Our Pillars
Empower
individuals, familes, communities, & businesses
Include
Everyone can participate in some way!
Advocate
supportive & positive
Educate
awareness at home & in the community
Connect
to self, one another, and resources
What We Do
Diverse Abilities School Program
Our Diverse Abilities School Program provides kits to Frisco and Prosper ISD schools to allow students to experience what it might be like to live with a diverse ability. This popular program has been used in Frisco ISD schools for over 10 years and has been very sucessful at promoting understanding, compassion, and empathy while celebrating differing abiliites.
Frisco ISD schools can reserve stations, at no charge, for one week each school year on a first come, first served basis. Please talk to your school administration about dates and stations desired before officially scheduling. Questions? Email melanie@friscosage.org for more information! Prosper ISD schools can contact the Prosper ISD Family Resource Center to reserve.
Presentations & Programs
Schedule a presentation at your school, corporation, small business, organization or church. Our presentation are customized to your audience, needs and time allowances and can be between an hour and a full day. We have continuing education options, new hire training options, customer service options and educational options. Let us do the work and provide an engaging and hands-on presentation to your group that is filled with awareness, collaboration opportunities and opportunities to create a more inclusive environment.
Diverse Abilities Corporate Kits
Thanks to several corproate partnerships we have developed a Diverse Abilities Corporate Program geared towards a workplace audience. These kits allow participants to see the value of a diverse and inclusive workplace and provide experiential activities that foster understanding of diverse abilities in the workplace.
Family Nights
Come and go family dinner nights at local restaurants. A great relaxing way to socialize with other families in your community. You can relax...you and your family are amongst friends when you join us!
Check out our social media or community calendar below for dates and locations.
Inclusive Schools Awards
Inclusive Campus Recognition for those who have used our Diverse Abilities Day Program
to educate students & families on disabilites and what It means to be inclusive.
This program gives those who often have less of a voice of self-advocacy a community that
stands with them. It ensures that EVERY child does indeed have a voice. It not only teaches
students HOW to be inclusive, the students take the lead in teaching the adults around them.
It Is the MOST popular free program in Frisco for 15+ years running. Get your signup dates set August 1, 2025. We will reset the form when the current school year is complete!
Scroll down to see which campuses in Frisco participated in the program during the 2023-24 school year AND which campuses received a HERO award for more than one year of participation in the past 5 years!
Inclusive Schools Recognition
Inclusive Campus Recognition for those who have used our Diverse Abilities Day Programto educate students & families on disabilites and what it means to be inclusive. This program gives those who often have less of a voice of self-advocacy a community that stands with them. It ensures that EVERY child does indeed have a voice. It not only teaches students HOW to be inclusive, the students take the lead on teaching the adults around them. It Is the MOST popular free campus program in Frisco for 15+ years running. Get your signup dates in early for next year by clicking on the link In the section above.
2023-24 Campus Participants
Thank you for helping make Frisco a Disability Welcoming City!
Ashley Elementary
Bledsoe Elementary
Boals Elementary
Corbell Elementary
Fisher Elementary
Hosp Elementary
Liscano Elementary
Nichols Elementary
Pink Elementary
Purefoy Elementary
Shawnee Trail Elementary
Tadlock Elementary
Taylor Elementary
Vaughn Elementary
Nelson Middle School
Pearson Middle School
Emerson High School
Campus Heroes
These campuses have participated multiple times in the past 5 years.
Ashley Elementary - 4+ years
Bledsoe Elementary - 4+ years
Boals Elementary - 4+ years
Corbell Elementary - 2 years
Fisher Elementary - 4+ years
Hosp Elementary - 4+ years
Liscano Elementary - 4+ years
Nichols Elementary - 2 years
Pink Elementary - 4+ years
Purefoy Elementary - 4+ years
Shawnee Trail Elementary - 2 years
Tadlock Elementary - 3 years
Taylor Elementary - 3 years
Vaughn Elementary - 4+ years
Nelson Middle School - 3 years
Pearson Middle School - 2 years
Emerson High School - 2 years
Come Join Us!
We are expanding our services & programs! We are a dynamic board with a variety of options for service, both long and short term.
The application window is open for the following:
student volunteers
student interns
ad-hoc committees
standing committees
committee chairs
board membership
The Blog
Thoughts, musings, and ruminations.
May 3, 2024Dear Regular Education Teacher, Today I received my sons final evaluation from the school district. It’s kind of a big deal because this is the one we need to ensure that his IQ and functioning levels are documented so we can be granted guardianship of him when he turns 18. What this means is...February 4, 2023Y'all. These ice holidays have gotten the best of all of us lately. From Monday midday to Friday midday, we were stuck inside without even a snowy landscape to enjoy. This was NOT fun. So today we met up with some of our other teens and moms of teens with disabilities and set out to explore! ...October 8, 2021Staci Henderson, M.S.CCC-SLP As a pediatric feeding therapist, I have many families who seek my services when they are at the end of their rope with their child’s picky eating. Often the families are frustrated that the mealtime has become a source of frustration, anxiety and not enjoyable for...October 1, 2021Thank you to our 2021 student volunteers who have contributed over 95 hours (and counting) hours this year! Cobb Middle School Sarah Jackson Griffin Middle School Elyse Odland Perryn Cote Lone Star High School Victoria Rott Kassidy Smith ...August 20, 2021My journey like any other mother with a special needs child is a journey and a story in itself – unique as each person involved. I read the word autism sixteen years ago for the first time when I looked up speech delay for my struggling almost 3-year old son, Hamza. A year before that my...June 28, 2021I never win contests. Let me rephrase that: I never win contests for myself. But if I enter a contest with someone else in mind, it is uncanny how often I win! It became a challenge that my family supported wholeheartedly when we realized how much we could benefit those who work with special...September 10, 2020Several years ago, our board members were made aware of a project that had been taken on by Amy Coolidge to provide homecoming mums and garters to students in centralized programs at her children's schools. If you have lived in Texas for very long, you know that this is no small feat! They say...May 9, 2019Once upon a time in a land not so far away, Frisco SAGE helped make dreams come true. But we are getting ahead of ourselves as we were just the helpers in a much larger dream..... Grace Jensen was a senior at Reedy High School in 2019 and had dreamed of hosting a sensory-friendly prom for...Better Together!
Scroll through the list of organizations that are part of our collaboration team to help make our world a more inclusive place for those with disabilities!
Frisco Chamber of Commerce Member
GuideStar Platinum Seal of Transparency
We have achieved the highest rating level, putting our organization at the top 0.1% of charities nationally in terms of transparency.
North Texas Disability Chamber Member
Our Board of Directors
Our board is made up of parents of children with disabilities with a wide variety of skills and volunteer experience. We desire to help families connect to, collaborate with and provide and seek support from families with similar needs. Watch for updates as we are adding new board members & committee leads currently. See board application if you have an interest in joining us in making a difference for the disability community in Frisco and surrounding areas!
Melanie Neystel
Melanie lives In the State of Reality, or Texas as the rest of us would say. Her current zoo includes her husband, a daughter, a son, and their dog and cat.
Her connection to the world of special needs is her amazing daughter who has Cerebral Palsy, but she also has experience as a former Special Education teacher in Frisco ISD. As if this is not already an amazing resume, Melanie is also a former federal agent and, in her own words, "a breast cancer surviving."
Melanie's first connection to SAGE was through the PTA SAGE connection at her campus level as well becoming involved at the district level. The part of being a Frisco SAGE board member she most enjoys is learning of new resources that can help her family and also be passed along to others families navigating a life with special needs. She enjoy the Diverse Abilities program and the way it spreads awareness and understanding to the community.She continues to help expand the program to the new corporate level program and has most recently arranged the distribution of hundreds of pairs of adaptive shoes through a connection with the Steve Madden shoe brand. Assisting with Special Olympics and Brant's Grants has also been areas where her leadership has been key.
When asked what positive impact being part of the special needs community has had on her own family, she says, "We’ve met many amazing people we would never have met. We appreciate that our daughter has been able to share her personality and change some people’s perspective on different abilities."
Cindy Badon
Cindy lives in with her husband Patrick and 2 sons, Chance and Reagan. She is a former inclusion teacher prior to becoming a mom to one child with autism and another child who is twice exceptional (2E). She now looks back at her time in the classroom as HER education on disabilities, inclusion and her future role as a mom with a child with autism. "Little did I know that those students with special needs were not only helping me teach the other students, they were also preparing me for being a parent of a child with autism."
When it became clear that her younger child had significant delays and needed early and involved intervention, she left the classroom to ensure that she was available to supervise his therapies and appointments, which was a full time job! The family relocated to the north Texas area because of the many resources available, the education provided by the school districts, and the opportunities for involvement.
Her history with SAGE goes back to attending a meeting one week after moving to Frisco in the summer of 2009. She became involved with SAGE at various campuses and at a district level, helping to add to the offerings as opportunities presented themselves. She is proud to pay it forward by helping others make connections and find the joy in their journeys as well.Cindy's favorite board duties are those involving community and professional education opportunities. "The best thing about having a family member with a disability, in my opinion, is becoming part of a community of people who are truly accepting and have embraced the gift of seeing life through a different lens."
Share Your Knowledge!
Recommend providers / caretakers / community programs that have experience and expertise with our kids! Parents want to know about your experiences. Want access to the list of recommendations? Sign up for VIP Access! You'll have the list at your fingertips anytime you need information.
Free VIP Membership
Why do we need members?
Metrics are important for a nonprofit. We use our numbers for the following:
✅ Securing grants & funding for programs & services provided
✅ Putting numbers behind our advocacy
✅ Leveraging services for the disability community
✅ Offering YOU access to our private resources & private social media groups
✅ Ensuring that we are providing targeted programs to meet our demographic
✅ Contacting you in the event of any changes or cancellations to programs
✅ Retaining our GuideStar Platinum Level Seal of Transparency
What we WON'T do:
❌ Send you unnecessary emails
❌ Share your information with others
❌ Violate our privacy policy
The more effective your reach, the better we can leverage changes needed in advocacy efforts. Having your number in our membership means that those who make decisions know that when we approach them, we are not just a few people who want accessibility and consideration for those with disabilities. We represent a larger community that wants to be included, respected and considered. What else is in it for you? You will receive important information on any programs important updates, access our registered content page, etc. Don't see what you're looking for? Just ask! We love ideas of better ways to serve you!
Do you have to have a disability to register? As an organization that is inclusive at its very foundation, the answer is NO! Being a member means you support inclusion of those with disabilities in your community. We would love for you to lend your voice to the cause.
Social Feed
Social Media Updates for Lone Star Abilities Network
How You Can Help Us Help Others
Donate
Help support our existing programs! Earmark donations for a particular program if you wish.
Event Sponsorship
Families, groups and businesses can sponsor events! Find out about this option here!
Wishlists
See a list of items needed for our existing and / or upcoming programs, classrooms or events.