• Group of people with disabilities and caregivers sitting on gym floor in a circle, reaching hands together in a team huddle.

    Welcome to Merge

  • People playing cards at a table, with a young man in a yellow jacket and a woman knitting.

    Building Stronger Communities

  • Colorful sticky notes with outline drawings of diverse people and a pink note with the words "Diversity, Equality, Inclusion" on a desk.

    Experts On Inclusion

  • A group of people, including children and adults, smiling and playing together outdoors.

    Together for all

  • Colorful sticky notes with illustrations of diverse people's faces and a speech bubble with the words "Diversity, Equality, Inclusion" on a workspace desk with glasses, a pen, a laptop, and a mouse.

    We Can Show You How

ACCESS | Inclusion | Belonging

MERGE strengthens communities by guiding organizations and individuals in their commitment to disability inclusion. We envision a culture where inclusion is woven into everyday programs and practices. 

Join us in creating welcoming environments where everyone thrives, fostering diversity, meaningful participation, and a true sense of belonging.

A woman playing guitar, a man with a tambourine, and a woman with curly hair playing xylophone, all sitting on the floor in a living room, engaging in music together and smiling.

WHO WE SERVE

Where inclusion meets action.

At MERGE, we work with recreation and community-based organizations that serve the general public and are committed to becoming more inclusive. Our services help ensure that individuals of all abilities feel welcomed, actively engaged, and set up to succeed.

MERGE also partners with providers agencies that support people with disabilities and their families, offering guidance on accessing inclusive opportunities in the broader community.

Abstract geometric pattern made of blue, white, and black triangles on a black background.
Contact Merge
A swimming instructor with six young children at an indoor swimming pool, all wearing swim caps and goggles.

ORGANIZATIONS WE SUPPORT

MERGE Inclusion Consulting proudly partners with a wide range of organizations, both locally and across the country, to advance community inclusion efforts. Our collaborators include:

  • National Youth-Serving Organizations: YMCAs, Boys & Girls Clubs, and Jewish Community Centers (JCCs)

  • Municipal Recreation Departments across Massachusetts and beyond

  • Summer Camps and Afterschool Programs committed to inclusive enrichment opportunities

  • Community-Based Sports Teams and Leagues, from youth soccer to adaptive fitness clubs

  • Instructional Program Providers in fitness, the arts, and enrichment classes

  • Faith-Based and Civic Organizations, including churches, libraries, Scouts, and first responder departments

  • Town and City DEI Committees working to embed inclusion into policy and practice

  • State Agencies and Provider Organizations serving individuals with disabilities

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Contact Merge
A woman with red hair, wearing a black blazer and white blouse, is speaking in front of a gray background to an audience. She has a friendly expression and is gesturing with her left hand.

ABOUT OUR FOUNDER

Meet Lisa Drennan, the visionary founder of MERGE Inclusion Consulting. With over 4 decades of experience championing inclusion, Lisa is a nationally recognized leader and trailblazer in creating welcoming, accessible communities for individuals of all abilities.

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  • Lisa Drennan has built her career around innovation, leadership, and a deep commitment to inclusion. She began at New England Village, where she created the groundbreaking Sollar Wellness Center and helped develop Positive Support Techniques and Best Practices for Instructors. Later, as the South Shore YMCA’s first Association Director of Inclusion, she transformed the organization’s culture by developing programs, leading staff training, and chairing the YMCA of the USA’s Diverse Abilities Working Group.

    Today, Lisa is the founder of MERGE Inclusion Consulting, where she brings decades of expertise to organizations seeking to create welcoming, inclusive environments. Her statewide and national impact includes authoring the Building Friendships toolkit for the DDS/ARC Pathways to Friendship Project and teaching Adaptive Physical Activity at UMass Boston.

    Through MERGE, Lisa continues to lead with vision and purpose—helping communities embrace inclusion so that individuals of all abilities can thrive.

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WHAT DOES INCLUSION REALLY MEAN?

Discover what true inclusion looks like—and what it doesn’t. This short video explores how we can build cultures where people with disabilities feel welcomed, valued, and supported to belong.

​Bonus: It was created by a talented neurodivergent student

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Group photo of diverse smiling people sitting and standing on bleachers in a gymnasium with a blue wall background.
A group of kids and their swim instructors in a swimming pool during a swim class, with some children holding floatation devices and listening to instructions.

CONSULTATION

MERGE offers tailored services to meet the unique needs of your organization. Every partnership begins with a comprehensive evaluation to assess your current inclusion practices and identify opportunities for growth.

MERGE offers a range of services, including but not limited to:

▲ Customized Staff Training
Interactive sessions for groups of 2 to 200, designed to enhance knowledge and practical skills in disability inclusion.

▲ On-Site or Virtual Coaching
Individualized support for inclusion staff, program leaders, coaches, and instructors to help implement inclusive policies and strategies effectively.

▲ Program Development Support
Guidance on creating inclusive procedures and adaptive tools to ensure meaningful participation for individuals of all abilities.

▲ Marketing and Communications Consultation
Expert review of language and promotional strategies to ensure inclusive, welcoming communication across all platforms.

▲ Workplace Support for Employers and HR Teams
Tools and guidance to engage, support, and supervise employees with diverse abilities, fostering a more inclusive workplace culture.

▲ Accessibility Assessments
Comprehensive evaluations of programs, policies, procedures, and physical spaces conducted by a Certified Inclusion Accessibility Assessor, with a focus on inclusive design and ADA compliance.

▲ On-Call Behavioral Support
Real-time coaching and observation to help staff respond effectively to behavioral challenges and build team confidence.

Contact Merge
A woman in a purple dress stands at a podium on a stage speaking during a presentation. Behind her, a large screen displays a slide titled 'What IS Inclusion is...'. To her right, another woman in a pink outfit is seated. There is also a painting of two women sitting on chairs on an easel to the left, and the stage is decorated with potted plants.

Keynotes & PresentationS

Looking to inspire action and spark change at your next event?

MERGE Inclusion Consulting delivers powerful, engaging speaking engagements that blend lived experience, professional expertise, and a deep commitment to inclusion. Whether in person or virtual, our presentations energize audiences and equip them with real-world strategies to build more welcoming, accessible communities.

​From national conferences to local panels, MERGE speakers leave a lasting impression—challenging assumptions, sharing practical tools, and shifting the conversation toward what’s possible when everyone is included.

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Diverse Abilities Profile

MERGE is committed to empowering recreation, camp, sport, and community programs to feel confident and equipped to successfully include individuals of all abilities.

The support MERGE provides is designed to benefit and promote the inclusion of children, teens, and adults with autism, developmental, intellectual, or physical disabilities, as well as those who are neurodiverse or navigating mental health, medical, or social-emotional challenges. In short, we support anyone seeking to access and participate fully in community programs alongside their peers.

​Commit to inclusion for all—contact MERGE today.

Contact Merge

ORGANIZATIONS THAT HAVE CHOSEN MERGE

Logo with the words "Inclusion Alberta," with "In" in orange and the rest of the text in purple.
Logo of the Massachusetts Department of Developmental Services featuring an outline of Massachusetts, a seal with a figure, and the text 'DDS' and 'Department of Developmental Services'.
Logo of the American Diabetes Association with a red stylized 'A' and black text
Logo for Camp Fire North Shore featuring a colorful abstract design resembling a campfire with red, yellow, and blue lines. Text reads 'Camp Fire North Shore'.
JCC Greater Boston logo with a large letter J in a blue square and the words 'JCC Greater Boston' written below.
Logo of Boys & Girls Clubs of America with blue emblem of two joined hands and black text.
Vermont Adaptive Ski & Sports logo with snowflake and gear symbols
JVS Stories logo with blue, purple, and orange design, featuring the text 'JVS' in the center and 'JVS STORIES' and 'JVS - BOSTON' around the circle's edge.
USA Lacrosse logo featuring a shield with a stylized lacrosse stick, stars, and red and white stripes.
Logo for the National Inclusion Project featuring a stylized flower with green and blue petals and circles in its center, accompanied by the text 'NATIONAL INCLUSION PROJECT'.
Logo for Inclusive World with the tagline "We love difference" underneath.
Black and white logo of USTA with a tennis ball and flames.
Elca logo with a globe made of colorful flags and the text 'ELCA' to the right
Logo of the Massachusetts Down Syndrome Congress featuring a red outline map of Massachusetts with the acronym 'mdsc' and the full name beneath.
Logo of Providers' Council featuring a stylized rising sun, with the text 'PROVIDERS' COUNCIL' and the slogan 'Envisioning change, Leading advocacy, Driving progress'.
Logo with five multi-colored star shapes arranged in a circular pattern and the text 'MassFamilies' to the right
Logo of the Massachusetts Library System with blue digital-like abstract symbol and text in blue and black.
Logo for the Northeast YMCA Camp Conference (NEYCC) at Frost Valley YMCA, featuring mountains, trees, water, and a tent.
Logo for CalTASH, with the outline of California in teal and the text "CalTASH" in black and orange, followed by the tagline "Equity, Opportunity, & Inclusion for People with Disabilities."
Logo of the American Camp Association featuring stylized figures and colorful text.
Logo of The Arc Massachusetts featuring an orange and yellow stylized arc above the text.
Logo for the JPH Organization at Ferry Hill, featuring a spiral clock and stylized text.
Colorful logo with a stylized hummingbird and the text 'GO CAMP PRO' in orange and pastel shades.
Logo for Day Camp Community featuring a colorful symbol and black text.
Logo featuring a stylized tree with blue, teal, gray, and black circles representing leaves, and the words 'COMPASS SLS & ILS'.
Logo for the Alliance of Massachusetts YMCA's with stylized YMCA emblem and text.
Logo of the National Recreation and Park Association featuring green and blue leaves and text.
The logo for 'Work Without Limits' with the words 'Work' in purple, 'Without' in red, and 'Limits' in purple on a white background.
Logo for Inclusive Sport Design with a stylized 'S' and text.
Green background with a white four-leaf clover featuring the H logo in each leaf, and 'Penn State Extension' written below.
Text graphic reading 'Inclusion Sports' with stylized and colorful font on a white background.
Logo of the Federation for Children with Special Needs, featuring a multicolored flower with a star in the center and the organization's name beneath.

  • "Lisa led a 5-hour workshop during the Massachusetts Families Organizing for Change's Family Leadership series last weekend. It was the most engaging, participatory, and informative part of the training families with disabilities received that weekend! Lisa brings her enthusiasm for inclusion, a depth of knowledge about inclusive practices, decades of experience in recreational leadership...and makes her content accessible. Her workshop included multiple opportunities for small and large group conversation, self-reflection, and application of workshop content. My spouse and I left her workshop challenged to think more creatively about inclusive opportunities for our child and our community and determined to push the conversation forward within and beyond the disability community."​

    - Melissa Winchell, Parent
    Asst. Professor of Secondary Education, Bridgewater State University
    Founder of Inclusion Matters

  • "Lisa's transformative leaderships has helped to shape the Y movement around inclusion and equity for individuals and communities with diverse abilities. Her compassaionate, thoughtful, strategic, knowledgeable and methodical approach has resulted in an increase in the level of awareness, capacity and competencies of hundreds (maybe thousands) of Y staff and volunteers - and beyond - related to inclusion and equity for all."

    - Chad Nico Hiu, Director, Diversity & Inclusion

    YMCA OF THE USA

  • "I attended Lisa's webinar Supporting Inclusive Friendships. Lisa is a friendly professional presenter/moderator, for this important topic. The workshop is encompassing and engaging. Lisa encourages feedback and gives real life examples. The webinar workshop is worth your time and effort. If you are a small group community leader like PTO, scouts or family that knows children with a disability or an individual interested in the topic of inclusion, contact Lisa and get signed up."

    - Sue Runne
    Community Activist  | Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Advocate

  • "We vetted several companies to help us professionally train staff around youth with diverse abilities. I heard Lisa speak at a national conference and knew we had to get her to our organization. This past weekend she trained staff at four different locations at different times. Her energy is unmatched and she is a true subject matter expert in her field. I would highly recommend MERGE to any organization and we look forward to having her back soon."

    -Drew Hullinger

    Vice President of Residential and Outdoor Programs

    YMCA of Metro Atlanta

  • "Lisa is an inspiring speaker, tugging at the heart and stimulating the mind. She is also incredibly organized and detail-oriented. From our first email exchange to our evening workshop months later, she was simply wonderful to work with! We are so grateful that we could bring her to our community. We are already talking about how to get her back."

    - Katie Cobb Leonard
    Parent, Groton-Dunstable SEPAC Board