Every Age. Every Ability.

Successfully shaping policies, practices, and resource flows that support Connecticut residents across the lifespan first requires us to look at our deeply held, implicit beliefs.

The Connecticut Age Well Collaborative is a statewide, cross-sector initiative to foster more aging, dementia, and disability-inclusive communities. Every Age, Every Ability is our campaign to disrupt ageism and ableism, informed by the lived experience of Connecticut residents. The campaign is meant to catalyze conversation and inspire locally-tailored, community-driven efforts.

Join us in this co-creative process of creating safe spaces for introspection, building community authority, and promoting age and ability-based equity. Learn more in our 2024 Age Well Academy.

Funding in support of the Collaborative’s campaign to challenge negative bias about aging and disability is provided primarily by the Connecticut Council of Developmental Disabilities, with additional, generous support from Connecticut Community Care, the Connecticut Department of Aging and Disability Services and the Point32 Health Foundation.

Quick Links

How to Get Involved

Step 1:
Join the movement
on social media

Keep up with Every Age, Every Ability by following the Collaborative on social media.
Find us on Facebook >
Follow us on Instagram >

Step 2:
Download the
conversation guide

Use our small posters and conversation prompts to talk about ageism and ableism with people close to you.
Download the guide >

Step 3:
Bring a Daring Dialogue
to your community

The Collaborative will offer free, 2.5-hour workshops about ageism and ableism. Applications are reviewed on an ongoing basis.
Preview the application >
Apply now >

Step 4:
Learn to lead your own
Daring Dialogues

We’ll provide training, tools, and resources for YOU to facilitate your own Daring Dialogues. Participating municipalities must commit to hosting at least four Daring Dialogues.

Step 5:
Display the
campaign posters

Municipalities that complete the facilitator training can get their own set of our large posters to display in their community.
Preview the posters >

Step 6:
Design posters to celebrate
your community

We’ll show you how to create custom posters that elevate the voices of YOUR residents.

Step 7:
Exhibit the
campaign art piece

Host four Dialogues, and become a stop on our statewide tour! The Every Age, Every Ability sculpture was created by Kindspin Design.

Step 8:
Get recognized
for your efforts!

Celebrate your progress with opportunities for statewide recognition from the Connecticut Age Well Collaborative.

Start a Conversation

We’ve created a free set of small posters with accompanying conversation prompts to help you start conversations about ageism and ableism with your family, friends, and colleagues. By downloading these posters, you have joined our campaign – welcome!

This poster set and conversation guide are distributed under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND. You may copy and distribute this material, in unadapted form only, for noncommercial purposes only, and only so long as attribution is given to the Connecticut Age Well Collaborative, an initiative of Connecticut Community Care. Learn more at creativecommons.org.

A preview of the cover and an inner page of the Every Age, Every Ability Conversation Guide
Download Now

Go Deeper with a Daring Dialogue

Daring Dialogues are community workshops designed to foster open and constructive communication. We bring together community members and local leaders to challenge assumptions about aging and disability and explore how our biases influence our thoughts and actions.

Daring Dialogues are not public forums or town halls. They are not designed for community members to voice complaints and concerns to government officials. They are a space for collective discovery and growth toward positive change. 

The Connecticut Age Well Collaborative will offer a series of free, 2.5-hour Daring Dialogues in municipalities across the state — click here to learn more and apply.

Learn more

The Posters

A collage of portraits: a young woman with Down Syndrome, an older man smiling and jumping in the air, and an older woman wearing headphones and dancing. The headline says, "We are vibrant. Every age. Every ability."
A collage of portraits: an older Latino man dancing with his teenage granddaughter at a family party, a mother in a wheelchair with her young daughter standing next to her, and older woman laughing with two small dogs in her lap. The headline says, "We are connected. Every age. Every ability."
A portrait of an older man embracing an older woman who is laughing. The headline says, "Connected. Every age. Every ability.
A gender non-conforming person sits in a wheelchair. The headline says, "We are resilient. Every age. Every ability."
A collage of portraits: an older woman smoothing back her short white hair, an older Asian man looking into the camera, and a young woman sitting with her legs crossed on a sofa - the crossed leg is a prosthetic. The headline says, "We are resilient. Every age. Every ability."
A collage of portraits: an older black woman standing outside and smiling with her arms folded, an older woman sitting a desk wearing headphones and talking on a smartphone, and a young man in a wheelchair wearing a hardhat on a warehouse floor. The headline says, "We are capable. Every age. Every ability."
A young man with Down Syndrome sits at the wheel of a car. The headline says, "Capable. Every age. Every ability."

Frequently Asked Questions

We invite you to download our small poster set and conversation guide. Use these to start conversations about ageism and ableism with people close to you, like family, friends, and colleagues.

We need to use our large posters for other programs across the state. To get a set of your own, send 2-4 representatives to the Daring Dialogue Facilitator Training and commit to hosting at least four Dialogues in your community.

The posters are meant to spark dialogue, not be displayed in isolation. For this reason, the large poster set is only available to communities who are participating in the facilitator training and hosting their own dialogues. You may download our small poster set and conversation guide any time.

Yes, the posters are only available as a set. While we can never capture the full breadth of representation, we want to depict as wide a range as possible of people who are capable, connected, vibrant, and resilient.  For this reason, the posters must be displayed together.

Local leaders and community members who have attended a Daring Dialogue are eligible to apply. Applicants should be comfortable with public speaking, have formal or informal experience leading groups of 12-30 people, and be willing and eager to help others navigate through conflict.

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