Events - Respect Ability

RespectAbility Summit 2022

Sunday, July 31 – Tuesday, August 2 on Capitol Hill

You are invited to join RespectAbility for three days of fantastic sessions that prepare people with disabilities and the disability community for a better future.

This event will be fully accessible, with an ASL interpreter and live captions. We currently expect the event to be in-person. We will require that all attendees be vaccinated, unless they have a medical exemption. This event will also be recorded and shared with open captions. [continue reading…]

Virtual Community Chanukah Candle Lighting

Dates: Nightly from November 28 – December 5 (except Friday December 3)
Time: 8:30 p.m. ET / 7:30 p.m. CT / 6:30 p.m. MT / 5:30 p.m. PT

RSVP: us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYoceihrDopE9EXIAJdCida4t-8pzr6YT7m

Come join RespectAbility for seven great nights of Chanukah fun (We will be taking Friday December 3rd off for Shabbat to relax and reflect). Each night we will light candles as a virtual group. Additionally, we will feature two great members of our community who will each share a very short (3-5 minute) and upbeat personal story or remark about Chanukah. Celebrations will include candle lighting, maybe a song, the candle lighting prayers and perhaps a little schmoozing. It will be very informal. We’d love to have you join us as holidays are so much nicer when we can be with other people – even if it’s on Zoom. Bring your family and friends, and perhaps make some new friends! [continue reading…]

Disability Representation In Film & Television: How It Can Impact Your Bottom Line in a Positive Way

Date: December 4, 2021
Time: 5:30 p.m. – 6:20 p.m. PT
Location: Los Angeles Convention Center, Room 408AB

Join us at L.A. ComicCon for a panel on disability inclusion in film and television and learn how it can positively impact your bottom line and stretch your marketing dollars for your feature film or television project by connecting you with an industry and audience valued at $1 trillion. [continue reading…]

Best Practices for Ensuring Accessibility in Film Schools

Date: Monday, December 6
Time: 1:30-2:30 p.m. PT / 4:30-5:30 p.m. ET

RSVP: us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_hToPv1z5RCu5MOd6did-6w

For many folks who are looking to start a career in the Entertainment industry, whether in development, writing, production, marketing, and everything else in between, the starting point is film school. Since the best way to improve on-screen representation of people with disabilities is to hire more disabled people in all aspects of the storytelling and filmmaking process, how can film schools ensure full accessibility for disabled students and faculty? Join us for a conversation with RespectAbility Summer Lab alumni and current working Entertainment professionals, Laura Alsum, Michael Dougherty, Tyler Hoog, Andrew Reid, and Faith Strongheart, as we discuss their lived experiences as disabled individuals who have navigated film school, and share some best practices for schools to ensure accessibility for all.
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Headshots of Jevon Whetter, Diana Elizabeth Jordan and Ali MacLean. Text: Hollywood Fringe Festival Creative Workshop Disability Inclusion in Storytelling

Hollywood Fringe Festival Creative Workshop: Disability Inclusion in Storytelling

Date: Tuesday, December 14
Time: 10 p.m. ET / 9 p.m. CT / 8 p.m. MT / 7 p.m. PT
Duration: 90 minutes

RSVP: https://www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/7286

When we think of diversity in the arts, do we consider the 1-in-5 people who live with a disability? Due to a lack of accessibility and stigma, artists with disabilities rarely get to take the stage to tell their own stories. This event will feature a conversation with industry leaders about writing for disabled voices. [continue reading…]