MAKING A DIFFERENCE

Meet the City of Fisher’s Champion for Awareness and Inclusion: Stacey Oldham

BY DAROLYN “LYN” JONES WITH STACEY OLDHAM

Stacey Oldham has never let a diagnosis determine the prognosis for her future, and she doesn’t want you to, either. A born and raised Hoosier, Stacey grew up in Noblesville and has lived in Hamilton County for 50 years. She graduated from Noblesville High School in 1983 and Indiana University in 1987. Her children are Mallory, 32, Molly, 28, and Matthew, 18.

Stacey was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS)at age 20 while attending college. At that time, a neurologist told her that people with MS didn’t live to be 50. The only treatment option was to take steroids to keep the immune system quiet. Stacey has the relapsing/remitting form of MS where a relapse can be just around the corner at any time.

Stacey didn’t let her diagnosis define her back then and she doesn’t now. Her education and background are in organizational change management and communication strategies. She worked in television, for an ad agency, an airline, and as a consultant to Fortune 500 companies including Carrier, AT&T, and Blue Cross Blue Shield, among others. The last years of her professional career were spent as a senior communications associate at Eli Lilly and Company.

When Stacey’s health took a turn, she had to leave the professional workplace after nearly 25 years, but she pivoted her education, experience, and expertise into championing inclusion in the city of Fishers, Indiana. Stacey was the co-chair of the first Fishers Advisory Committee on Disability (FACD) with City Council Member Cecilia Coble when the committee was first established in 2016. When the FACD was codified (made an official committee of the city) in 2022, Stacey was appointed by Mayor Scott Fadness to be one of nine members. Her term ends this year.

Because Stacey has lived with a disability most of her adult life, she wanted to make community wide impacts not only for herself but for others living with disabilities as well. Stacey advocates for those with disabilities because she has witnessed first-hand the gaps in accessibility in Fishers. Some things were as simple as the sidewalks in her neighborhood not being accessible. She met early on with Mayor Fadness about this issue among others, and she was heard.

Stacey said, “Unlike many cities, our mayor and city leaders have embraced and supported those with disabilities. As a newer and fast-growing community, we have been able to build in programs, accommodations, and strong awareness of all disabilities so that Fishers is truly a community for all.” Fishers received the Champions of Inclusion Award in 2017 for the many incredible accomplishments of the FACD.

Every year, Stacey and her fellow FACD members put together programs for Disability Awareness Month (March) that are the envy of other communities. Even during COVID, online opportunities for education, accommodation, and celebration of those with disabilities continued under Stacey’s leadership.

Stacey is most proud of Southpointe Village, an affordable housing complex with wrap around services for those with disabilities. “My part in making this happen was very small,” she said. “I just signed a letter requesting federal funds for the project. However, I was able to fulfill a promise to an elderly man who came to our committee with a request in 2016. He was in his 90’s and nearly blind. He came with a caregiver. He pleaded with the city to establish a place where his son, who is in his 60’s and has an intellectual disability, could live near him. At that time, his son was living in Richmond, Indiana because there was nothing available for him anywhere in Hamilton County. I know his request took years to meet, but his inspiration led to action on our part. I get a tear in my eye every time I drive past Southpointe Village going south on I-69 and realize what it now means to so many.”

Stacey will receive the “Life Without Limits Award” this month. “I was particularly humbled to learn that I was nominated by more than one person,” she said. “You don’t go into advocacy or volunteering with the goal of recognition. I am just passionate about making life easier for those with physical and intellectual disabilities and their families. Having a disability doesn’t preclude a person from achieving great things. This award is an exclamation point to that.”

2024 marks 40 years since Stacey was diagnosed with MS. While her health has fluctuated over that time period, she is still up and walking. She uses a cane most days, and a scooter for long distances. When Stacey turned 50, she remembered the prognosis from her neurologist that she most likely wouldn’t live to be 50. Now 59, she said, “I decided I was still here for a reason. My motto now is: ‘I don’t have a Bucket List. I have a To Do list for [helping] others.’”

Stacey’s hope for the future is that FACD continues advocating with the same passion and strength it has had since 2016 in three areas of focus:

• HOUSING: Programs can be set into place that offer financial support for those needing to retrofit their home due to disability. But the most important thing is that new buildings and homes incorporate universal design so that modifications aren’t needed later.

• TRANSPORTATION: Other communities, like Green Bay, Wisconsin, have solutions already in place to accommodate disabilities. Stacey believes that transportation options that meet the needs of everyone can be implemented across Hamilton County and into Marion County.

• EMPLOYMENT: The FACD has made wonderful progress and gains to ensure that those with disabilities can locate employment opportunities as they age out of the school system. Stacey hopes that continued partnership with Indiana Vocational Rehabilitation will grow these opportunities so that the percentage of people with physical and intellectual disabilities who hold a job increases tenfold in the next few years.