Striving to remove barriers that prevent us from building Vibrant, Diverse, Inclusive, Accessible Communities!
Across cities everywhere, families describe a pattern: life beyond the classroom is designed without them, and Students with Disabilities are excluded from events unless a parent advocates for justice. This is a barrier problem—systemic, persistent, and fixable—see Removing Barriers.
Mervin Rodriguez loves music and movement. At a community baseball banquet in 2023, “They had a disc jockey (DJ) and it was like nothing else mattered. You couldn’t peel him off the dance floor.” His family took him to a live concert this summer—same joy. Yet when a school dance comes up, they can’t send him because there is no plan for participation: no way to signal for bathroom help, no clear wayfinding at drop-off and pick-up, and no designated person to respond when a nonverbal child tries to get support.
This is exclusion by design and it’s unjust. Families in the story say their children are “left out,” “not wanted there,” and cut off from the social life of school—exactly the harm that ableism produces. The burden belongs on event planners to remove barriers up front so Children with Disabilities are able to participate. Their Disabilities are not the problem. The problem is rooted in Injustice and Exclusion at a systemic level!
Examples in the reporting show what that harm looks like in daily life: a High School Senior who was unable to attend homecoming and, after being turned away, celebrated alone with his family at a restaurant where a corner table was decorated in his school colors instead; a parent who discovered after-care and clubs only at a Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) meeting because flyers and invitations never even reached Students with Disabilities. Taken together, the message is simple: design and plan for all events to be Inclusive and Accessible!
Read the Full Article: Math, yes. Lego club? There's no plan for disabled children to attend.
By: Kathleen Moore
