Disability Awareness Week
Pilot Launch at St. Paul Lutheran School | March 23rd-27th 2025
Launching a Movement of Understanding
This March, the Emily Hughes Foundation will launch its first-ever Disability Awareness Week, a school-wide, five-day experience designed to build genuine compassion and understanding for children with severe disabilities. Throughout the week, students will engage in stories, interactive stations, and guided discussions that help them see beyond differences and learn how to include and befriend children who live with profound needs. This week will become the model we bring to additional schools across the region, giving communities a way to grow in empathy through real exposure and understanding. Before listing sponsorship options, we want to share that our goal is to raise $25,000 to cover the costs of this launch and lay the groundwork for expanding the program to more schools. Your support allows us to create an unforgettable week that will shape how students respond to disability for years to come.
How You Can Help
Many children grow up without meaningful exposure to peers with severe disabilities. Without intentional guidance, that unfamiliarity can create distance instead of connection. Disability Awareness Week is designed to change that by equipping students with understanding, confidence, and the tools to foster genuine inclusion.
Your sponsorship makes this inaugural program at St. Paul Lutheran possible, funding the curriculum, materials, and interactive classroom experiences that bring the week to life while establishing a model we can expand to schools across the county. All sponsors will be recognized during the week and in printed materials shared with students and families.
Event Details
Location: St. Paul Lutheran School
Date: March 23rd - 27th 2025
Day 1:
Kickoff Assembly & Emily’s Story
Day 2:
Understanding Differences
Day 3:
Experiential Simulations
Day 4:
Peer Scenarios & Engagement
Day 5:
Celebration & Student Reflections
*This week will be professionally captured to help expand the program to additional schools.