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Your privacy

Privacy and Cookies

This page explains what information we collect when you use our website, why we collect it, and what control you have over it. We have written it in plain language on purpose — you should not need a lawyer to understand how your information is handled.

Last updated: August 3, 2026

Privacy Policy

What this covers

Disability Network Eastern Michigan (“DNEM,” “we,” or “us”) is a Center for Independent Living. This policy covers the information we collect when you visit www.DNEMichigan.org or use our services.

If anything here is unclear, or if you would like this information in another format, contact us and we will help. Requesting an accessible format is itself a right, not a favor.

Information you give us

You share information with us directly when you contact us, sign up for a program or event, subscribe to our newsletter, make a donation, or ask us for services. Depending on what you are doing, this may include:

  • Your name and contact details — email address, mailing address, and phone number
  • Payment details, if you donate or pay a program fee
  • Anything else you choose to tell us in a message or form

Information we collect automatically

When you visit the website, some information is collected on its own. This includes your IP address, which pages you visited, how long you stayed, and what browser and device you used. We use this to see which pages people find useful and where the site is not working well.

Most of this comes from cookies. You can control that — see the Cookie Policy below.

Sensitive information

Some of our forms ask for, or give you the chance to share, information that is more sensitive than a name and email address. Two common examples:

  • Accommodation requests. If you ask for an accommodation at an event or program, you are telling us something about your disability. We use that information only to arrange what you asked for.
  • Demographic questions. Some registration forms ask about things like race, ethnicity, age, or disability type. We collect this to report to our funders on who we serve, which we are required to do as a Center for Independent Living. Answering is optional, and skipping a demographic question never affects the services you receive.

We use sensitive information only for the purpose you gave it for. We do not sell it, and we do not use it for marketing.

Anything you choose to tell us in a message — including details about your health or situation — is kept with that message and used to respond to you. We would rather you tell us what you need than hold back. But please do not send more than you need to, and if you are already working with our staff, sensitive details are better shared with them directly than through a website form.

Information from other sources

We may receive information about you from services we use, such as website analytics providers and social media platforms — but only where you have allowed those services to share it.

How we use your information

We use the information we collect to:

  • Provide the services, programs, and support you have asked for
  • Answer your questions and respond to requests for information or referrals
  • Register you for events, classes, and programs
  • Process donations and send receipts
  • Send our newsletter and program updates, if you signed up for them
  • Understand how the website is used so we can improve it
  • Meet our legal, grant reporting, and accounting obligations

When we share information

We do not sell your personal information.

We share information only in these situations:

  • With your permission. For example, when you ask us to refer you to another organization.
  • With providers who work on our behalf — such as our website host, email newsletter service, and donation processor. They may only use the information to do that work for us.
  • When the law requires it, or to protect the safety of a person or the organization.

How long we keep it

We keep personal information only as long as we need it for the purpose it was collected, or as long as the law, our funders, or our accountants require. In practice, website information is kept for two years. When we no longer need it, we securely delete it or strip out anything that identifies you.

If you gave us permission to contact you and you later withdraw it, we stop using your information for that purpose.

How we protect it

We use reasonable security measures to guard against unauthorized access, loss, or disclosure of your information. No website or internet connection can be guaranteed completely secure, so we cannot promise absolute security — but we take the responsibility seriously.

Your rights

Depending on where you live, you may have the right to see the information we hold about you, correct it, delete it, or limit how we use it. See Your Privacy Rights for what those rights are and how to use them.

Changes to this Privacy Policy

We update this policy from time to time. The “last updated” date at the top of the page shows when it last changed.

Contact us about privacy

Organization
Disability Network Eastern Michigan
Address
1709 John R Rd.
Troy, MI 48083
Email
privacy@DNEMichigan.org
Phone
(586) 268-4160

Your Privacy Rights

Depending on where you live, you may have rights over the personal information we hold about you. This section explains what those rights are and how to use them.

Last updated: August 3, 2026

What you can ask for

  • See your information. Ask for a copy of what we hold about you.
  • Correct it. Ask us to fix anything inaccurate or incomplete.
  • Delete it. Ask us to erase it, where we are not required to keep it.
  • Limit how we use it. Ask us to stop or restrict certain uses.
  • Withdraw permission. If you agreed to something — such as our newsletter — you can change your mind at any time.

How to make a request

Email privacy@DNEMichigan.org and tell us:

  • Your name
  • The state or country you live in
  • What you would like us to do
  • The email address or phone number your request is about — this may not be the one you are writing from. If you want to come off a mailing list, we need the address that receives the mail in order to find and remove it.
  • How to reach you with follow-up questions, if that is different from the details above

Tell us as much as you can. If we cannot match your request to a record, we will write back and ask — but that slows things down, and if we cannot confirm the connection at all, we may not be able to act on it.

If you would rather call, reach us at (586) 268-4160 and we will take your request that way.

To protect your information, we may need to confirm your identity before we act. We will not use anything you send for identity checks for any other purpose.

What happens next

We aim to respond within 45 days. If your request is complicated, we may need longer — the law allows an extension, and we will tell you if we need one.

There is no charge for making a request, unless it is clearly excessive or repeated without reason.

Changes to these rights

We update this section when the law or our practices change.