Sammamish volunteers pitch "Misunderstood Moments" arts campaign to reduce stigma around developmental disabilities

During the public-comment portion of the meeting, Florence Chang and Felicia Chang representing Lens of Youth described a proposed project, "Misunderstood Moments," intended to shift public perceptions about people with developmental disabilities.

Florence Chang said Lens of Youth is a Sammamish-based nonprofit that runs local activities including a yearly holiday party (about 50 attendees this year), free senior photos and collaborations with local therapy providers. She told commissioners the Misunderstood Moments project would gather roughly 50 real-life stories from people with developmental disabilities and commission artists to illustrate those stories for exhibitions in libraries, school seminars and corporate displays, as well as an online campaign.

"Change starts with understanding," Florence Chang said, explaining the project goal of replacing assumptions about troublesome behavior with the real reasons people act as they do. She offered the commission feedback and potential collaboration and asked whether the presenters had missed any 2025'2026 funding opportunities.

Chang described the project as ongoing rather than a one-time event and said Lens of Youth works with local organizations including ICAN (a local therapy center for autism) and the School to School Foundation; she noted a conversation with a council member who identifies as a parent of a child with autism and who said she had experienced similar misunderstandings.

Why it matters: the proposal targets stigma reduction and community inclusion for people with developmental disabilities and requests city feedback and potential collaboration or funding opportunities.

What happens next: the presenters asked the commission for feedback and for information about grant opportunities; no formal city action was taken during the meeting.