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I am writing this as an individual member of the Sudbury Commission on Disability and Sudbury School Committee. These views are my own.
Earlier this year, the Sudbury Select Board proclaimed the week of July 20–26 as National Disability Independence Week. That proclamation prompted me to reflect on what Disability Pride Month means here in Sudbury.
Each year on July 26, we celebrate National Disability Independence Day, commemorating the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) into law in 1990. The ADA recognized accessibility as a civil right and established important protections for people with disabilities. It laid the foundation. What communities build upon that foundation, however, depends on the choices we make every day.
Over the past several years, I’ve noticed a shift in the conversations we’re having in Sudbury. Whether we’re talking about a playground, an after-school program, a Town project, Parks and Recreation programming, or a neighborhood tradition, I keep hearing the same question:
Who are we building this for?
Sometimes there’s an even harder one.
Who might unintentionally be left out?
Those aren’t always easy conversations. They ask us to see the world through someone else’s experience and sometimes rethink decisions that otherwise might seem routine. There have been disagreements and moments of heartbreak. But I’ve also seen those conversations lead to something really special.
When an aging toddler play structure at the Dr. Bill Adelson SMILE Playground needed to be replaced, it could have been a routine maintenance project. Instead, it became an opportunity to ask, Who are we building this for? The result will be a new universally designed play area that will allow more children of all abilities to play together. It reminded me that building a more inclusive community often begins with ordinary decisions and the willingness to think about them differently.
I’ve seen the same thing through Sudbury’s Accessible Trick-or-Treat. Residents of an entire neighborhood came together to make small changes that had a big impact by setting up tables at the ends of their driveways with allergy-friendly treats, toys, and other non-food options. Those simple adjustments made it easier for more children to enjoy one of childhood’s favorite traditions.
After the event, one parent wrote, “I am in awe of what your community offered and the impact they had on neurodivergent families like mine.” A resident simply shared, “We were thrilled to be a part of it.” To me, those two comments say everything.
I’ve watched that same way of thinking shape our schools. Sudbury Public Schools incorporated universal design into its Facilities Development Goals and strengthened its Mission Statement by incorporating the district’s Inclusion Statement, affirming a simple but powerful belief: “All means all.” When the School Committee sought proposals for a new after-school provider, providers were also asked how children of all abilities would participate, build friendships, and belong.
That conversation continues across Sudbury. The Town’s ADA Transition Plan guides improvements to public spaces. This spring, Town Meeting affirmed accessibility and full inclusion as community values. The Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School Committee has also begun discussing an ADA Transition Plan for its campus.
At first glance, a playground, a Halloween tradition, school policies, and a Town Meeting vote don’t seem to have much in common. But I think they do.
Each one started with the same question: Who are we building this for?
That question matters to children playing with friends, grandparents cheering from the sidelines, older adults who want to remain active in the community they love, and, at different points in our lives, every one of us.
Serving on both the Sudbury Commission on Disability and the Sudbury School Committee has given me the opportunity to be part of many of these conversations. They haven’t always been easy. I’ve learned that some of the best conversations I’ve been part of weren’t really about playgrounds, policies, or budgets. They were about people. They began when someone stopped talking about what we were building and started asking who we were building it for.
Disability Pride Month reminds us that accessibility is about much more than complying with a law. It’s about creating opportunities for people to participate in the everyday moments that make up community life.
If we keep asking who we’re building for, and who might unintentionally be left out, I believe we’ll continue making better decisions. Because in the end, the best communities aren’t measured by the buildings they construct or the policies they adopt. They’re measured by the opportunities they create for people to participate, contribute, and belong. That’s the Sudbury I hope we continue building.