according to National Statistics, one in three adults in Indiana has a disability.

>> People with physical mental or intellectual disabilities often face barriers that prevent their full and effective participation in society in recent years have given rise to the positive impact of disability inclusion, ensuring that individuals with disabilities have the opportunity to participate in every aspect of life to the best of their abilities and desires in northeastern Indiana ,one such organization is helping people with disabilities go from engaged decision making to fully engaged period.

I believe the only thing my disability are missing out on the value I can bring to the workforce.

I believe employing someone with a disability could get complicated and expensive.

I believe that people with disabilities should have access to transportation on the weekends to be able to do the things we like to do.

I believe we are doing everything we can with public transportation.

>> I believe it shouldn't be this hard to find accessible and affordable housing for me and my family I believe we're doing with the housing laws require there is a chasm between people with disabilities and everyday community life .

>> There's a need for consolidated resourcing and consulting, leadership and advocacy training and most importantly a systemic transformation of our community through methodical advocacy and the creation of a united endeavor where these individuals, businesses and organizations can come together.

The Inclusion Institute will be a highway and a bridge to better northeast Indiana.

We're full inclusion of people with disabilities can be achieved.

We believe people with disabilities make a positive impact on our workforce.

We believe we can provide more readily available transportation for everyone if we work together.

We believe that people with disabilities should choice to live wherever they want.

>> The Inclusion Institute is flipping the script on what you and I believe about disabilities and we'll learn more about the league's inclusion institute and with it the Leadership Academy.

>> This week's PrimeTime.

And good evening.

I'm Bruce Haines.

With us this week is Alana Arellano who is community engagement specialist at the league and along with her Luke Labus who is director of the Inclusion Institute for the League.

And we're glad you're here as well.

You can join the conversation with your questions and comments.

Just call the number that you see on the screen as we widen out and welcome you to the set on this evening.

Glad to have you with and next to me Luke and next to him Alana and thank you both very much for being with us tonight.

>> We appreciate it.

Thanks for having us.

Thank you.

Sure.

I liked the reference.

I liked all of what the last minute and a half shared via video but particularly taken with the phrase how the Inclusion Institute is flipping the script on what is believed about disabilities.

>> Let me ask you both flipping the script in what way?

Luke, start with yeah.

So I think you know, number one what sets the league apart is it's a center for independent living and what does what does that mean?

It means people with disabilities meaning the services and the advocacy for people with disabilities because people with disabilities historically have been dictated to and dictated to for by people without that experience that lived experience.

So people with disabilities taking an active and leading role and engaging on issues that impact them personally and building up that that next generation of leaders to as as you said at the beginning become fully engaged so that we begin to see these societal barriers being removed, that there are qualified people with disabilities out there that can be a leader on these issues.

>> How about for you?

>> I mean I would echo what Luke says it is very different from many of the other existing programs at the league where it is focusing on systemic advocacy rather than you know, one problem for one person it is for everybody and in fact a graphic usually a picture will help you speak a few words to add additional clarification.

>> Well, share this again the graphic here where you have individual community and systemic there are three layers but a lot of let me ask you is is this now going from the flipping of the script where it had been individual to systemic we're going from the outside back in or is it something different?

>> Can you rephrase the question?

>> Well, just the idea that of those three concentric circles to go from individual to systemic in in looking for what agencies will tend to provide often seem to start with stop with the individual and not necessarily carry out into the community.

>> It sounds like the Inclusion Institute and the Leadership Academy once that community.

>> Yes, absolutely.

It goes, you know, into the the community of Fort Wayne but it also extends out to the league service area which I believe covers nine areas.

>> Nine counties, right, Luke?

Mm hmm.

And so Luke, it seems that this is a different approach than if you will what perhaps maybe the league and other agencies have done in the past a one to one service.

Our work is finished now it's one to one to another one to hope that they'll affect others and the work continues.

>> I think I think a point to make here and thanks to the support and the funding from the U.S. foundation which created the seed funding for the formation of the inclusion Institute, I think what the Inclusion Institute seeks to do is get to the root causes and address the barriers from a holistic point of view rather than necessarily focusing on that individual case by case individual situation because so often you're just trying to address the immediate need and put a Band-Aid on the situation.

Well, the Inclusion Institute in our team is focused on addressing the root causes so you remove the barrier from society as a whole obviously systemic change.

>> It takes a lot longer and takes a fully engaged community wide effort not just people disparate but other community stakeholders as well.

But that's really how you address the root causes and get to for inclusion of people with disabilities.

>> And I think that's what is getting to the answer to the question about why systemic change is important.

It used to again feel as if I had provided service to a person in my my work here is done kind of the Lone Ranger thing and then you move on.

But this nobody is doing things alone.

They're always being done in community.

So same question but interested in your response about this idea of focusing on the individual but also then the impact of that person within community for systemic change?

Yeah, so I think and we're going to be talking about a leadership academy that's one of the core initiatives within the Inclusion Institute I think and what the Leadership Academy seeks to do is empower the individual to then be able to share a story that I can get by and can can really create that pool to bring other people in because we we need the entire community to engage on these issues to be able to see these barriers removed.

And the unique thing about disability not only is it the largest minority in the United States but it's a minority that one hundred percent of the population is going to join because you're either born into it.

You can encounter on any given day because of a circumstance a car accident etc.

But at the very least it's a natural condition of aging because a person that begin to lose their mobility or lose their hearing as they age or vision or what have you.

>> So if we address these systemic level issues, our society is going to be accessible and inclusive across the entire age range and span of life.

>> And so that gets to an obvious next question about why it was important to have a leadership academy as part of the Inclusion Institute and why it is important you know, similar to what what looks like it's going to affect everybody.

And the thing is that there are barriers that are affecting us all today that really need to be broken down, not just us referring to people with disabilities but making the world better for people with disabilities makes the world better for everybody.

>> And again coming out of this this all feels as a pit forward mission, you know, in thinking to of of looking at the the vision for the league full inclusion of people with disabilities in all aspects of life, not just a few and making it happen and I think important point to reiterate here why the Leadership Academy was created is because a lot of people disabilities because of the societal barriers, whether they be physical barriers and isolation because of infrastructure or communication barriers, transportation barriers they haven't had the access to information and resources as the rest of their peers in society.

And so you don't have any rights as a person with disabilities if you don't know what they are.

So this Leadership Academy not only teaches that educates people with disabilities and community allies about the knowledge about specific policies and what their rights are as a person with a disability but then how to utilize those rights to build coalitions within their communities or individual schools to cultivate change.

>> So this has been an exciting year maybe more a year what plus a year and a half or and probably additional planning before that.

But share with us you know that this is the launch year, if you will, for the Leadership Academy what that's been been like and how you believe that the year is going.

>> It's been going very well.

We'll be having our third module session so I may spend a little bit what that means.

So we have eight modules that we're going to cover that we started in April and we're going all the way up to December with our group covering various topics starting with their story.

And then the second topic was education that we just finished last month and we'll be having the third module to cover housing this month and it's been wonderful to have a class full of people with different experiences share their stories and how they have advocated for themselves or for others depending on where they're coming from.

And I'm really looking forward to see, you know, their voices being used, you know, empowered to carry on, you know, missions of advocacy for people with disabilities further on the future in boards commission councils or wherever they want to take it.

>> Yeah, and that was what was registering with me is that the next step is don't keep the light under the bushel.

>> Let's get them connected with boards and service groups and others to keep the momentum going while I imagine a class this year to slowly take shape and in fact we might want to share even now information as we're going through the time together tonight contact information for the League for the Inclusion Institute.

>> If you can share that on the screen you'll be able to see a website and a phone number and we'll have that for you I hope shortly to let folks know where they can connect to to hear more information there.

There we go the league and don't forget the hyphen the league and the phone number they're below it as we go through in developing the curriculum for the program that's got to be an interesting experience.

>> Where do you start besides with a blank sheet of paper?

Yeah, I really enjoyed talking about this because what makes me different is that it's an organization for and by people with disabilities.

So we partnered with the curriculum developer, a local curriculum developer and the owner of the company is a person with a disability and the project manager is a person with a disability.

>> So when developing this curriculum they're coming at you delivering and molding a curriculum.

It's going to not only meet the needs but really teach and train people with disabilities as they age and experience different things in life about barriers and how to speak to a public official or go to a city council meeting and an advocate or share a story because what what makes the the the Leadership Academy with the Inclusion Institute so important is not only does it give them the knowledge and skills but also to a lot of point earlier significant level that comes out of the program is we will help coordinate with the individuals as they graduate through the program to get placed on boards, councils and commissions and already within the first twelve months and within the first couple of months of this first cohort of Leadership Academy members, we have placed over twelve individuals on boards, councils and commissions, three of which have been on state local boards.

>> I think I think we see in our graphics a couple of photos that were taken of classes in session and I believe a committee meeting to about trails making the fort we trails area land to describe what we're seeing in here.

>> Yes.

So we we've got a few community events where we've connected with our community members to kind of give their input on some of these sessions and give them a voice in different spaces.

>> I don't know how would you how would you describe it?

Yeah, so I think I would say that, you know, the inclusion do have three areas of focus, you know, that we seek to add educare educate through to our leadership academy, engage in public policy work and we have four main pillars and policy buckets that we've identified in the first year of areas and issues we're working to address one being accessible neighborhoods that are that's our housing coalition that seeks to address not only the availability but also the affordability of housing and the accessibility of housing because as we as we know housing stock within our region, if it's made accessible, it gives people the opportunity to age in place or transition as as they begin to acquire their disabilities.

The natural part of aging.

And then we also have an accessible media and communication team that removes barriers to access to information because as we were talking earlier, if you don't have information, you don't have the power to then act on the information to cultivate the change that you want to see.

>> And then we have a connected community team which for wind chills has a great partner within within that and that that team is focused on areas relating to transportation and accessible infrastructure.

So we post community events that allow people with disabilities to engage with public officials in Fort Wayne , other nonprofit partners to again develop plans to cultivate that systemic change that will see for generations to come and the return on this you know, as you establish accessible housing and you create an environment where access to the appropriate accommodations, transportation to get to and from you, you've sort of tapped the lead domino on a whole additional pool of workforce available who have also been seen as tremendously dependable and and reliable and it's the aha moment perhaps if somebody says so where does this seem to come together that at least is giving me the belief to see that this this is where you get that full participation in society at this point?

>> Yeah.

And and I like what you mentioned there because it really outlines the fact each of these barriers and the four buckets whether it be economic advancement, housing, transportation infrastructure or accessible media information they all intersect and you can't have one not be impacted by the other.

But when one changes benefits the other ones lessens the barriers just a little bit more.

And we've seen significant policy victories here locally within the I'll just point to two of them within the realm of helping.

Back in March we hosted a accessible housing symposium and where the city of Fort Wayne announced that they're adopting a visibility policy for housing that is tied to public funding.

What does visibility mean?

It means that every house that's built with visible features has a zero threshold entrance has thirty two inch wide doorways, interior doorways to allow for clear passage through a hallway and then an accessible restroom that could be accessed by a wheelchair user and the primary floor of the residence again changing the housing stock and altering the future of the housing stock to allow people to age in place.

And it's a way to attract retirees to come to the city of Fort Wayne as they know that the housing stock is being built to better meet their needs.

So just as those that you spoke of who helped to develop the curriculum having come with a disability experience from both of your perspectives, how have you seen your own experience shaping the foundation of the Inclusion Institute in its first year?

>> Well, being a part of the development of the curriculum and some of our systems and just being very advocacy is still very new to me and even being a self advocate is very new to me and its importance is still fresh in me honestly because where I come from about four years ago I was in a situation that I needed an advocate for my personal case and barriers like transportation, housing, you know, what have you employments they're all very important and I feel very fortunate because I see so many people who don't have that opportunity so to be a part of something so big that would open up doors and build the confidence in others and our community is so important to me.

You care about you, sir.

Yeah.

And to piggyback off of what a lot of them mentioned, it is really important to look at the work that you're doing particularly within this context and look at it from a not only a future generation point of view but look from people that haven't had that platform or the opportunity to be in spaces and decision making positions that dealt with the Inclusion Institute are currently in and helping raise up a next generation of leaders through our Leadership Academy because admittedly I never wanted to to work in disability advocacy because I live it every day and just because you live it every day doesn't mean you want to work in it too.

But the reality is as people with disabilities it's hard to ask for an advocate for things in telecommuting leaders that they need to change things if we're not taking an active and leading role.

So for the people that haven't had the opportunity and the platform that we have and that we've been afforded, we're also carrying their stories and the barriers that they've shared with us into those spaces.

So really put it putting the entirety of the community and not just yourself as an individual.

It's a heavy responsibility.

Sure.

>> But it's also a privilege at the same time it just was you were saying too about a presentation of the modules going monthly and the conversations the exchange by those who are participating in the program.

>> It's not hard to imagine that's where the real learning is can be occurring to the the synapses are firing all the time.

>> Absolutely.

I whenever I'm talking to people about the Leadership Academy, I feel like a learner as well personally.

And it's it's it really it really is an honor to be a part of this.

I wonder to what your thoughts are on what seems to be a balance between a person's commitment to having an active role in the workplace in community to forward many of these things related to diversity, equity and inclusion?

The idea of balancing that commitment with the idea of of being sure that that commitments communicated that it does you don't keep it to yourself.

>> You pass it on.

Yeah.

And I think that really goes to the essence of of the Leadership Academy and really to the point I was just sharing about you know, we've been given opportunities to pursue higher education opportunities and have these employment opportunities that give us a platform and microphone and we have a responsibility to share and be be mentors and provide that peer to peer support so that we can help others come along and develop those skills because many people with disabilities they've never interacted with a public official.

So they're very passionate about issues and they can share a personal experience about barriers as it relates to transportation or employment for example.

But telling that to a public official effectively to cultivate that change is a whole nother issue and developing that skill set you'll want to learn more about the Inclusion Institute and the Leadership Academy and the disability resource finder and so much more that is lollygag.

>> I want to thank our guests this evening Alana Ariano, the community engagement specialist at the league, Luke Labus here as the director of the Inclusion Institute.

Thank you both so much for taking the time.

We thank you.

Thank you.

And for all of you watching, thank you for taking time as well and for everyone with prime time I'm bruisings.

Take care.

We'll see you again next week