The initial goal of Michigan Ability Partners was to focus on helping people with disabilities to gain basic skills to get a job and give them a support system to become as independent as possible.
"There were a lot of people that were institutionalized that didn't need to be, they really just needed treatment," Little said. "So this was pretty innovative and the idea was to try out some different interventions, try some strategies and see what works.
"It was pretty incredible. Some people that had long-term mental health issues were getting jobs and being integrated back into the community. We kind of evolved from a strictly vocational program for this population and we started looking at some of the other needs in the community."
Watch: Ann Arbor Inclusive 59 Michigan Ability Partners
After a successful first decade of service in the community, Michigan Ability Partners expanded to provide several more services, including housing assistance, financial management training and more.
Little became focused on helping young people with disabilities prepare for a self-sufficient life as they became adults. She noted that education services focused on those with disabilities in Michigan end when they are 26 years old, at which point a lot of people within this community have nowhere to turn for help.
"Our work with youth has been a really strong component of what we've done for the last 20-plus years. And the focus has been on knowing that not all high school students will go onto college. So what do they need to know and do to be prepared for something else after schooling has ended?
"So we worked with youth doing a lot of job training, job shadowing, a lot of different vocational experiences during the summer to help gain some experience, to know what else was out there for them after school."
Recently, Little and Michigan Ability Partners increased focus on helping young people with autism and disabled military veterans transitioning back to civilian life.
Michigan Ability Partners now employs more than 30 staff members and serves more than 1,500 people in the metro Detroit community. The organization owns and operates 44 units of affordable housing at seven sites in Washtenaw County, and currently serves Washtenaw, Jackson, Wayne and Monroe counties.
"Through Michigan Ability Partners, Jan Little and her team work every day to ensure young persons with disabilities and veterans have access to life changing services," said Red Wings and Tigers director of community impact Kevin Brown. "We're proud to honor Jan as one of our Game Changers for her tireless work in Michigan."