LAMN'S ACCESS INITIATIVE

Investing in a More Accessible Bethlehem, PA

At Laughing At My Nightmare (LAMN), we know accessibility doesn’t begin and end at home. It lives in our sidewalks, storefronts, restaurants, gathering spaces, and small businesses, the very places that make a community feel connected, welcoming, and alive.

That’s why we’re proud to introduce LAMN’s Community Access Initiative, a new program designed to help bring accessibility to the forefront in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania through direct support for local small businesses.

We chose to launch this initiative in Bethlehem because this is where LAMN began. More than fourteen years ago, our organization started here as a small grassroots effort built around community, advocacy, and the belief that disabled people deserve access, opportunity, and inclusion. As LAMN has grown and supported thousands of families across the country, Bethlehem has always remained home. This initiative is an opportunity to invest back into the community that helped shape our mission and to help create a city that is more welcoming and accessible for everyone.

About

What this Initiative Aims to Do

Through the Community Access Initiative, LAMN will provide microgrants of up to $10,000 to eligible small businesses in Bethlehem that need support making accessibility improvements. But this initiative is about far more than simple ADA compliance or checking a legal box. It is about helping create a community where disabled people can fully participate in everyday life: shopping at local businesses, dining with friends, attending events, working, and navigating their city with dignity and independence.

For many small businesses, accessibility barriers are not rooted in unwillingness, but in cost, uncertainty, historic building limitations, or not fully understanding where barriers exist. This initiative is designed to help bridge that gap by positioning accessibility as both a community value and a practical investment in inclusion. Accessible spaces benefit not only wheelchair users, but also parents with strollers, older adults, people with temporary injuries, individuals with sensory disabilities, and countless others.

Ultimately, this initiative is about helping Bethlehem become a more welcoming, usable, and inclusive community for everyone while empowering local businesses to be part of that progress in a meaningful and achievable way.

Funding may be used for projects such as (but not limited to):