On June 8th, Absecon United Methodist Church hosted its fifth annual Access-Ability Awareness Night – the flagship event of the church’s Accessibility Awareness Ministry. Each year, this forum invites keynote speakers and panelists to address a theme relating to accessibility and gives participants an opportunity to engage in meaningful conversation about what is—and is not—happening in their communities to ensure that all people have the opportunity to be fully included.
What began as a conversation between Jacob Hackett, a young adult member of Absecon UMC, and his pastor, the Rev. David Ledford, would eventually grow into the ministry it is today—a ministry that, Hackett says, “with God’s grace, has started to really impact the community around us.”
Early in 2022, Hackett had been invited to a community college campus to speak to students about accessibility, an issue he has long championed through his advocacy in schools, businesses, and the wider community. His passion for accessibility is shaped by his own lived experience with cerebral palsy and a desire to ensure that people of all abilities can fully participate in their communities.
But as the event got closer, the organizers repeatedly shortened his allotted speaking time and increasingly limited his freedom to lead the event the way he wanted to. Hackett felt unheard and disrespected, a concern he shared with his pastor.
“As Jacob’s pastor, I told him that I would go with him to support him,” shares Ledford, “and if the day doesn’t go how he would like it to, we will do our own event at the church and he will lead it. And that’s exactly what we did.”
That spring, Hackett and Ledford co-chaired Absecon UMC’s first Access-Ability Awareness Night. Over the years, this now-annual event has explored themes of accessibility and transportation, venues, parenting, education, and genuine care.
This year’s forum focused on self-advocacy, featuring keynote speakers Melody and Molly Pugliese, sisters who competed in the 2026 Miss New Jersey pageant. Both women have focused on accessibility awareness in their community service initiatives. Panelists included singers, Sal “The Voice” Valentinetti and Zach Taglioli, Kathleen Barron, a retired special education teacher of more than 30 years, and Heidi Hackett, Jacob’s mother and a relentless advocate.
Throughout the night, panelists explored the topic of self-advocacy from a variety of perspectives, beginning with the shared human need to have our voices heard and our needs respected. Valentinetti emphasized that while people’s abilities may differ, many of their fundamental needs are the same. That idea took on a personal dimension as Taglioli reflected on his growth toward being a self-advocate during his own diagnosis in school and learning to speak up when others and systems placed limitations on him. Barron offered a practical framework for self-advocacy, 
highlighting seven different ways people can advocate for themselves, while Heidi Hackett shared her perspective as a parent on how to help children develop self-advocacy skills appropriate to their age and abilities. Local government leaders also presented updates on bills being introduced at the state level to empower those who are differently abled.
Altogether, the conversation highlighted that learning to use one’s voice—and creating space for others to use theirs—is an important part of building a more accessible and inclusive community.
Indeed, the forum itself is evidence of the difference that advocacy can make in a community. To give just one example, municipal buildings in Absecon have replaced their doors to make them more fully accessible in direct response to the work of the ministry team and annual awareness nights.
Hackett’s leadership and advocacy have also earned recognition beyond the church. In 2023, at just 24 years old, he was named Absecon’s Citizen of the Year for his work advocating for disability rights. As he continues to use his voice and platform to advocate for meaningful change in accessibility, he also looks ahead to the future, with a vision “to see this ministry continue to grow, to continue to expand beyond our local church, beyond Absecon and beyond Atlantic County.”
“My hope,” says Hackett, “is that the work we have done here at Absecon UMC will also be shared in other communities, and in the Greater New Jersey Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church.”
During Jesus’ earthly ministry, he demonstrated that to love one’s neighbor meant both to work for the flourishing of individuals and to call whole communities to be more just and loving. Through its Accessibility Awareness Ministry, Absecon UMC is living into Jesus’ commandment to love its neighbor in much the same way. Through listening, advocacy and action, the church is working to build a community where every child of God can be heard, valued and fully included.