Inclusion: Let’s make progress!

“Accessibility allows us to tap into everyone’s potential.” – Debra Ruh

I am more than what I can’t do.
The Webster dictionary defines inclusion as “the act or practice of including and accommodating people who have historically been excluded (as a result of their race, gender, sexuality, or ability).” In other words, it means making people feel welcome and appreciated.

Barriers are obstacles to inclusion, making accessibility difficult. Example categories of obstacles are:

• Attitudinal
• Physical
• Social

Attitudes start in the mind and eventually show through words and actions. Stigmas and stereotypes are rooted in discrimination, displaying a limited view of individuals with disabilities. In support of disability equality, the Centers for Disease Control explain, “People may see disability as a personal tragedy, as something that needs to be cured or prevented, as a punishment for wrongdoing, or as an indication of the lack of ability to behave as expected in society.” What if we sought to understand others rather than make assumptions?

Providing examples of physical barriers, the University of Kansas describes, “This could look like a building only accessible via stairs, a polling place with doors too narrow for a wheelchair to fit, or medical equipment that can only be used by a person who can walk or stand.”

Accessibility is the key to fixing these obstacles.

Social barriers limit how individuals with disabilities grow, live, and learn.

Did you know?

• “In 2017, 35.5% of people with disabilities, ages 18 to 64 years, were employed, while 76.5% of people without disabilities were employed, about double that of people with disabilities” (CDC).
• Among persons ages 16 to 64, about 29 percent of people with a disability were employed in 2020.
• The Southeast ADA center reports, “the employment-to-population ratio for people with disabilities (ages 16 to 64) decreased from 39.8% in November 2025 to 38.9% in December 2025. For people without disabilities, the employment-to-population ratio decreased from 74.9% in November 2025 to 74.8% in December 2025.”

Live, learn, connect, play, and worship – at Echoing Hills, you are included! Learn at EchoingU, a program that supports adults seeking to build life skills, for example, creating a resume to find employment. Live at an Intermediate Care Facility or waiver home and find a friend to connect with. Play and worship at Camp Echoing Hills, where you or your family member is guaranteed to create lifelong memories. Check out ehvi.org to learn more.

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/inclusion
https://www.cdc.gov/disability-inclusion/barriers/index.html
https://www.researchondisability.org/annual-disability-statistics-collection
https://adasoutheast.org/employment-of-people-with-disabilities-reaches-all-time-highs-at-end-of-2025/?utm_campaign=employment-of-people-with-disabilities-reaches-all-time-highs-at-end-of-2025&utm_medium=rss&utm_source=rss
https://www.meetbreeze.com/blog/disability-statistics/
https://www.ruhglobal.com/debra-ruh-bio/