The City of Fishers is excited to celebrate National Disability Awareness Month throughout March with a variety of events and programs designed to engage the community, promote inclusion, and highlight the importance of accessibility within Fishers.
This year, the Fishers Advisory Committee on Disability is proud to honor three exceptional individuals with the 2025 Inclusion and Accessibility Awards. Each recipient has been nominated for their unwavering commitment to inclusion and their contributions to the community. Get to know the award winners and what this month means to them.
2025 Life Without Limits Award Winner: Carter Schmidt
Carter Schmidt is a Fishers High School student and is heavily involved in the schools’ unified basketball, flag football, and track programs.
The Life Without Limits Award is presented to an individual with physical and/or intellectual disabilities who has made impactful contributions to the Fishers community. This award recognizes those who have advanced inclusion, independence, and worked to break down barriers, making a positive impact for others.
Tell us about yourself.
I am a senior at Fishers High School. I’d like to thank Mrs. Luenemann for nominating me. I’m going to the Hamilton Southeastern Transition Program next year and hopefully will study unified sports. I want to still work for the Pacers, too!
What inspires you?
My parents because they are always there for me.
What is your favorite thing about Fishers?
My favorite thing about Fishers is going to Tuesday Night Concerts. My favorite concert was Bruno Mars concert along the Nickel Plate Trail.
Why is Disability Awareness Month important?
It’s so important because it celebrates people with disabilities.
2025 Accessibility Award Winner, Mari Kennedy
Mari Kennedy is the founder of THRIVE Social Club, a social group for young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
The Accessibility Award honors an individual, business, or organization in the Fishers community that has made outstanding efforts to advocate for and remove barriers across all areas of community life, ensuring that individuals with disabilities can access and engage in programs, activities, and events.
Tell us about yourself.
I’ve been a Fishers resident since 2001, three weeks before my son Ryan was born. I have two children, Katie and Ryan, and my husband, Dave. My son Ryan was born with down syndrome. I have always worked in a remote biotech role, and it’s given me the opportunity to be very flexible with caring for my children, and particularly my son Ryan. Throughout Ryan’s life, I’ve had a dream to make him and the community he lives in more inclusive.
What inspires you?
I’m inspired by moms that I’ve met through other organizations, my children, and friends who create opportunities for their children and others where anybody can do something that’s significant.
How have you advocated for those with disabilities?
I’ve helped on boards for individuals with Down syndrome. I volunteered at schools and helped run the Everybody Counts program for elementary schools to introduce disabilities to children, so they are educated on differences of some students. Then of course, there’s THRIVE Social Club. It was a thought I had for many years, looking at some of the young adults who would leave high school and not have social opportunities. We wanted to create a club where they stayed connected to their high school friends and do things that typical 20-years-olds do in the community.
Why is Disability Awareness Month important?
Disability Awareness Month is important because it raises the consciousness of people outside the disability community of some of the challenges those in the community have, as well as their accomplishments.
2025 Cornerstone Employer Winner: Spokenote
Spokenote, a tech startup founded in Fishers by John Wechsler, is deeply committed to the local community, fostering an inclusive workplace by hiring individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities regardless of education level and providing opportunities for growth, as seen in the supportive environment created for employees like Ryan, who has Down syndrome.
The Cornerstone Employer Award is presented to an individual, business, or organization in the Fishers community that has shown exceptional dedication to fostering inclusion by offering career training, employment, and advancement opportunities for individuals with disabilities.
Tell us about Spokenote.
We are a company based here in Fishers and help our customers add videos to anything. The idea behind Spokenote is that if you’re doing a direct mail campaign, internal training, or anything related to sports marketing like commemorative tickets, we help capture videos and add those memories to anything from direct mail to internal communications.
How has Spokenote advocated for those with disabilities?
When we build our team, we want to make sure that everybody has their opportunity to shine. We think it’s super important that owners, CEOS, and managers of companies, not only here in Fishers but everywhere, make sure that they create space for everyone to contribute.
What inspires you?
The thing that really inspires me is being able to create memories and pass those along to others. Having Ryan with me on the two days of the week he comes in, has been really great for us. He’s so enthusiastic about being here and doing his part, that it becomes really exciting for me.
Why is Disability Awareness Month important?
This is such a great thing for us to be doing in the city because everybody has a place and can fit in. It was one of the things I learned as a kid growing up. Folks with disabilities are still people and we all have a purpose. I’m a big believer that you can learn a lot from people that you may not have something in common with. That makes our community that much stronger.
The month-long celebration for National Disability Awareness Month, hosted by the Fishers Advisory Committee on Disability and presented by Old National Bank, is themed Connected Through Language, and highlights the power of language in cultivating identity and connections through special events and initiatives around the city. For more information, visit FishersIN.gov/DisabilityAwareness and follow along on Fishers’ social media.
