What does service look like as someone with a disability?

Ask most people what a person with an intellectual or developmental disability contributes to their community, and the answer tends to focus in one direction: what the community gives to them.

Support, accommodation, patience, care. All of that matters. But it tells only half the story, and it is the half that keeps people with IDD positioned as recipients rather than as neighbors who show up, lead, and give back just like anyone else.

This year's MLK Season of Service told the other half.

Leadership, not just participation

Throughout the season, self-advocates from Tulsa People First stepped into leadership roles, not supporting roles. They welcomed volunteers as they arrived, encouraged teammates through long shifts, and set the tone for what an inclusive service project actually looks like.

That distinction matters. There is a real difference between including someone in an activity and trusting them to help lead it, and this season made clear which one Tulsa People First's members were doing.

With the support of our community partner, Full Circle ACTION Civitan, who helped organize food drives and coordinate volunteers, we hosted inclusive volunteer events that brought people of all abilities together in meaningful service. Together, more than 180 volunteers contributed over 360 hours at the Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma. Volunteers packed bread, sorted food, and helped prepare an estimated 16,000 meals for Oklahoma families facing hunger.

Nobody at that food bank needed to know who among them had an intellectual or developmental disability. They were neighbors, working the same line, toward the same goal.

What this looks like beyond one season

This pattern shows up across our community, not just during a designated season of service. Gatlin, Treasurer of Tulsa People First, is one example of what that looks like day to day. He works one day a week at a local violin shop, caring for instruments and talking with customers. He also holds a leadership position in the same self-advocacy organization whose members led at the food bank this year. Service, for Gatlin, is not a special occasion. It is part of an ordinary week.

Peter and Lindsay offer another version of the same thing. Both self-advocates recently joined a panel at St. Anthony's, speaking directly to an audience about their own experiences and perspectives rather than having someone speak on their behalf.

That is service too: showing up, using your voice, and helping other people understand something they did not fully understand before.

Why this matters

Disability Pride is about recognizing ability, leadership, and belonging. Every volunteer, every hour, and every meal packed this season demonstrates what is possible when barriers are removed and people are trusted to contribute, not just receive. Together, we are not just serving our community. We are building one where everyone belongs, and where leadership is not reserved for people without disabilities.

How to get involved

If this is the kind of community you want to help build, there are several ways in:

• Join a self-advocacy organization like Tulsa People First if you are a self-advocate looking for a leadership role of your own.

• Volunteer alongside self-advocates at an upcoming inclusive service event.

• Invite a self-advocate to speak at your organization or event, the way St. Anthony's did with Peter and Lindsay.

• Support this work directly, so more inclusive service opportunities like this one keep happening across Oklahoma. Donate | The Arc of Oklahoma