Celebrating Belonging: Rochester’s Festival of Inclusion Creates a Model to be Replicated
By Erica Dayton
“This event shows us what’s possible when inclusion isn’t an afterthought, it’s the whole point.” — Angela Smith, volunteer and occupational therapist
On March 1, 2025, the Golisano Training Center at Nazareth University in Rochester, New York, transformed into a vibrant hub of celebration and support. The Festival of Inclusion, now a highly anticipated annual tradition, welcomed more than 2,500 attendees of all abilities and 90+ community organizations for a day devoted to accessibility, connection, and fun.
From 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., this free event offered an immersive experience far beyond the typical resource fair. Families and individuals engaged in activities ranging from adaptive sports to hands-on arts, wellness services, therapy animals, health screenings and more, all designed with inclusivity at the core.
Each year the Festival of Inclusion is a vibrant, interactive experience designed to make navigating the complex world of disability services more intuitive and enjoyable. From adaptive sports demos to health screenings and career resources, the festival reimagines what inclusive community engagement can and should look like.
“When I go into the community, people continually talk about how much the event helped them learn about programs and supports that they didn’t know existed. Hearing those stories confirm that we’re really making a bigger impact on peoples’ day to day lives.”
A Growing Legacy of Inclusion
Since its inception in 2019, the Festival of Inclusion has grown in scope and impact. The event is planned in partnership with the Golisano Foundation, Best Buddies and Special Olympics New York. These key leaders work in concert to secure local sponsorships. What began as a local gathering to kick off the annual Spread the Word Inclusion campaign has evolved into a model for inclusive community-building. Specifically, the Festival of Inclusions brings together one location for services and supports, some new and others well-established, from the region.
Since its inception, participation has steadily increased, growing from 40 organizations in 2019 to 92 in 2025, each offering personal connections, hands-on experiences, exposure to vital services, and new opportunities for festival attendees. The festival’s consistent growth underscores the critical need for streamlined access to disability resources in an innovative and convenient way.
Why It Matters
The Festival of Inclusion stands out not only for its scale but also for its impact. The impact of the Festival of Inclusion extends beyond the event itself. Families benefit from the connections they make at the event year-round.
Educates, Advocates & Simplifies Access: By uniting professionals, families, and advocates in one accessible location, the festival elevates awareness about the systemic challenges faced by individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities—and highlights solutions.
The maze of support systems can be overwhelming. The festival brings everything into one accessible space. Health screenings, access to support providers, career coaching, special education support, legal consultants, and more were offered under one roof. Rather than navigating a fragmented service system, families had access to resources for a variety of needs in one welcoming location.
Each year, the festival planning committee takes feedback from attendees. As the festival grew in popularity year after year, parking became increasingly more difficult. This comment was heard by those putting together the 2025 festival and complementary valet services were offered to eliminate barriers to access at the event. While valet services are commonly associated with high-end events such as galas and weddings, it was a complete game changer for attendees with mobility difficulties, people with lots to juggle, and those needing a bit more assistance. Eliminating parking difficulties allowed more people to attend that may not have been able to in years past, especially due to the frigid temperatures of winter in Rochester, NY
“There’s no other place where we can meet a speech therapist, try adapted kayaking, and connect with a college counselor all in the same day. ”
Encourages Active Participation: From arts and crafts to sports, attendees engage in activities that build confidence and foster joy. Participants could try their hand at adaptive kayaking, wheelchair basketball, and tennis. Alongside sports, a creative arts zone offered inclusive activities like sensory bottle-making, collaborative murals, and music therapy sessions. Being able to explore new activities and try adaptive recreation reinforces the principle that everyone deserves access and the opportunity to participate and to be part of their community.
In addition to the numerous interactive activities available onsite the day of the event, the organizers hired Stitched Ink, a full-service custom apparel Social Enterprise established by the Arc Allegany-Steuben, to design and produce the event swag. Stitched Ink employees worked diligently in every step of designing and producing the 250 custom volunteer event shirts and 750 reusable event bags that attendees received.
Fosters Relationships: The event creates a rare opportunity for individuals with disabilities, their families, educators, healthcare providers, nonprofits, and students to make meaningful connections, planting seeds for long-term partnerships and initiatives. There is organic collaboration between participating nonprofits that get to explore the work being done throughout the community that would otherwise not be known.
Provides Hands-On Experiences for Students: More than 100 undergraduate nursing students from St. John Fisher University dedicated their time and expertise at the Festival of Inclusion, providing vital health screenings, education, and advocacy. The event gave students an opportunity to apply knowledge and skills gained in the classroom at the Health Promotion Screenings hosted by Special Olympics New York. In reflecting upon their experience after the event they expressed as a collective group that the experience strengthened the students' approach to nursing by helping them utilize their essential communication skills, advocacy, and patient-centered care skills with the hands on opportunity. It reinforced their role as inclusive healthcare providers who can confidently interact with and support individuals with IDD, ensuring they receive the respectful, equitable care they deserve.
It Inspires Innovation: Events like this spur tangible change. In 2025, the announcement of Play Palace, a sensory-friendly play center founded by Kristen Bonn, exemplified how the festival is a launchpad for inclusive ventures.
“Parents told us they needed a place where their kids could just be themselves. This community gave us the courage and the network to make it happen.”
A Model Worth Replicating
By combining services, health screenings, art, education, sport, wellness, and advocacy, the Festival of Inclusion brings to reality what it means to create a world where everyone belongs. It proves that inclusion isn’t just about removing barriers; it’s about having fun, being together, and being a contributing member of your community.
Each iteration of the Festival of Inclusion reflects a community that’s not just reacting to the needs of individuals with disabilities but proactively building a culture where those needs are met with dignity, creativity, and joy.
Inclusion isn’t a one-time event, it’s a continuous commitment. By centralizing support, encouraging play, and facilitating real connection, the Festival of Inclusion demonstrates how one day can catalyze year-round change. Its success offers a compelling invitation to communities everywhere: make inclusion not just a value but a celebration.
What began as a local effort has become a blueprint for change, demonstrating how inclusive celebration can lead to meaningful systemic progress. The Festival of Inclusion is a fun, safe, and informative environment for people with and without disabilities to interact. A simple concept with transformative potential.
The 2025 FOI program with details about the organizations in attendance can be accessed here.
About the Author
Erica Dayton is the Executive Director of the Golisano Foundation, one of the nation’s largest private foundations dedicated to enhancing the lives of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Since assuming leadership in June 2023, Erica has overseen the Foundation’s strategic direction, grantmaking, and community partnerships, reinforcing its mission to ensure inclusion, dignity, and opportunity for all.
Erica brings over 17 years of experience in nonprofit leadership and grant administration, backed by a strong academic foundation including a Master of Science in Strategic Leadership from Roberts Wesleyan University, and both a Certificate in Nonprofit Management and a Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies with a focus on Public Administration from St. John Fisher University.
Before her promotion to Executive Director, Erica served as Grants Manager at the Golisano Foundation for five years. Prior to joining the Foundation in 2019, she held various philanthropic administrative roles at the University of Rochester.
Throughout her career, Erica has demonstrated a deep commitment to advancing systems change through collaboration, person-centered support, and innovation. She is a passionate advocate for equity in health, education, employment, and community-based services, consistently aligning her work with the vision of Foundation founder, Tom Golisano.
Her leadership is characterized by strategic vision, inclusive advocacy, and a relentless dedication to social justice—making her a powerful voice in the movement toward a more equitable future for people of all abilities.