About the Founders
Our Stories
William Stork
Hi!
My name is William Stork. I joined the Army in 1982 and served for ten
years. During my early part of the service I received a swine flu vaccine that brought on Multiple Sclerosis (MS). Eventually my physical condition due to M.S led me to a medical discharge.
After fighting with the Veterans Affairs and Social Security I volunteered with the National Multiple Sclerosis Society San Diego Chapter to help others.
I met my future wife at a newly diagnosed meeting. She was separating from the Navy due to complications of MS. Helping her with the Veterans Affairs (VA) and Social Security I gained a lot of knowledge. After she passed away, I decided to move to Missouri with our three boys.
I ended up running into Marion Trimble who was working at the Center for Independent Living. I loved the idea of helping others with disabilities and joined the organization as a volunteer. Marion took mentored me as she did outreach helping others and continued to teach me the ways to help others with disabilities. I continued to help others including disabled veterans for
about 11 years.
When Marion retired, I decided to follow her in creating a new nonprofit that believes in disabilities helping disabilities.
Marion Trimble
In 1989 I became ill from an unknown bacterium that caused an autoimmune reaction called Guillain – Barre syndrome causing extensive nerve damage. A coma insured for three months.
Although it took me a year to walk again, I am not a person who gives up.
The disability world was brand new to me. I did not have a clue who to ask or where to go to get my questions answered. Being a single mom with no insurance or supports I clawed and stumbled my way back to functioning in a society that I thought I knew but treated me differently now with attitudes of pity. I moved us to Missouri the next year when I was able to drive.
Determined to work again I found a job at a Center for Independent Living where I learned extensive knowledge and resources to keep people with disabilities in control of their lives. After 26 years I retired but the passion to assist others along their path of independence burns as bright as ever.
Disability-Connections was born to bring the collective experiences of the strongest survivors on earth, people with disabilities, in a format of “each one teach one”.
