Rabbi Julia Watts Belser joined us in conversation about her new book Loving Our Own Bones: Disability Wisdom and the Spiritual Subversiveness of Knowing Ourselves Whole. In Loving Our Own Bones, which was the 2024 Jewish Disability Awareness, Acceptance, and Inclusion Month (JDAIM) Book Club Selection, Julia brings Jewish sacred texts into relationship with disability culture to deepen conversations about disability, spirituality, and social justice.
State legislatures all over the United States are introducing new bills or continuing to pursue those that were left unfinished in 2023. RespectAbility is closely monitoring several bills at the state level. In Washington, SB 5616 aims to establish the Nothing About Us Without Us Act, while Colorado’s HB 24-1067 seeks to clarify that many [click to continue...]
RespectAbility Gets Down To Business On Our 2024 Federal Policy Priorities RespectAbility’s policy staff is championing four pieces of legislation related to employment, voting accessibility, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), and technology accessibility. They are advocating for the Transformation to Competitive Integrated Employment Act (TCIEA), Accessible Voting Act (AVA), SSI Savings Penalty Elimination Act, and the [click to continue...]
According to the latest National Trends In Disability Employment (nTIDE) report: The labor force participation rate for people with disabilities grew from 39.0% in December 2022 to 40.8% in December 2023. This continues an upward trend we have observed throughout the past year. Workers without disabilities increased their labor force participation rate from 76.9% in December [click to continue...]
RespectAbility and the Consortium for Constituents with Disabilities (CCD) have commented on proposed changes to the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey. These changes could under-count people with disabilities, affecting funding for Medicare, Medicaid, and vocational rehabilitation. CCD urges a pause to maintain data accuracy. An accurate census process It is important to ensure that [click to continue...]
Date: Wednesday, May 8 Time: 2 p.m. ET / 11 a.m. PT Duration: 60 minutes Register Online The arts can be a connector to community, spirituality, and healing for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Learn from our panelists about how expressive activities, like painting or performing, helped people experiencing grief communicate, reflect, and process [click to continue...]
Date: Thursday, July 11 Time: 5:30 p.m. ET Location: K&L Gates, Washington, D.C. Get Your Tickets RespectAbility’s third annual Disability Impact Awards ceremony is happening in the heart of our Nation’s capital on July 11th, 2024! This special event will highlight important individuals who are making strides in fighting stigmas and advancing opportunities. This year’s recipients of [click to continue...]
Dates: July 9 – 12, 2024 Location: Washington, D.C. Join RespectAbility in Washington D.C. this summer for Disability Advocacy Week, where we take our legislative priorities to Capitol Hill. We will be meeting with key legislators from both sides of the aisle to discuss important issues affecting the disability community, as well as bills that [click to continue...]
Monthly Employment Update for People with Disabilities According to the latest National Trends In Disability Employment (nTIDE) report: The labor force participation rate for people with disabilities grew from 38.8% in November 2022 to 41.5% in November 2023, continuing an upward trend. Workers without disabilities increased their labor force participation rate from 76.9% in November 2022 to [click to continue...]
