Disability Pride Month: A Call to Belonging, Dignity, and Community

By Lauren Jones, HSS Program Coordinator

Recently, I had the opportunity to connect with Daren Houck, Executive Director of HSS Partner Hiram Farm. Hiram Farm is a community dedicated to supporting adults with developmental disabilities. Throughout our conversation, one theme consistently emerged: every person deserves the opportunity to grow, contribute, and belong.

As we recognize Disability Pride Month, Daren’s perspective reminds us that disability inclusion is about more than access; it is about equity, dignity, and creating communities where people are valued for who they are. At Hiram Farm, this commitment is reflected in a belief that meaningful work, relationships, and purpose should be available to everyone.

“Autism and adults with disabilities have become our next great equity fight,” says Daren. “So it is very meaningful work that we are doing…work on the behalf of others, not on behalf of ourselves.”

Disability Pride Month challenges us to move beyond awareness and toward action. It invites organizations, faith communities, and leaders to examine how their practices foster belonging, celebrate diverse abilities, and remove barriers that prevent people from fully participating in community life. That is lived out in Hiram Farm’s mission to provide opportunities for adults with developmental disabilities to grow, learn, work, and live in a setting focused on respect and support for individuals and the environment.

Equity is not simply making space for people; it is ensuring that every person has the support, opportunity, and respect needed to thrive. Disability Pride Month is a reminder that our communities are stronger when everyone has the chance to contribute their gifts.

“This is intensive work. This is necessary work. This is good work,” Daren says. “Every day.”

Thank you to Daren Houck and the Hiram Farm community for modeling what inclusion, dignity, and genuine belonging can look like in practice.