This is Just the Beginning
Amy McDowell, MS, CCC-SLP/L
President & Co-Founder
When Lisa, my co-founder, first joined our inclusion efforts, the work was still part of the school district where I worked. She attended our Inclusion Night at the SHS football game and loved what we had started. After being involved in our district-wide inclusion efforts for a few months, she suggested creating a nonprofit.
It definitely sounded interesting to me, but the logistics felt overwhelming at first. My mind usually has at least 5,000 ideas going at once, and I could already imagine all the possibilities.
At the same time, it sounded like a very big project—especially while raising three children and working a full-time job.
But I have never backed down from a challenge, especially when it involves my career, my passion, and my dreams for my students. I do not simply see students for speech therapy and then forget about them when the session ends. They become part of my heart and part of my life. I care deeply about who they are, what they need, what they love, and what they will experience as they grow.
I do not want to help them in just one setting or for one moment. I want to make a meaningful, lasting difference in their lives. I want them to feel seen, valued, understood, and supported—not only in my therapy room, but everywhere they go. I want to help create a world where they can participate fully, use their voices, pursue their dreams, and know that they belong.
That is why this matters so much to me. This is not just an idea or another project. It is something I truly believe in with my whole heart.
Then someone I knew asked me, “Are you really planning on making it that big?”
That was the moment I knew. Yes, I was.
I just needed the right push in the right direction. With Lisa’s support, the commitment of the All In Collective Board, and the encouragement of the communities surrounding us, an idea began turning into something real.
Now, here we are.
This is my passion. This is what I was meant to do. I just needed some help finding my way there.
Why This Matters So Much
In only a short time, All In Collective has already become more meaningful than we ever imagined.
We have seen the relief on a parent’s face when they realize their child is welcome exactly as they are. If their child becomes overwhelmed or has a meltdown, that is completely okay with us. There is no judgment, no staring, and no need to apologize.
We simply ask:
How can we help?
Do they need quiet? Space to move? A fidget? A visual support? A way to communicate? Or do they just need someone nearby who understands?
Seeing the genuine relief and joy that families experience when they realize they are in a safe, accepting space is exactly why this work matters.
Why Families Sometimes Stay Home
Over the past several weeks, so many families have told us that they often avoid community events and activities altogether. Some spend much of the summer at home—not because they do not want to participate, but because participating can be incredibly hard.
Preparing for an outing may mean gathering communication devices, sensory tools, medications, snacks, safety equipment, and everything needed for multiple children. Then families arrive without knowing whether there will be a quiet place, whether their child will be able to communicate, or whether the people around them will respond with patience and understanding.
Sometimes, staying home simply feels easier.
People and organizations may believe they are accommodating individuals with disabilities—but are they truly creating spaces where families feel safe, understood, and included?
Are supports clearly available, or must families find someone and ask for them? Are different ways of communicating accepted? Can a person step away and return when they are ready? Will a parent feel judged if their child becomes overwhelmed? Were individuals with disabilities considered from the beginning, or added as an afterthought?
True inclusion is not simply allowing someone to be present. It means creating an environment where they can participate, communicate, regulate, connect, and belong.
Every Family Has a Different Story
The families and individuals we have met are all on different journeys, but so many have shared the same hope: If there were more events with meaningful accommodations for people of all abilities, they would attend.
We have met middle schoolers who love Taylor Swift just like so many other girls their age. We have met families with young children who are not yet speaking and whose parents simply need support—and someone who understands what they are going through.
We have met families raising more than one child with a disability who may need extra support during an event. These parents are doing an absolutely amazing job, but they should not have to do everything alone.
We have talked with moms who are working hard to learn their child’s communication device. That process can be difficult, and families deserve support as they learn.
We have also seen how valuable communication supports can be at community events.
Sometimes a family uses the communication materials in our sensory tent because their child’s device was accidentally left at home or in the car.
When you are gathering supplies, carrying bags, watching multiple children, and trying to remember everything needed for an outing, forgetting something happens.
A communication board, visual support, or patient communication partner can make the difference between someone simply being present and being able to truly participate.
So Many Abilities—and So Much to Share
We have met incredible children and adults who want inclusive places to gather, build friendships, explore their interests, and feel like part of their community.
We have also met so many talented entrepreneurs with disabilities creating everything from handmade clay beads and gnomes to amazing glow-in-the-dark, 3D-printed turtle fidgets.
Their creativity, talents, businesses, ideas, and voices deserve to be seen and celebrated.
Again and again, we are reminded that inclusion is not about focusing on what someone cannot do. It is about recognizing what every person enjoys, contributes, creates, and brings to the world.
A Community Coming Together
We have been overwhelmed—in the very best way—by the support All In Collective has received.
We have seen so many familiar faces from our community show up, encourage us, and ask how they can help. We are building meaningful collaborations with local pediatricians and other healthcare providers, law enforcement, Open Door Rehabilitation Center, community organizations, families, and more.
Every conversation helps us better understand what our communities need. Every family who shares an experience helps us recognize another opportunity. Every person who offers an idea helps shape what All In Collective can become.
We may have started All In Collective, but the people we are meeting are showing us what it needs to become.
This Is Just the Beginning
We are going to do everything we can to support individuals and families of all abilities.
We are going to include.
We are going to advocate.
Most importantly, we are going to listen.
We cannot wait to continue this journey through more events, more advocacy, more communication access, more collaboration, and more inclusive spaces where people are welcomed and considered from the very beginning.
We want All In Collective to grow alongside the people it is intended to serve, and we need your voices to do that.
What would make it easier for your family to attend a community event? What activities, resources, connections, or supports are missing? What would true inclusion and belonging look like for you?
Please share your experiences and ideas with us. Help us shape All In Collective into what our communities truly need.
All In Collective is going to do big things. We already are—and we cannot wait to see what comes next.
This is only the beginning.
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