Disabled founder says wheelchair racers reshaped how he saw success

Ryan Wilson, founder of Colorado Springs-based Team Trust Productions, is using Disability Pride Month and the 36th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act to argue that media portrayals of disability still miss what protections and representation make possible. Wilson says elite wheelchair racers changed his view of disability and now inform the nonprofit video work his company produces nationwide.

Why it matters: - Wilson is tying the 36th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act on July 26 to a broader fight over disability rights and services. - He says proposed legislation that would cut Medicaid by more than $930 billion could threaten critical support for millions of Americans with disabilities. - The message is personal and practical: representation and access shape whether disabled people are seen as limited or capable.

What happened: - Ryan Wilson, 30, founded Team Trust Productions in Colorado Springs, Colorado, after growing up with Osteogenesis Imperfecta and breaking more than 60 bones over his lifetime. - Wilson says he spent childhood in a small town in central Illinois feeling like the only disabled kid in the county. - He says the only disability images he saw in media framed disabled people as sad and second-class. - Wilson says elite wheelchair racers showed him disability as competition, capability and possibility. - Wilson said those athletes told him to never apologize for his disability. - Team Trust Productions now helps nonprofits tell stories that reflect disabled people with dignity and agency.

The details: - Team Trust Productions is a disability-led video production and marketing company based in Colorado Springs. - The company works exclusively with U.S. nonprofits that have at least $1 million in annual revenue. - Team Trust says its video content is designed to drive fundraising, brand awareness and mission visibility. - Clients include Make-A-Wish, Special Olympics, Catalyst Sports, AccesSurf, the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee, Special Olympics Minnesota, the International Paralympic Committee and Move United. - Catalyst Sports is an adaptive sports nonprofit in Atlanta. - AccesSurf provides surfing opportunities for disabled people. - Team Trust says one client raised $80,000 in 30 days after working with the company. - Team Trust says another client brought in $100,000 in three months. - Wilson says Colorado Springs has reinforced his view through its strong Paralympic and disabled athlete community. - Wilson is available for interviews, commentary and speaking engagements during Disability Pride Month and the week of the ADA anniversary. - Media assets, including photography, are available upon request. - More information is available on Team Trust Productions.

Between the lines: - Wilson's story is a critique of pity-based disability narratives that still shape public perception. - The timing suggests Team Trust wants to use a policy anniversary to elevate a values-based argument about visibility, independence and community support. - His pitch also positions nonprofit storytelling as a revenue tool, not just a branding exercise.

What's next: - Wilson is seeking interviews, speaking opportunities and media coverage around Disability Pride Month and the ADA anniversary. - Team Trust Productions is likely to keep pairing disability representation with fundraising results as its main market differentiator. - The broader debate over Medicaid funding and disability services is expected to stay in focus around the anniversary date.