Partnership Profile- Inclusion Connections

August 2026

Inclusion Connections: Building a place to live, work, and belong 

Nearly 30 years ago, when Debbie Horn’s son Matthew was born with Down syndrome, she naturally began asking questions she had never considered before.

What would his education look like? What would happen after high school? Would he have opportunities to work, build friendships, and one day live in a place of his own? 

Those questions would eventually become the inspiration for Inclusion Connections and a mission that now serves families throughout the Kansas City community. 

“I realized early that I needed to be an advocate for Matthew, and at the same time, I realized other families probably had the same questions and concerns that I did,” Horn said. “If I was struggling to figure out how to help him get the best education and opportunities possible, I knew many other families were struggling, too.”

Horn began learning, advocating, and organizing activities for families raising children with developmental disabilities. As Matthew approached high school graduation, one question became increasingly urgent: What next?

Most of his classmates would move on to college, work, and independent lives. Matthew wanted those same opportunities.

“He would say, ‘I want to work. I want to do what my brothers are doing,’” Horn said.

That statement inspired Horn to establish Inclusion Connections, an Olathe nonprofit that helps young people with developmental disabilities continue learning, develop friendships, find employment, and become more independent.

Its employment program, PawsAbilities, runs a business that produces and sells handcrafted pet treats and products. Participants learn practical skills by making dough, operating equipment, packaging products, filling online orders, and serving customers.

Those experiences build both skills and confidence. Inclusion Connections also helps participants find community-based jobs matched to their interests and abilities and provides continuing transportation and job coaching. 

The organization currently supports about 100 community-based jobs, with more than 95% of participants continuing successfully in the positions found for them.

Matthew is among those success stories. He now works more than 30 hours each week across three jobs, making street-sweeper brushes, working at SPIN! Pizza, and assisting in an insurance office.

Horn’s next vision is BelongKC, an affordable supportive-living community designed for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Planned for a site in Olathe, BelongKC will include 41 apartments, plus a dining hall, theater, gym, art room, and other spaces where residents can gather, learn, and grow.

Horn has already received approximately 200 applications for the 41 apartments.

“It’s a parent’s dream,” Horn said. “It will be safe, friendly, and productive for the residents who live there, and also give them the independence they want to lead independent lives.”

FNBO recently awarded Inclusion Connections a $150,000 donation through the First National Bank Fund to support the BelongKC Capital Campaign.

The contribution continues a relationship that dates to Inclusion Connections’ beginning, when the organization established its primary operating account with FNBO. 

FNBO has provided grant support for PawsAbilities over the last eight years. Country Club Bank associates have also volunteered, supported the organization’s FashionAbility gala, and participated in its Top Model fundraising competition.

“We’ve been working with FNBO and Country Club Bank for a long time,” Horn said. “We’re thrilled about this award and grateful for their ongoing support. It means a great deal to know they believe in what we’re building and the people it will serve.”

For Horn, BelongKC is another success story born from the questions she began asking nearly 30 years ago. With FNBO’s support, Matthew and many others are one step closer to having a place of their own: a community where they can live with greater independence, pursue their goals, and know they truly belong.