was recently brought back a few months ago. “The members remembered me and were happy to see me back,” Kelly says. “Everyone looks at me as me. They don’t say anything about my disability. They see me as a person, as Kelly.”

Although Kelly is getting older and slowing down a bit, she knows what she needs and will ask for it. She talked with staff about moving from the second floor to the first floor for mobility and safety reasons. “I’m a little slow, so in case there was a fire—” she says. She finds a way to compensate for the changes that aging brings about. “When you’re living with a disability, you don’t say the word can’t,” Kelly says. “That’s something my mom told me. I can. I can. I can. I’m trying. I’m trying. I did it. I did it.”  

Kelly is pictured above with her sister, Anne.