Episode #10
Inclusion Isn't a Program. It's a Bridge You Build Toward the Rest of the World
Human services has spent decades trying to build inclusion from our side. Lisa Drennan's 40 years in the field taught her the opposite: inclusion can only be built by the side of the bridge that isn't there yet, the YMCAs, the camps, the faith communities. Her work is teaching that side how to build it. Lisa Drennan is a nationally recognized speaker and inclusion advocate who has spent over 40 years helping individuals with disabilities experience deeper connection, belonging, and community. She challenges organizations to see inclusion not as an obligation, but as an opportunity. She founded MERGE Consulting, which helps YMCAs, camps, faith organizations, and libraries build genuinely inclusive spaces. Her path started in the 1980s at New England Village, a residential campus south of Boston, when the job title was simply "staff." Nearly 30 years later a YMCA posting for "Director of Inclusion," the first role of its kind in the country, led to the realization that shaped her career: inclusion has to be taught to the rest of the world, one relationship at a time. She founded MERGE in 2018. Lisa's framework runs access, inclusion, and belonging, in that order. Access means someone is genuinely invited in, not tucked into a special track on page nine of the brochure. Inclusion means being part of the class instead of the separate one running alongside it. Belonging is the goalpost, and it only shows up once the first two are in place. They also talk through the gap between being present and being valued. Lisa tells the story of an agency that described a Dunkin' Donuts drive-through trip as "getting out in the community." Her response: being physically present isn't the same as being part of something. Friendship gets its own section. Lisa tells the story of a boy she calls Kyle, asked to leave three camps before he came to a YMCA camp where Lisa was working. Kyle and another camper became friends over a shared love of Lego robotics and a specific way of eating a PB&J, cut into triangles, crusts off. That friendship led to Kyle's first birthday party invitation. They also get into language: why "wheelchair bound" and "high" or "low functioning" carry more weight than people realize, and why naming the actual support need fits better than labeling the person. Lisa closes with an invitation for every listener: an open mind and heart is 85% of the work. Topics covered: Why the community being included must build inclusion itself The access, inclusion, belonging framework Specialized programming versus genuine inclusion Friendship as a measurable outcome of belonging How DSPs can facilitate connection through shared interests Language and how it shapes how we see people Lisa's on-demand learning platform and Pathways to Friendship toolkit Lisa's on-demand learning platform launched the same week this episode was recorded. The first trainings are built for recreation and camp staff, with content for DSPs, agencies, self-advocates, and families coming later this year. Her first resource is a sensory kit guide. Guest: Lisa Drennan, Founder of MERGE Consulting Host: Melanie Bazile Connect with Lisa and MERGE: Website: mergeconsulting.org On-Demand Learning Platform: mergeconsulting.org/on-demand-learning About MERGE and content library: available at mergeconsulting.org (add direct links when provided) Pathways to Friendship Toolkit, Building Friendships Between People With and Without Disabilities : Lisa co-authored the fifth toolkit in this Arc of Massachusetts series, for YMCA staff, camp counselors, faith organizations, and libraries More from A Side of Hope: linktr.ee/sideofhopepodcast
