From Hollywood to Capitol Hill: The Future of Americans with Disabilities
Featuring Leah Daniels-Butler, Casting Director and Producer, Tommy Morrissey, the One-Arm Golfer, and Marc Summers of The Food Network
Rockville, Md., July 28 – RespectAbility invites you to our free one-day summit, From Hollywood to Capitol Hill: The Future of Americans with Disabilities, geared toward bridging the gap between entertainment, politics and disability advocacy. This entirely accessible event is open to the public.
The summit will take place on Monday, July 31 from 8:30 A.M. – 3:00 P.M. at the Rayburn House Office Building, Gold Room on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. The summit will celebrate the good that can be done to end stigmas and advance opportunities for the 57 million Americans with disabilities.
FEATURING:
Leah Daniels-Butler
Daniels-Butler is a casting director and producer most notable for securing talent for both blockbuster and award-winning films like “2 Fast 2 Furious” and “Lee Daniels, The Butler” and for television’s #1 show, “Empire.” Her ongoing commitment to championing the inclusion and representation of diverse acting casts of color, gender and ability has guided her career path to being appointed a National Board Director for the Casting Society of America, spearheading the CSA’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee. Daniels-Butler dedicates her time to helping shape the second chance futures of women in her community as Board Director for “A New Way to Life ReEntry Project,” an organization that provides housing and support to formerly incarcerated women in South Central Los Angeles.
Tommy Morrissey, One-Arm Golfer
Morrissey was born without most of his right arm but at the age of three was deemed a golf prodigy and today, at the age of six, travels the world advocating for other limb different children. After many national television documentaries, two features in Golf Digest Magazine and a robust social media following, Morrissey uses his platform to help other children get the help they need to fulfill their dreams just as he has.
Marc Summers, Television Host
Currently hosting the longest running show on Food Network, “Unwrapped,” some will remember him as the former Host/Producer of Nickelodeon’s “Double Dare” and “What Would You Do?” He also is the Executive Producer of Restaurant Impossible on the Food Network. In October, a new documentary about his life called On Your Marc will be released. Summers has been the National Spokesperson for The Obsessive Compulsive Foundation, has appeared on Oprah, The Today Show and Dateline discussing the issue, and wrote a book, Everything in Its Place: My Trials and Triumphs with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.
Additional Speakers Include:
- Ollie Cantos, U.S. Department of Education (Invited)
- Eleanor Clift, author of Founding Sisters and the Nineteenth Amendment (Turning Points in History) and Two Weeks of Life: A Memoir of Love, Death, and Politics
- Sneha Dave, Chronic Illness and Disability Advocate
- Stanley B. Greenberg, Ph.D., Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research
- Calvin Harris, The Bipartisan Policy Center
- Jennifer Laszlo Mizrahi, President, RespectAbility
- Meg O’Connell, The Poses Family Foundation
- Clarence Page, Chicago Tribune
- Brilynn Rakes, Visually Impaired Dancer
- Gerard Robinson, AEI
- Jennifer Sheehy, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP)
- Steven James Tingus, Entertainment Inclusion Consultant
- Donna Walton, Divas With Disabilities Project and author of Shattered Dreams, Broken Pieces
WHAT: From Hollywood to Capitol Hill: The Future of Americans with Disabilities
WHERE: Rayburn House Office Building, Room 2168 (Gold Room), Washington, D.C.
WHEN: Monday, July 31, 2017, 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. (ET)
MORE INFORMATION AND RSVP: http://bit.ly/July31DC.
GENERAL CONTACT: Christopher Trujillo, christophert@respectability.org, 202-748-3582
MEDIA CONTACT: Lauren Appelbaum, laurena@respectability.org, 202-591-0703