Welcome
Disability Advocacy & Awareness
Educating, Raising Awareness, Changing the Tone of Conversation
What is Our View
Our Story
Our View was formed in June of 2010. The mission of Our View is to educate, raise awareness, and change the tone of conversation about how society views disabled people, and the way that those with disabilities view themselves.
The vision of OurView is to build a premier organization that provides high-quality services to educational institutions (at all levels), communities, and corporations, educating on topics related to disabilities. A charity whose principal focus is building awareness, advocating for and delivering programming that leads to an increased number of all-inclusive play opportunities for disabled children and adults. To aid in improving individual and collective relationships with those in the disability community and others who love, serve, play and work with them.
This mission will be carried out by providing inclusive play experiences, and by offering assemblies, in-service seminars/workshops, and trainings, for schools and businesses. The school assemblies and workshops consist of a series of customized presentations for students from Kindergarten through college, and workshops and trainings for employees of companies. These presentations are designed to raise awareness about disabilities, to educate the population at large about disabilities, and to change the tone of conversation concerning those who have disabilities.
Our View of Advocacy and Inclusive Play
Environments, programs, and communities where people with disabilities can fully participate, contribute, and thrive—recognizing and addressing physical, social, and institutional barriers-this is disability advocacy and inclusion. Some of the earliest disability advocacy work and the fight for the equal rights for those in the disability community within the United States of America dates back to the 1800s with the creation of the Connecticut Asylum for the Education and Instruction of Deaf and Dumb Persons, the first permanent school for the deaf in America, and the invention of Braille. The movement continued through the 1900s with the signing of legislation like the Social Security Act, Brown v. Board of Education, the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Across the nation, approximately 42.5 million Americans, or 13% of the civilian non-institutionalized population identify as having a disability.
In New Jersey, about 10.2% of residents—nearly 890,000 people—live with disabilities, with prevalence ranging between 8% and 15% depending on the county.
Among children nationwide, over 3 million under age 18 (4.3%) experience a disability such as cognitive, hearing, or mobility impairments.
Inclusive play is crucial in this landscape—when children and adults of all abilities engage together, they build understanding, empathy, and belonging, while developing social and cognitive skills.
