Turning Awareness Into Action: Why VERB WORX Launched a Community Campaign for Disability Inclusion
At VERB WORX, we believe that good ideas should lead to meaningful action. Our work is rooted in helping people and organizations turn their values into real-world impact. Sometimes that work comes through consulting and creative projects. Other times it means stepping forward when a community opportunity deserves more attention and participation.
That is why VERB WORX has created #CountUsInLB, a pro bono community outreach campaign to promote the Long Beach Disability Data and Community Survey.
This campaign includes social media posts, email outreach, and community education efforts designed to help more people understand the importance of participating in the survey. Our goal is simple. We want more voices included in the data that will shape policies, programs, and accessibility planning in Long Beach.
Supporting the Work of B-Well
This outreach effort is also an extension of the work of the Black Wellness Collaborative, also known as B-Well.
B-Well was created to support the mental, emotional, and collective wellbeing of Black communities. Since the pandemic, through community conversations, online wellness webinars, and community-centered initiatives, B-Well has helped people explore how healing, mental wellness, and justice intersect in everyday life.
One of the core ideas that guides B-Well is that wellness is not just personal. Wellness is influenced by the environments we live in, the systems we navigate, and the resources available in our communities.
Disability, mental health, and access are all part of that conversation.
Many disabilities are invisible. Many people live with conditions that affect mobility, learning, mental health, or daily life without a formal diagnosis. Many families have learned to adapt quietly rather than seek support, often because of stigma or a lack of culturally responsive services.
When disability is not discussed, it can remain unseen in public planning. When it is not measured, it can be overlooked in policy decisions.
By helping promote this survey, VERB WORX is supporting the mission of B-Well to bring more awareness to the ways wellness, disability, and community design are connected.
Centering Black Community Voices
It is also important that Black residents are included in this conversation.
Across the country, Black children with disabilities are disproportionately disciplined in schools. Black adults with disabilities face higher rates of poverty and barriers to healthcare and support services. At the same time, many neighborhoods experience infrastructure challenges that affect daily life, from inaccessible sidewalks to limited transportation options.
Black residents make up roughly 13 percent of Long Beach’s population, representing tens of thousands of families, youth, elders, workers, and caregivers whose lived experiences should be reflected in the data that shapes city policy and investment.
If Black voices are missing from community data, those experiences can be undercounted. When communities are undercounted, they can also become under-resourced.
This campaign is one small effort to help ensure that Black residents, families, caregivers, and community members are aware of the opportunity to participate in the Disability Data and Community Survey.
Why Data Matters
The City of Long Beach launched the Disability Data and Community Survey to better understand the experiences and needs of people with disabilities who live, work, study, or spend time in the city.
The survey asks questions about mobility, access to community life, climate impacts, and other barriers people may face. The results will help inform future policies, programs, and planning decisions. This is particularly important as Long Beach prepares to host events connected to the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The City has a $933 million “Elevate ’28” infrastructure investment plan tied to Olympics-related improvements. More than $210 million of that funding is dedicated to projects connected to the Games, including public spaces, recreation areas, arts, and cultural infrastructure.
Data collected through this survey can help guide decisions related to transportation, housing access, infrastructure improvements, and public services.
But data only reflects the people who participate.
A Commitment to Community Engagement
VERB WORX created this outreach campaign as part of our broader commitment to community-centered engagement.
Our work often focuses on helping mission-driven organizations strengthen their messaging, connect with audiences, and move important ideas into action. In this case, creating communications tools in-kind was a way to contribute our skills to a community effort that aligns with our values.
By sharing information about the survey and encouraging participation, we hope to help more residents understand why their voice matters in shaping the future of Long Beach.
How You Can Participate
The Disability Data and Community Survey is open through May 1, 2026. It takes about 15 minutes to complete and is confidential. People who are diagnosed or undiagnosed with a disability are encouraged to participate.
If you live, work, study, or spend time in Long Beach and have experiences related to disability, accessibility, or mental health, your perspective can help inform future improvements in our community.
If the survey does not apply to you personally, consider sharing it with someone who may want their voice included.
Community change begins when people speak up about their lived experiences.
At VERB WORX, we believe that inclusive communities do not happen by accident. They are built through awareness, participation, and thoughtful design that reflects the realities of the people who live there.
That work begins with telling our stories in hopes that others will listen.
Your voice can help shape a more inclusive future for Long Beach.
Did You Know?
• About 13% of residents in Long Beach identify as Black, representing tens of thousands of families, youth, elders, workers, and caregivers whose experiences should be reflected in community data.
• One in four adults in the United States lives with a disability, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Many disabilities are invisible or undiagnosed.
• Many people living with disabilities never receive a formal diagnosis, particularly in communities where stigma, cost, or lack of access to healthcare can delay support.
• Black youth in the United States have experienced one of the fastest increases in suicide rates in recent years, highlighting the growing importance of culturally responsive mental health support.
• Black youth in Los Angeles County experience significantly higher rates of serious psychological distress compared with their peers. According to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health’s Center for Health Equity, Black adolescents report some of the highest levels of depressive symptoms and emotional distress among youth in the county, yet they are less likely to receive mental health treatment when they need it.
• Cities often redesign infrastructure before major global events. As the 2028 Summer Olympics approaches, improvements to transportation, public spaces, and accessibility are being planned across the region.
• The Long Beach Disability Data and Community Survey takes about 15 minutes to complete and is confidential, and it includes people with diagnosed or undiagnosed disabilities.
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Learn more about mental health and wellness at bwellcollab.com.
