What if expanding who your program serves starts with rethinking who it excludes? That’s the question Lansing SAVE, a children’s savings account (CSA) program managed by the City of Lansing’s Office of Financial Empowerment, set out to answer.
Lansing SAVE recognized a need to expand their program’s accessibility offerings for students with disabilities. To bridge this gap, the program utilized support from an Innovation & Sustainability grant offered through CEDAM and funded by the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity.

Two crucial pieces of information influenced how Lansing SAVE approached this issue. First, the team learned at last year’s Midwest CSA Consortium that no CSA programs in the Midwest currently included comprehensive resources for students with learning disabilities. Second, data showed that nearly 20% of Lansing high school students have an Individualized Education Plan (IEP). These students are far more likely to face barriers to accessing postsecondary education, including financial strain, a lack of tailored supports, and limited access to information about available resources.

After identifying that their CSA program could do more to meet these students’ needs, the Lansing SAVE team applied for and was awarded an Innovation & Sustainability grant to transform their program and provide tailored support for this student population. 

Adapting for accessibility

To improve program support for students with disabilities, Lansing SAVE first reexamined its core program rules, specifically when students can access their funds and how those dollars can be used. This review was necessary because CSA programs have historically restricted payouts tied to traditional higher education, creating barriers for students across the board.

“If you don’t graduate in a traditional manner, or don’t plan to pursue traditional postsecondary education like college or a trade school, there wasn’t a clear way for students to access the money in their CSA account,” said Tiffany Lemieux-McKissic, director of the Lansing SAVE CSA program and the City of Lansing’s Office of Financial Empowerment. “To expand access to our CSA program, we amended the rules for what students could use their CSA funds for to include pathways for students who receive a certificate of completion or finish high school with a transition plan in lieu of a diploma.”

Beyond expanding what milestones trigger withdrawal eligibility, Lansing SAVE also formalized pathways for account transitions. Support for this approach has been building across the state since last year; in May 2025, CEDAM hosted representatives from the Michigan Department of Treasury at a Michigan CSA Network meeting to present on MiABLE Disability Savings Program accounts, eligibility, and potential alignment. Today, eligible Lansing students can roll their CSA funds directly into a MiABLE account—a tax-advantaged account that enables individuals with disabilities and their families to save, invest, and cover disability-related living expenses while safeguarding eligibility for essential benefits like SSI, Medicaid, and HUD.   

Lansing SAVE also updated its eligible expense policy to ensure all students receive adequate support and flexibility. To align these policies with real-world needs, the City partnered with the Lansing School District’s Special Education Department and community partners to expand the list of covered training programs and postsecondary supports.

A portion of the grant funds also expanded the program’s Community Navigator role from 10 to 30 hours per week. Contracted through the City, the Community Navigator focuses on identifying students’ unmet needs and connecting them to relevant resources. With increased capacity, the Navigator was able to map out specialized community supports for students with disabilities while building relationships across Eastern High School, Everett High School, and Sexton High School.  Working directly with IEP case managers, special education teachers, and community partners, the Navigator ensures school staff are equipped to guide students with disabilities through a smooth transition to college or career training.

Resources for the community

Building on these newly established partnerships, Lansing SAVE created a dedicated accessibility guide. This resource detailed how children’s savings accounts specifically benefit students with IEPs and centralized Lansing’s full network of school and community accessibility supports for families.

After creating the accessibility guide, Lansing SAVE hosted an Accessibility Resource Fair at Eastern High School. This event brought together community organizations, Lansing School District special education staff, Lansing SAVE CSA team members, and families of students with disabilities. Held on a Saturday, the fair welcomed 54 families seeking resources.

The event was such a success that Lansing School District offered to assume planning duties for next year’s event, allowing Lansing SAVE to shift focus toward other programmatic needs. Feedback from the event included one teacher who shared, “I’m a special ed teacher, and I think this guide is gold. There’s nothing like this for our community.” Similarly, a parent attending the resource fair said, “I truly appreciate having these resources in one place. I learned so much and got so many different resources, and it really helped having the special ed department there.”

When sharing this news, Lemieux-McKissic said, “That was the biggest win. This event had never happened before in the history of the Lansing School District, and the fact that they agreed to take over the planning for the next year and annually…is incredible for our community.” It wasn’t just about freeing up staff time—it signaled that the district saw this as a critical community need and was willing to invest its own capacity and credibility to carry it forward.

Tonia Brewer, senior director of special education at Lansing School District, was a key partner in both developing the accessibility resource guide and the resource fair.  Reflecting on the impact of the event, Brewer shared, “The Accessibility Resource Fair was such a great example of what is possible when schools and community come together around a shared purpose. Accessibility is not just about providing resources—it is about making sure people feel seen, supported, and able to fully participate in their community.”

“Lansing School District wants to be intentional about being part of this work, and we are excited to continue the fair annually and build on both the event and the resource guide each year,” Brewer continued.

To ensure their efforts would have long-term impact, Lansing SAVE also put together a toolkit on how to replicate the resource fair and local resource guide with the intention that other CSA programs within the network and across the Midwest could replicate their work.

“We would not be able to do any of this work without support from CEDAM and LEO. I don’t even have the words to convey my appreciation. It’s not just the funding. It’s the real-time assistance, advocacy, and access to other programs and communities to learn from that makes this work possible. CEDAM staff are always available to answer questions and offer solutions,” Lemieux-McKissic said.

##

Lansing SAVE is one of 18 programs currently enrolling students in the Michigan CSA Network, a statewide initiative led by CEDAM. The Network supports community-based CSA programs through coalition building, technical assistance, and shared resources. In 2025, CEDAM and the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity awarded 10 organizations across the state Innovation & Sustainability Grants. 

To learn more, visit the Michigan CSA Network webpage or email CEDAM’s director of economic initiatives, Madeleine March-Meenagh, at [email protected].