Events Archives - Respect Ability

Jim Sinocchi sitting with a service dog in front of a window with skyscrapers behind him. Text: Fireside Chat with Jim Sinocchi

Fireside Chat with Jim Sinocchi – Lessons on Disability Inclusion for the Post-COVID World

Date: Wednesday, July 28, 2021
Time: 1:30 p.m. ET / 12:30 p.m. CT / 11:30 a.m. MT / 10:30 a.m. PT
Duration: 1 hour

RSVP: us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_PxtrGtHgQaWS3-RxZTW9qw

As more people get vaccinated and companies begin reopening their offices, it is critical to reflect on key lessons from the past year of Zoom calls and remote work. Please join us for this special conversation with disability employment expert, business leader, and inclusion innovator Jim Sinocchi. Jim will talk about how JPMorgan Chase has reshaped their accessibility efforts, how they deliver accommodations both in the office and remotely, and what opportunities lay ahead for future leaders with disabilities. This fireside chat will give audience members unprecedented access to ask your most burning questions about disability employment and the post-COVID world.

This FREE webinar will feature ASL interpreters and live captioning. [continue reading…]

Seeking Blind and Low Vision College Graduates for Careers in Policy and Nonprofit Management

Join us on July 28 at 10:30 a.m. in Santa Monica to learn how blind and low vision college graduates can join our “earn while you learn” virtual apprenticeship program. We’re looking for talented people with blindness or low vision from California who have an interest in public service, running for office, advocating on Capitol Hill, working at a non-profit foundation or in media to join our one-of-a-kind virtual training program.

To learn more about the opportunity and meet the program staff, please join us for a coffee and informational session at the Viceroy Hotel Santa Monica (1819 Ocean Avenue, Santa Monica, CA 90401). Our Vice Chair Ollie Cantos, who is a blind civil rights attorney who was ABC News Person of the Week, will be there to greet you and help answer your questions!
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ADA @31: A Focus on the Future – How Disabled Writers Are Changing the Landscape of the Entertainment Industry

Date: Friday, July 30, 2021
Time: 4:30 p.m. ET / 1:30 p.m. PT

RSVP: us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_HJ5tSnrxRv23Rbt4lrtQ8A

Throughout the summer, RespectAbility is hosting a variety of events, “ADA @31: A Focus on the Future.” In this session, we are shining the focus on the way disabled individuals, specifically writers, are making a difference in the entertainment industry.

According to a recent report from Think Tank for Inclusion & Equity (TTIE), “93.0% of writers said their most recent writers room had no Disabled or Deaf writers.” Upper-level Disabled or Deaf writers are even more scarce, with only 2.6% of writers reporting that their most recent writers’ room had at least one upper level Disabled or Deaf writer. Currently, the Writers Guild of America West and the Writers Guild of America East do not yet track employment data by disability status.

The RespectAbility Lab for Entertainment Professionals with Disabilities is aiming to change this. To date, 25 of the RespectAbility Lab graduates identify as writers, and several are helping to change this landscape. Lab alumni from 2019 and 2020 currently work in the writers’ rooms for Netflix’s Mech Cadet, CW’s 4400 and Showtime’s Dexter, among others. Of the 30 participants in the 2021 Lab, half of the participants are writers, for both TV and film.

We invite you to meet 12 of these writers: Leo Allanach, Amanda Aguero, Nikki Bailey, Colin Buckingham, Tameka Citchen-Spruce, Bella Cosper, Ty Freedman, Sarah Granger, Anna Marr, Juliet Romeo, Hilary Van Hoose and Diane J. Wright. This session will be moderated by RespectAbility Lab alumna and 2021 Lab Faculty Advisor Ashley Eakin.

Any questions? Please contact Lesley Hennen at LesleyH@RespectAbility.org. [continue reading…]