Florence Wong has spent years pushing for disability rights across San Mateo County. On Thursday, July 16, the Burlingame resident and president of the San Mateo County Commission on Disabilities will help open the county's seventh annual Inclusion Festival at 500 County Center in Redwood City.

As referenced on San Mateo County's Instagram page, the free event runs from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and features live music, a family fun zone, a mobile library, and resource booths staffed by organizations including Special Olympics and the American Red Cross. A Disability Pride flag raising will mark July as Disability Pride Month.

Wong, a former Burlingame Elementary School District Board of Trustees member, told the San Mateo Daily Journal that the festival aims to counter how people with disabilities are treated.

"Despite the fact that it is something shared by every kind of group you can think of, often people with disabilities are just kind of ignored, and certainly there's still a lot of discrimination and bullying," Wong said.

The morning schedule is deliberate. Wong told the Daily Journal the 10 a.m. start allows programs and families to arrange transportation so children and adults with disabilities can attend, browse booths, and enjoy the day without time pressure.

Wong's advocacy is personal. Her oldest daughter has developmental and medical disabilities that significantly affect her independence. That experience led Wong to disability rights work at the school district, county, and regional level. She and her husband, Andrew Haskell, endowed the Disability Studies Program at UC Berkeley.

The Commission on Disabilities advises the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors on the needs of disabled residents. Wong told the Daily Journal that the commission wants people to bring issues forward: if something is happening in their town and they're struggling with it, the commission can decide to focus on it.

The festival moved this year to 500 County Center from Red Morton Park, where it was held in 2024. No registration is required.