Inclusion is the way

Growing up, I was taught that segregation was a sad reality—where someone with a foreign accent wasn’t easily accepted, where a person of a different faith was seen as less welcome, and where gender could limit someone’s career aspirations. That was not okay. In my family, my grandmother led the way. She laid down the law: inclusion is not optional, it’s essential.

Authentic inclusion means being truly part of something. It means no activity is off-limits, no dream is too big. It doesn’t divide or exclude. It walks beside you in partnership, steps ahead to clear the path, and stays behind to catch you when you fall—because we all fall.
Over time, laws have helped protect our differences and create space for equity. I’ve benefited from those protections. But we don’t need to wait for laws to tell us what is good. We can choose to be good. We can model what it means to coexist with compassion and respect.
As an organization we stand for inclusion, and we are not alone. We’re helping others see the path forward. On our website, our Church Relations page offers free resources for faith communities to become more inclusive. We invite you to share this with your own faith and community leaders. These resources will continue to grow.

This initiative is largely thanks to Ali Clark, a Lutheran Deacon candidate who interned with us. Ali collaborated with visionary leaders like Pastor Alina Gayueski and Pastor Eileen Ruppel Doan of Reformation Lutheran Church in Media, PA, to bring these tools to life.
We’ve started something meaningful. Soon, we’ll welcome pastors to the Smart Home to explore how enabling technology can support dignity and self-direction.
We are doing good.

Inclusion is the way, the way to recognize our shared hopes for love, family, friendship, and belonging.
We are deeply grateful to these Lutheran leaders who stand with us on solid ground, for authentic inclusion.