Friend, Every year, people share their gratitude with soft music, pretty graphics, and a pumpkin in the background. That’s cute, but is it genuine? Disability work is different.
It demands honesty, courage, and a kind of grit most people never have to develop. It comes from living through and pushing against systems that were never built with disabled people in mind. This is gratitude the Able SC way, real, direct, and deeply felt. I’M GRATEFUL FOR OUR PEOPLE. Our staff, our board, our volunteers, and above all, disabled people-- the heart and soul of this movement. You carry truths that shift systems. You bring lived experience that guides every decision, every program, every victory. You show up even when the world is heavy, even when access isn’t guaranteed, even when the fight feels endless. This movement doesn’t just include you -- it exists because of you. I’M GRATEFUL FOR OUR PARTNERS. The partners who don’t flinch when things get complicated.
The ones who stay at the table even when the conversation gets uncomfortable.
The ones who choose accountability over appearance. If you stand with us in those moments, thank you. Your presence matters more than you know. I’M GRATEFUL FOR OUR FUNDERS. You don’t fund “services.” You fund freedom, dignity, independence, and possibility. Every skill built, every accommodation secured, every barrier removed has your fingerprints on it. Your trust fuels outcomes that change lives. I’M GRATEFUL FOR OUR TRUE ALLIES. Not the loud ones -- the steady ones.
The people who act when no one is watching.
The ones who understand that allyship is shown in choices, not captions. Your commitment strengthens this movement from the inside out. WHAT WE ARE NOT GRATEFUL FOR: ABLEISM. Ableism is the belief and the systems that say disabled people are less than. It shows up when: • Access is dismissed.
• Accommodations are treated as extras.
• Disabled people are underestimated or ignored.
• Our needs are labeled “too expensive.”
• Decisions are made without disabled voices guiding them. Ableism is not abstract; it causes real harm.
It traps people in poverty.
It blocks housing, education, transportation, and healthcare.
It forces people into crisis and then blames them for needing help. We will never be grateful for the barriers meant to break us. THE REAL AH-HA MOMENT My gratitude belongs to the people and partners who make progress possible.
The ones who push when it’s hard. The ones who remove barriers instead of building them. The ones who treat disability rights as human rights, not as an afterthought, but as a responsibility. When we say We Are All Able, it’s not branding.
It’s a promise, one we are committed to keeping, every single day. AND HERE’S THE CHALLENGE. If you believe in people with disabilities, now is the moment to step toward them. Don’t wait.
Don’t watch from the sidelines.
Don’t assume someone else will fight the fight. Choose action: • Show up.
• Learn deeply.
• Speak up when it’s uncomfortable.
• Fund the work that makes real change.
• Challenge ableism in your home, your job, your community, your vote, and your policies. Disabled people shouldn’t have to carry this movement alone. If you believe in us, truly believe in us, this is your moment to act. We’ll keep doing the work. We always have.
The challenge is simple: WILL YOU? And who knows-- take action now, and you might earn yourself a prime spot on next year’s gratitude list-- the kind with extra emphasis and absolutely no pumpkin graphics. Happy Thanksgiving, friends! - Kimberly Tissot, President and CEO, Able South Carolina | 
