A Journey in Inclusion

Published: Oct 23, 2025

Country: Kenya

John Mwangi is a 2025 Fellow in the Professional Fellows Program on Inclusive Civic Engagement. This program is sponsored by the US Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and is administered by the Institute for Community Inclusion (ICI) at the University of Massachusetts Boston in partnership with the African Disability Forum (ADF). The following blog post was written by guest author John.

The cool breeze of fall in Columbus greets me each morning as I walk toward The Ohio State University Nisonger Center, my host site for the Professional Fellows Program. The leaves are turning golden, and so, it seems, is this chapter of my life: rich, transformative, and full of purpose.

At the Nisonger Center, learning doesn’t sit still, it breathes. Under the warm mentorship of Associate Professor, Dr. Andrea Winter, I have walked through halls buzzing with innovation and compassion (Figure 1). One morning, I stepped into a smart home where technology and empathy meet. Motion sensors lit up softly as doors glided open at a whisper. A stove awaited with voice commands, while the smart heating system adjusted the temperature seamlessly. Applications on screens broke down tasks into simple, manageable steps. Every corner seemed designed to give independence a voice, and dignity could be felt in every thoughtful detail.

A man and a woman stand together in an office doorway, smiling at the camera. — Figure 1: My host mentor, Dr. Witwer, and me.

The Aspiration Program drew me to a room alive with ambition, laughter, and courage, where young adults with autism spectrum disorder shared dreams of work, friendship, and purpose, supported by mentors who believed in them without hesitation. During an interdisciplinary session on intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), I sat among psychologists, educators, social workers, audiologists, and genetic counselors, each contributing their unique expertise (Figure 2). As they exchanged ideas and collaborated, I witnessed firsthand how combining various professional perspectives creates a richer, more holistic approach to supporting individuals with IDD. Seeing inclusion take shape through this collaboration made something shift inside me.

Two men and two women posing together for a photo, standing in front of an office building. — Figure 2: Professional Fellows Sadath (left), me (right) with Access Specialist Jamonae Scarborough (second from left) and Accessibility Manager Dr. Heidi Aune (second from right) from Student Life Disability Services (SLDS) Office at The Ohio State University. Sadath also pursued his fellowship at the Nisonger Center under a different host mentor.

But my favorite moments came quietly, the smiles between team members, the shared laughter after a long day, the deep sense of belonging that crossed every difference. At Nisonger, inclusion is not a word, it is a living practice.

One Saturday, I joined hundreds of people for the Franklin County Suicide Prevention Walk, Hope in Every Step (Figure 3). The air was cool, but the atmosphere was warm: strangers holding signs, families clutching photos, stories whispered between tears and determination. As our steps echoed across the pavement, I felt what civic engagement truly means. It is showing up, even when the cause is heavy; it is walking for someone you love and for someone you have never met. That moment reminded me of Kenya, where communities strive to make mental health visible. Civic engagement and disability inclusion are twins in purpose. Both demand empathy, action, and the belief that we all belong in building a better world.

Two men and one woman posing together for a photo outdoors. — Figure 3: Professional Fellow Sadath Mwamsema (left), my host mentor, Dr. Andrea Witwer, and me at the Hope in Every Step Walk in Columbus, Ohio.

The Fellowship has been like standing in a river of learning, the current swift and generous. Between site visits, workshops, and project planning, I have learned to balance flow with focus, refining my follow-on project, titled Unsilenced Minds. If I could whisper advice to the next cohort, it would be this: Come with an open heart and a ready pen. The most powerful lessons find you unexpectedly in hallway conversations, shared laughter, or silent reflection.

When I presented my follow-on project to the Nisonger faculty, my hands trembled slightly but my voice didn’t. As I spoke about amplifying the voices of people with mental illness in Kenya, I saw faces light with understanding. It was not just my story I was sharing, it was our story, carried across oceans.

Two men and a woman stand together on a sports field, smiling as they take a selfie. — Figure 4: Sadath (left,) me (center), and Dr. Witwer (right) taking a selfie.