More than one in four U.S. adults have a disability. That is why July is Disability Pride Month.

While it is not a nationally recognized event, Disability Pride parades and events have been recognized since 1990, commemorating the passing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), signed into law by President George H.W. Bush on July 26 of the same year.

At Schreiber Center for Pediatric Development's Circle of Friends Academy, inclusivity is at the forefront.

At the academy, an early-learning child care center, children with disabilities are not separated from neurotypical kids, something that Penn Manor School District resident Maria Steele loves. Steele, who is a parent to two children at the academy, also works as a speech-language pathologist at Schreiber. Her mother also worked at Schreiber, and Steele herself attended preschool there.

"It's a really cool experience to be able to watch the neurotypical kids interact with these kids with disabilities," said Steele. "My oldest daughter, who's in the preschool class, they're her friends. She doesn't see them as any different because she's so exposed."

Stephanie and Nate, of Lancaster, parent 2-year-old Maverick at the academy. Maverick, an autistic child, receives speech therapy services at Schreiber.

"I wanted him somewhere that would have atypical children and neurotypical children," Stephanie said. "I really, really like that they have mixed classrooms."

Both families expressed how important early exposure and familiarity is to inclusivity later in life, especially when children get into grade school.

"I think it's good for him," Nate said. "Schreiber's has been really good with (Maverick). ... Him being around other kiddos is really bringing out more and more stuff that we wouldn't see from him going to the other day care he went to before that."

The Schreiber Center for Pediatric Development was founded in 1936 in response to the polio epidemic. Now serving over 2,000 children every year, the center is the region's only pediatric provider that offers a continuum of care under one roof, according to its website.

"We have speech therapy, occupational therapy and physical therapy," said Lexi Cahill, the center's marketing and communications manager. "Those kids range from children with physical disabilities to kids that come in with acquired injuries - maybe they've been in a car accident or something similar."

The Circle of Friends Academy enrolls kids from six weeks up to five years, many of which are developing children with disabilities. The academy has three classrooms, an infant classroom (six weeks to two years), a toddler classroom (two years to three years) and a preschool classroom (three years to five years). It is a full day care program with therapy services as needed.

Last year, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro issued a proclamation recognizing Disability Pride Month in July. Disability pride parades are held annually in both Philadelphia and Pittsburgh during the month of July.

There is a disability pride flag, created by Ann Magill, a writer with cerebral palsy.

"Schreiber's has done wonders with (Maverick)," Stephanie said. "We're very, very thankful that I put him on the waitlist to go to the school, and I love that he's with all types of kids."

For more information about the Schreiber Center for Pediatric Development, visit http://www.schreiberpediatric.org or call 717-393-0425. The center, a nonprofit organization, is located at 625 Community Way, Lancaster, in East Hempfield Township.