‘We all march together’

More than one in four adults in the United States has a disability.

To Louis Esposito, full inclusion for people with disabilities should never be perceived as something “extra.”

Esposito is the executive director of the disability justice advocacy organization ABLE NH. In his past roles – as a paraprofessional, service provider and special education teacher – he aimed to make a profound difference by working with individual people.

In his current role, he aims to make a profound difference by addressing the policies, systems and norms that affect tens of thousands of people across the entire state.

“It’s not just a seat at the table,” Louis said. “It’s redesigning the table.”

Louis works to ensure that disability justice is not “siloed,” but fully integrated in the work towards justice for all. ABLE has built partnerships with nonprofits working on the interrelated issues of fair education funding, LGBTQ+ rights, on justice and equity for people of color, on protection of Medicaid and more.

Many of those groups were represented at the annual Disability Pride Parade. When Louis noticed people lining up to march with their separate organizations, he jumped in to break down those silos.

“We all march together,” he said in the moment.  And later, reflecting: “We are more powerful together.”