INCLUDEnyc

INCLUDEnyc’s aim is to foster bright futures for young people with any disability—particularly those from low-income, BIPOC, and immigrant communities—by increasing access to educational, employment, and independent living prospects, and advocating with families for meaningful inclusion in the broader community. Our distinctive programs help parents understand their rights, navigate complex service systems, and access crucial supports. At the same time, we equip youth with the tools and competencies needed to pursue postsecondary goals, persist in academic or career settings, and set the stage for a greater success and independence.

These efforts are accomplished via a comprehensive array of free, multilingual programming that is focused in three core areas. Our Parent and Family Engagement programming gives parents and caregivers the resources, tools, and confidence to make informed decisions, secure essential services, and advocate for their child with disabilities. Youth and Transition Services utilizes tactics and curricula that have proven to be highly effective in developing personal and professional competencies to help young people with disabilities—especially low income, immigrant, and non-English speaking youth ages 14-26, facing the greatest obstacles to positive employment and academic outcomes—become the drivers of their own futures as they transition to adulthood, since a well-skilled, self-assured individual is poised to realize greater success in their postsecondary pursuits and for years to come. Lastly, INCLUDEnyc’s Partner and Community Engagement (encompassing all communications, outreach, resources, public policy advocacy, and annual events) builds a network of collaborators who bolster our capacity to disseminate resources and connect with the larger community.

INCLUDEnyc is committed to ensuring that youth with disabilities are afforded an equal chance for success in school, career, and life as their non-disabled peers. Our experienced staff offer practical instruction, vital skill-building, and social-emotional guidance that helps youth break down barriers to opportunity, build a sense of self-reliance, and shape a future of greater independence in ways that may once have seemed out of reach. At the same time, we provide caregivers with the skills and self-assurance needed to advocate for their child. INCLUDEnyc serves as a catalyst for positive change, having a profound impact on the lives of young people with disabilities and their families. By empowering young people with disabilities and adult caregivers, while engaging the broader community, INCLUDEnyc aims to build a more inclusive society that benefits everyone and promotes equity for all.

In the months (and years) ahead, INCLUDEnyc’s work will be guided by a newly adopted strategic plan that charts our course for the next four years. The scope of our strategic planning process began with a comprehensive environmental scan and comparative peer analysis, as well as review of key internal documents such as our Theory of Change. Interviews were then held with staff, Board, and external stakeholders (parents, youth, funders, partners, etc.) to gather extensive insights into the organization. In collaboration with our Strategic Planning Committee, we drafted a four-year plan with detailed tactics, capacity measures, milestone metrics, and proposed timetables in support of top-line goals ensuring that: 1. Under-resourced communities across New York City are equitably accessing INCLUDEnyc’s services; 2. INCLUDEnyc is known for its impact and best-in-class programming; 3. INCLUDEnyc achieves an appropriately balanced, diversified funding model to support operations and fuel areas of growth; and, 4. INCLUDEnyc’s capabilities are built up to bolster recent success and enable future pursuits. The plan was approved by our Board in February and its implementation is now underway.

INCLUDEnyc has been serving the New York City disability community for nearly four decades. What began as a small organization created in 1983 by three mothers who needed to procure services for their children with disabilities is now a leading nonprofit serving young people with any disability in the city. All our work is performed by a staff that represents our constituency. More than half our staff are a child, parent, or sibling of a person with disabilities, or have a disability themselves. Approximately one-third speak multiple languages (including Spanish, Mandarin, Cantonese, and French) and more than 50% identify as a person of color. As one parent participant explained, “This organization has people who live their work. It touches their lives and their families. They have personal experience and understand why it is so important.”

INCLUDEnyc was designated as a Parent Training and Information Center (PTIC) by the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) 30 years ago. As a PTIC, we provide free supports and services to parents of youth with any known or suspected disability. As a PTIC, INCLUDEnyc’s Board of Directors has a majority of members who are the parents of a child with disabilities ages 0 through 26, as well as individuals who have disabilities themselves, and/or work in a disability-related field. As such, our Board represents constituent voices across the spectrum of families and youth served by our organization.

In 2017, INCLUDEnyc also became a Community Parent Resource Center (CPRC) for northern Manhattan and the South Bronx serving Spanish-speaking communities. As a CPRC, INCLUDEnyc ensures underserved parents of youth with disabilities have the training and information needed to participate effectively in assisting and advocating for their children.

Furthermore in 2019, as the most recent testament to our leadership in the field, the New York State Education Department (NYSED) selected INCLUDEnyc to be the sole organization operating newly instituted Family and Community Engagement (FACE) Centers for early childhood and school-age children in New York City. Our FACE Center work focuses on promoting meaningful change within schools and the educational system, while providing information and training for families, community members, and professionals supporting youth with disabilities.

Since our founding 39 years ago, INCLUDEnyc has been a crucial lifeline for youth with disabilities and their families in New York City, a traditionally underserved population who have been among those most severely impacted by the COVID health crisis. To meet the evolving needs of our youth and families, INCLUDEnyc adapted and expanded our activities—all free, multilingual, and unique in the disability community—over the past several years. In 2021, we directly served over 14,000 parents/caregivers, youth, and professional—a 100% increase compared to the year before COVID—and reached over 585,000 individuals via communications and community engagement.

INCLUDEnyc continues to solidify our position in the community. For instance, since 2019 alone, we:
- became the leading recipient of autism-related support under the New York City Council’s Autism Awareness Initiative
- renewed our focus on Early Childhood programming after observing that parents of very young children are losing precious time identifying their child’s disability and obtaining the services necessary to support early development, when intervention services can have the greatest effect
- piloted our Parent Leadership Advocacy Network (PLAN), which engages parents of youth with disabilities and develops their advocacy skills, helping them understand disability rights, build a sense of community with peers, and promote equitable learning environments that offer the same chance for success to all students
- scaled up provision of social-emotional assistance for caregivers via Parent Support Groups (in English and Spanish), providing comfort, camaraderie, and guidance for parents of children with disabilities. This has been especially important in addressing feelings of anxiety, isolation, and stress amplified by COVID
- developed and launched a more advanced, multilingual website with greater functionality and capacity, providing clear, user-friendly engagements when accessing (free) information resources, events, and supports

As a result of significant staff expansion (47% increase in the past two years), INCLUDEnyc will be relocating our Manhattan office from a long-time space in Union Square to a new midtown location in June. INCLUDEnyc will extend our advocacy efforts skills by developing diverse parent and youth advocates. These are a few examples of the numerous activities planned under our organization’s new four-year strategic plan.