Today’s guest columnist is Dr. Michele Kong.
Fourteen years ago, our world changed forever.
Our son was diagnosed with autism, and overnight we stepped into a reality we were not prepared for.
We searched for therapies, for providers, for answers. What we found were endless waitlists, closed doors, and a system that often left families like ours on the outside looking in.
But the hardest part was not access to care. It was the isolation. The silence that comes from feeling like you do not belong. The feeling of being treated as guests, sometimes even unwelcome, rather than as members of a community.
Out of that ache, a dream was born. We dreamed of a world where everyone would not just be accommodated but embraced. Where every individual, regardless of ability, had a place to belong. That dream became KultureCity.
From its beginnings in Birmingham just 11 years ago, KultureCity has grown into a global movement reaching more than 40 countries. We set the gold standard for sensory accessibility training, pioneered sensory rooms in public venues at scale, and introduced an entire fleet of sensory activation vehicles.
Most recently, we developed a groundbreaking free, AI-powered multilingual communication app. What started as a spark in Birmingham is now a beacon across the globe.
KultureCity has transformed accessibility in communities around the world, breaking down barriers and creating spaces where inclusion is the standard. But accessibility is only the beginning. A disability diagnosis is lifelong, and it rarely comes with a roadmap.
Families are not only navigating the challenges of the present, but also the uncertainty of what lies ahead, seeking a future that offers dignity, purpose, and possibility.
Disability is not a distant issue. One in four people lives with a disability. It is our coworkers, our neighbors, our friends, our children, our parents. And it can become anyone’s reality in an instant.
During the COVID pandemic, I experienced a sudden neurological event that shifted my life overnight. I went from being a physician and advocate to a patient navigating an invisible disability.
Disability is not always visible. It is never planned. But it is always real.
And so the question is not whether the need exists, it does, but how we choose to respond.
At KultureCity, our response is bold: to create something that has never existed before, a National Center of Accessibility, Empowerment, and Innovation. Earlier this year, we acquired Birmingham’s historic Powell Steam Plant, a structure that once fueled the city’s growth. Built in 1895, it was an engine of progress. Today, we are reimagining it to power something even greater: belonging.
The Powell Steam Plant will be reimagined as a place where education, history, and community come together. At its heart will be a groundbreaking technical college designed specifically for individuals with disabilities.
Here, students will gain practical, recognized skills across a wide range of fields, from hospitality and technology to creative and skilled trades. Just as important, the college will connect graduates directly to employment opportunities through KultureCity’s partnerships with companies around the world, ensuring that training leads to real jobs and economic independence.
Families will discover a centralized hub of education and resources, offering evidence-based tools to navigate life after diagnosis with confidence. An exhibit space will give voice to the often-overlooked stories of the disability rights movement, presented in a way that builds both understanding and empathy.
Alongside this history, the exhibit will celebrate disability in pop culture, showcasing artists, creators, and icons whose work will draw in the public and spark broader appreciation of disability as part of our shared cultural fabric. Surrounding it all, an inclusive intergenerational park and playground will invite neighbors of every age and ability to gather, connect, and play side by side.
This is more than a building. It is a blueprint. Just as Birmingham once lit the path for the civil rights movement, this city now has the chance to lead a new revolution in human rights, one rooted in accessibility and belonging.
We envision a future where no family feels alone after a diagnosis. Where Birmingham becomes the national model for what it means to create opportunity and dignity for all. And we envision a space where anyone, whether living with a disability or not, can walk through the doors and know they belong.
This is our call to action. Not tomorrow. Now. This is our moment to create a legacy that will outlive us all. A testament that belonging is not a privilege for the few, but a right that must be secured for everyone. We invite everyone to be part of this journey, because only together can we make it a reality.
Birmingham has always been a city of transformation. With this project, we can once again show the world what it means to turn struggle into strength, exclusion into inclusion, and isolation into belonging.
Because everyone deserves a place. A place where dreams take root. A place where the nevers are made possible. A place where everyone belongs and is home.
Michele Kong, MD, MBA, a co-founder of KultureCity, is a Professor of Pediatrics at UAB and holds an endowed professorship from Children’s of Alabama. She is a critical care physician scientist and an NIH funded investigator. Michele uses her personal experience as a stroke survivor and living with hemifacial spasm to further push the boundaries for inclusion, particularly for those who are neurodivergent or have invisible disabilities. She is an endurance athlete and has completed both a 100-mile ultramarathon and a 140.6 Ironman.
David Sher is the founder and publisher of ComebackTown. He’s past Chairman of the Birmingham Regional Chamber of Commerce (BBA), Operation New Birmingham (REV Birmingham), and the City Action Partnership (CAP).
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Invite David to speak for free to your group about how we can have a more prosperous metro Birmingham. dsher@comebacktown.com
