Every year on January 21, people across the country recognize National Hugging Day—a day meant to celebrate affection, warmth, and human connection. While hugs can be meaningful and comforting for many, this day is also an important opportunity to acknowledge something just as vital: not everyone is comfortable with physical touch—and that deserves respect.

For many people, including those who are neurodivergent, physical contact such as hugging can feel overwhelming, uncomfortable, or even distressing. Others may seek physical touch more frequently due to sensory needs. Neither experience is wrong. Comfort with touch is deeply personal, and honoring individual boundaries is a cornerstone of true inclusion.

Understanding Touch Through a Neurodiversity Lens

Neurodivergent individuals—including many people on the autism spectrum—often experience sensory input differently. In classrooms, homes, and community spaces, this can show up in various ways:

• Some individuals are touch-averse and prefer minimal physical contact

• Others may be overly tactile and struggle with understanding personal space

• Many fall somewhere in between, with preferences that vary by environment, relationship, or moment

These differences are not behavioral problems. They are expressions of diverse neurotypes. Creating environments that respect those differences requires education, empathy, and consistency.

Teaching Consent and Personal Space in Action

Recently, the Advocacy Network on Disabilities supported a two-day Workshop on Personal Space at Kid’s Learning Center III, led by Donna Wade, Senior Inclusion Specialist at the Advocacy Network on Disabilities.

The workshop was delivered in inclusion classrooms serving both neurotypical and neurodivergent eighth-grade students and focused on body autonomy, consent, and respect for personal boundaries.

Through interactive, sensory-based activities, students explored what personal space looks and feels like—both for themselves and for others. One of the most impactful exercises used the “hula-hoop personal space” technique, where students visualized their physical boundary as a circle that others should not enter without permission.

Additional activities included:

• Sensory simulations that encouraged students to wait for verbal cues before offering help or physical contact

• Movement-based exercises to practice maintaining safe distance

• Group discussions on verbal and nonverbal ways to express boundaries

What Changed for Students

Educators observed meaningful and encouraging shifts following the workshop:

• Students who were previously touch-averse became more confident in advocating for their boundaries

• Neurotypical peers showed increased awareness and greater respect for consent

• Students who tended to cross boundaries began learning how to pause, ask, and wait

While some students with more significant support needs will require continued reinforcement, the workshop created a shared language around consent and personal space—an essential life skill that extends far beyond the classroom.

Extending the Learning Beyond the Classroom

One important takeaway from this work is that learning about boundaries shouldn’t stop at school. Many adults—especially neurodivergent adults—only realize later in life that it is acceptable to decline hugs or physical contact. Teaching these concepts early helps children develop confidence, self-advocacy, and respect for others.

To support families and educators, the Advocacy Network on Disabilities is sharing a simple, adaptable lesson plan that can be used at home or in classrooms. The activities are designed to make abstract concepts like personal space and consent concrete, playful, and age-appropriate.

Try This at Home or in Your Classroom

To help families and educators put these ideas into practice, we’ve created a free, ready-to-use lesson plan focused on teaching personal space, boundaries, and consent.

The activities require minimal materials, are easy to adapt for different ages and abilities, and are especially effective in neurodiverse classrooms and family settings where children may have different sensory needs or comfort levels with touch.

👉 Download the lesson plan and start the conversation today.

Reframing National Hug Day

This National Hugging Day, we invite our community to think more broadly about what connection looks like. Hugs can be beautiful and healing—when they are wanted. But connection can also look like:

• Asking before touching

• Respecting a “no” without pressure or judgment

• Showing care through words, presence, or shared experiences

Bring the Conversation Into Everyday Moments

Whether you’re a parent, caregiver, or educator, teaching boundaries doesn’t have to be complicated. Our lesson plan offers practical tools and shared language you can use during playtime, transitions, or classroom activities to reinforce respect for personal space.

👉 Access the free lesson plan and use it with your children or students.

Teaching boundaries is not about limiting affection—it’s about teaching respect, autonomy, and belonging.

We are deeply grateful to PhilanthropyMiami and the Nonprofit Executive Alliance (NEA) for honoring our CEO, Ire Diaz, with their Member Spotlight recognition. This spotlight is more than a personal accolade—it is a powerful affirmation of the Advocacy Network on Disabilities’ mission to build a community where everyone belongs. Being highlighted by the regional hub that convenes, trains, and uplifts nonprofit CEOs across South Florida underscores that disability inclusion is central to our community’s future, not an afterthought. For our team, families, and partners, this recognition shines a light on decades of advocacy for people with disabilities and reminds us that when leaders like Ire are seen and celebrated, the issues our families face are seen and elevated too.

Leading with a vision: a world where everyone belongs

Inside our organization, Ire often sums up her leadership philosophy in one simple, powerful vision: a world where everyone belongs.

As CEO of the Advocacy Network on Disabilities (AND), she champions inclusion, services, and systems-level change for individuals with intellectual, developmental, and other disabilities across Miami-Dade. Our roots go back to the early 1970s, when families came together to demand better options for their loved ones with disabilities—and today, we continue that legacy by working alongside people with disabilities and their families to expand access, reduce barriers, and transform systems that were not built with them in mind.

That work is especially urgent now, at a time when hard-won progress in disability rights is being challenged at both the state and federal levels. Ire’s leadership keeps us focused on what matters most: making sure that people with disabilities are present at every table where decisions are made, and that our community systems—education, housing, healthcare, transportation, employment—are designed so that everyone can participate fully.

Finding community in the Nonprofit Executive Alliance

For Ire, joining the Nonprofit Executive Alliance meant stepping into a community of leaders committed to moving Miami-Dade and the broader South Florida region forward together.

The NEA is an impact coalition of nonprofit CEOs from Broward, Miami-Dade, and Monroe Counties who come together to advance leadership, strengthen local communities, and provide a unified voice for the nonprofit sector. Through its partnership with PhilanthropyMiami, NEA now connects a network of more than 150 nonprofit CEOs working across the Keys and South Florida to build a stronger, more resilient region.

In Ire’s words, “We are stronger together.”

“NEA has given me a deep sense of connection with other leaders and partners—people with whom I can exchange ideas and receive meaningful feedback. Some challenges are unique to CEOs, and having a space for collaboration and support is essential.”

Leadership can be isolating, especially in times of rapid change and rising community need. The NEA offers a space where CEOs can speak candidly, share resources, and explore solutions together—whether the issue is workforce burnout, changing policy landscapes, or ensuring equity in who receives services. That sense of shared responsibility and mutual support is exactly what PhilanthropyMiami and NEA seek to cultivate through initiatives like the Member Spotlight.

PhilanthropyMiami: strengthening the social-impact ecosystem

Ire’s recognition also shines a light on the work of PhilanthropyMiami, the organization that partners with NEA to convene and support our region’s nonprofit leaders.

For nearly three decades, PhilanthropyMiami has focused on strengthening Miami’s social-impact ecosystem by providing training, peer learning, and leadership development for nonprofits of all sizes. Their workshops, events, and the annual IGNITE! conference create spaces where nonprofit leaders, funders, and community partners can learn together, forge new partnerships, and share strategies that work. By lifting up Ire’s story through the Member Spotlight, PhilanthropyMiami and NEA affirm that disability inclusion is not a niche issue—it is fundamental to building stronger, more equitable communities for everyone.

Ire’s message to fellow nonprofit leaders

When asked what advice she would offer other nonprofit leaders, Ire keeps it beautifully simple:

“Be open and be present.”

Being open means listening deeply—to people with disabilities, to families, to staff, and to partners. It means being willing to question old assumptions, invite new voices to the table, and share power so that solutions are created with the community, not for it.

Being present means showing up fully—in coalition meetings, in community spaces, in moments of crisis, and in moments of celebration. It means understanding that leadership is not just strategy and metrics; it is also relationship, humility, and the courage to keep going even when change feels slow.

Ire often draws inspiration from Angela Davis, who reminds us:

“You have to act as if it were possible to radically transform the world, and you have to do it all the time.”

For our team at AND, that quote is more than a rallying cry—it’s a daily practice.

Why this recognition matters

This Member Spotlight recognition is a celebration of Ire, but it is also a celebration of our entire community:

• The families who have trusted us for more than 50 years.

• The self-advocates who keep pushing for a seat at every table.

• The staff, volunteers, and partners who live the values of inclusion every day.

• The funders and allies, like PhilanthropyMiami and NEA, who invest in strong leadership and strong organizations because they know that’s how we build strong communities.

By honoring Ire, PhilanthropyMiami and the Nonprofit Executive Alliance are sending a clear message: disability inclusion is essential to the future of South Florida. That affirmation fuels our work and renews our commitment to building a world where everyone truly belongs.

To PhilanthropyMiami, NEA, and all of the leaders in this growing network: thank you for recognizing our CEO, for amplifying the voices of people with disabilities and their families, and for standing with us as we work—every day—to create a more inclusive community for all.