For this week’s post, I got the opportunity to interview Christopher Samp, the director of the Office of Disability Affairs (ODA), and Marisa Spain, a Policy Research Assistant also with the ODA. Both of them identify themselves as part of the disability community, so they are passionate about the work they do. Over 123,000 residents with disabilities are counting on them to improve accessibility and equitable opportunities in Detroit and their advocacy work is what motivates them to keep doing the work they need to do to help transform Detroit into a more welcoming and accessible city.
Chris & Marisa’s Backgrounds
Christopher is from Troy, MI and has an educational background that started with an interest in engineering but switched to public policy. He obtained both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Public Policy from Rochester Institute of Technology. Throughout his youth, he developed a passion in advocating for others in the disability community having gone through struggles himself where little to no accommodations were provided. Chris remembered in high school not knowing that the school district was required to provide accommodations because he thought his family had to pay for the services. As a result of the school’s negligence to ensure that he received the accommodations he needed to be successful such as interpreters or captioning, his grades had suffered as a result. However, Chris managed to adapt to his inaccessible environment and learned how to succeed without accommodations. After graduating from college, Chris recounts feeling hesitant about a career in government given the news’ portrayal of corruption in Detroit politics, however, his academic advisor persuaded him to do an internship at the United States Senate. That internship experience changed his view on politics, which eventually became his first full-time job doing legislative research for a senate leadership office. Throughout seven years of working in the United States Senate, Chris kept pushing his limit and had the desire to grow within his profession, but employment opportunities in the Senate were limited. Also, he noticed how long it took for bills to be passed and decided to pursue a different job where he could see immediate results of his work. That realization, some time in Seattle doing non-profit fundraising work, and the pandemic brought him back to Detroit as the first director of the new Office of Disability Affairs.
Marisa is from Port Huron, MI and has an education background in Zoology. She obtained a degree in Zoology from MSU and later a masters in Biology while doing zoo animal welfare research. She remembers disability advocate work never being in her view, as there was a lot of internalized ableism in her environment growing up. Marisa has muscular dystrophy, of which decreases mobility overtime and describes her younger self as an able-bodied child. During her masters, her disability progressed and she was a full-time wheelchair user by the end of her masters. Marisa remembered a friend she had known for a while introducing her to the disability rights movement and she felt passionate and gravitated towards that work. She moved back to her family after graduate school and it came time to make a decision, of which she chose to pivot to disability rights work. She had worked as a Accommodations Specialist at the University of Michigan and she saw the ODA position which brought her where she is now. She described her career change as one of the best things that has happened to her and agreed with Chris that she values immediate results in her work.
Considering the ODA is a recent establishment, what do you wish to accomplish in the future?
Christopher: “Detroit has over 123,000 residents with a disability. The Office of Disability Affairs is understaffed and there is a demand for increased communications from the City of Detroit (departments) to the community. I have so many ideas and strategies to increase our outreach efforts and improve city services, but I needed additional team support to assist me with different projects and inquiries. My goal is to see many city employees being inclusive of the disability community without the ODA reminding them, so we will be educating city employees (through presentation, online courses, guides, etc.) more and more in the future”. The office has been increasing efforts to get the disability community more engaged with the city government, and having their voices be heard by city leaders to know what issues are most important to the disability community.
Marisa: “I’m motivated by the ODA’s mission to make Detroit a more inclusive and accessible city. I think that it would be so cool, not just for our residents, but for the disability community as a whole, for Detroit to become one of the most accessible cities in the country. That’s a lofty aspiration, but I think we’re up for the challenge”.
What insights do you have about Detroit/your community that you think would be valuable for people who are not from Detroit to know?
Christopher: “Detroit residents with disabilities love living in Detroit and they are passionate about transforming Detroit into a more welcoming, inclusive and accessible city. Relationship building is the key. City government should be encouraged to make decisions with the disability community (not for them). When we empower residents with disabilities, we show that we care and we are listening to their concerns”.
Marisa: “I think that it is easy as someone not from the area to fall into media representations of Detroit as being some kind of chaotic wasteland with abandoned buildings and residents in poverty. While the city does have abandoned buildings and residents experiencing poverty, many representations of the realities of the issues facing residents are dehumanizing and exaggerated for the sake of clicks and views (also known as “ruin porn”). I would want people to know that Detroit and its residents are vibrant and passionate about their work and their city. People from Detroit are proud of living here and have a bottomless optimism for investing in their city and improving the lives of their community members. I see that in the members of Detroit’s disability community, but I’d say that an unbreakable spirit is a trait of the city at large”.
What keeps you motivated when work gets challenging?
Christopher: “There is a lot of work to be done. People are vocal about their concerns and will use any platform to share negative experiences with government officials. I am result-driven so making progress towards change keeps me going. Also, receiving positive feedback and community support– for example, participants at the Michigan Civil Rights Summit shared with me how much they appreciated my leadership and the work I have been doing for the disability community is a sign that I am on the right track. Even though being in the leadership role can be overwhelming and mentally taxing, someone once told me, “Hey Christopher, you are in a very powerful position because you have a megaphone to talk with different leaders about what is most important to the disability community and push for change.’ So, I use that as a reminder to not give up and keep pushing for progress and change. To make sure I balance my time between work and personal, I surround myself with a great team of supporters who believe in me, as well as to think strategically and effectively when pushing for change. So I use the three year strategic plan to stay focused on my goals.”
Marisa: “For me it is similar to Chris. This work can be emotionally taxing especially when you are facing working against injustice everyday when it affects you. It’s close to my heart. I would say that what helps me in those moments is stepping back for sometimes, whether it be for an hour or the weekend. The connections in the disability community, hearing others stories of inaccess/inequity/barriers faced, and knowing if I can even have a small part in breaking those down for next generations keeps me motivated. I really believe in being the person you needed when you were younger”.
Chris & Marisa are both reachable at christopher.samp@detroitmi.gov and marisa.spain@detroitmi.gov
I loved reading your post, Sewa! You did a great job interviewing your mentors. Reading about their journeys is informative and motivational! Thank you!