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 and inclusion 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.

For a nonprofit like OurView, advancing disability-inclusive practices enables equitable access, enriches community life, and supports those with disabilities in leading full, meaningful lives.

Miracle League & Days of Play

One way that our Our View advances inclusive practices is through our Camden County New Jersey Miracle League (CCNJML).

The Miracle League is a national organization that serves over 450,000 children and adults with disabilities, allowing them to participate in America’s favorite pastime baseball. The first Miracle Field opened in April of 2000. As of May, 2025, there are over 350 Miracle League organizations across the country including Puerto Rico, Canada and our newest member in Mexico.

Every player Is matched

CCNJML is proud to be one of those leagues! CCNJML was founded by Build Jake’s Place in 2014. The league has grown from two teams and just 20 players during our first game in the spring of 2014 to 10 teams, and over 100 players during our spring 2025 season.

CCNJML plays during the spring and fall at Boundless Field in Cherry Hill, New Jersey.

For more information and to register as a player or as a buddy, visit our website here

We firmly believe that when children and adults of all abilities engage together, they build understanding, empathy, and belonging, while developing social and cognitive skills.

Consulting and Educational

Podcast

Consulting

The Our View Podcast is a thought-provoking show that explores the many dimensions of life with disabilities—both visible and non-apparent. Hosted by Our View Executive Director Arthur Aston, a wheelchair user living with Spina Bifida, the podcast creates space for honest conversations about physical disabilities, mental health, and neurodiversity. Each episode features guests who either have disabilities themselves or are closely connected to someone who does, offering firsthand insights, advocacy stories, and lived experiences. Available on all major podcast platforms including Apple Podcasts and Spotify, with full video episodes streaming on the Our View YouTube channel.

Consulting

Thanks to Jake’s Law, New Jersey will soon welcome 97 new inclusive playgrounds. OurView offers consulting services to counties, townships, and municipalities across the state that have received grant funding to build these inclusive play spaces. We also support communities outside of New Jersey that are developing inclusive playgrounds or other accessible play experiences. Our consulting focuses on the importance of inclusive play, effective fundraising strategies, advocacy efforts, and outreach tools to help generate awareness and community support for your project.

Educational Assemblies

OurView offers engaging, assembly-style presentations tailored for schools—from elementary through higher education. These sessions provide students with a meaningful opportunity to learn about disabilities, including their prevalence, causes, anti-bullying, and the importance of inclusion and inclusive play. Students also gain practical guidance on how to build friendships and interact respectfully with people who have disabilities—all shared from the lived experience of a person with a disability.

Workplace Seminars

Educational Assemblies

OurView offers customized training sessions for companies designed to educate employees on disability-related topics in the workplace. Each session includes an informative presentation covering subjects such as the prevalence of disability, inclusive hiring practices, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and its workplace implications, disability etiquette, and best practices for interacting with disabled colleagues and consumers. Additional topics can be tailored to meet the specific needs of your organization.

Presentation Outlines

Educational Presentations

Workplace Seminars & Trainings

Cover topics related to:

-Disability Statistics

-Changing Attitudes

-Anti-Bullying

-Diversity & Inclusion

-Person-First Language

-Etiquette

All presentations include a Question & Answer portion

Workplace Seminars & Trainings

Cover topics related to:

-Disability Prevalence

-Disability Etiquette

- DEI

-Americans with Disabilities Act

-History of Disability in the U.S.A.

-Company specific related video scenarios