Colorado Springs founder turns disability storytelling into nonprofit fundraising

Ryan Wilson, founder of Team Trust Productions, is using his own experience growing up disabled in rural Illinois to help nonprofits tell stronger stories during the Americans with Disabilities Act’s 36th anniversary week. The Colorado Springs company says its video work has helped clients raise six figures and reframe disability as capability, not pity.

Why it matters: - Ryan Wilson is trying to change how disability is seen and funded, at a moment when advocates are fighting federal Medicaid cuts that could reduce services for millions of Americans with disabilities. - Team Trust Productions is helping nonprofits raise money by replacing pity-based narratives with stories of ability, competition and community. - The work connects public policy, media representation and real fundraising outcomes.

What happened: - Wilson, 30, is the founder of Team Trust Productions, a Colorado Springs-based video production company. - Wilson has Osteogenesis Imperfecta, a bone condition that has caused more than 60 broken bones in his life. - Wilson said he grew up in a small town in central Illinois feeling like the only disabled person in town. - Wilson said wheelchair racers first showed him disability as capability, competition and possibility. - Wilson said those athletes changed how he saw his future and his own disability.

The details: - Team Trust Productions creates video content for nonprofits and disability-related organizations. - The company has worked with Make-A-Wish, Special Olympics, Catalyst Sports and AccesSurf. - 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 raised $100,000 in three months. - The company is disability-led and serves U.S. nonprofits with at least $1 million in annual revenue. - The company says its work is designed to drive fundraising, brand awareness and mission visibility. - Clients also include the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee, Special Olympics Minnesota, the International Paralympic Committee and Move United.

Between the lines: - Wilson’s story points to a broader issue in disability media: many people still encounter disability through outdated, limiting images. - The ADA anniversary gives Wilson a platform to argue that legal protections matter most when they shape everyday opportunity and public perception. - Colorado Springs’ strong Paralympic community appears to reinforce the message Wilson first learned from elite wheelchair racers. - Wilson’s comments suggest he sees institutions as useful in some cases, but not as a full solution for helping disabled people thrive.

What’s next: - Wilson is available for interviews, commentary and speaking engagements during Disability Pride Month and the week of the ADA’s 36th anniversary. - Team Trust Productions is continuing to pitch disability-centered storytelling as a tool for nonprofit fundraising and mission growth. - The company directs readers to learn more at its website.

The bottom line: - Wilson is turning personal experience into a business built on a simple idea: when nonprofits show disabled people as capable, audiences respond.