Skip Navigation
Image of people smiling and posing for a photo

News

Act Now to Break the Cycle of Poverty for SSI Recipients and End the Marriage Penalty!

Millions of low-income people with disabilities and older adults receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI) each month. For these recipients, SSI is a vital source of income that pays for rent, food, transportation, and other living expenses. However, people who receive SSI are trapped in a cycle of enforced poverty. To receive SSI, an individual may have no more than $2,000 in savings at any given time. If a person works part-time or sporadically, their income plus SSI benefits may easily put them over the $2,000 asset limit. This disincentivizes working and saving money.  If two people who both receive SSI get married, they are not each allowed to have $2,000 in assets; they are only allowed to have $3,000 between them. This is known as the “marriage penalty,” because it prevents many couples who receive SSI from getting married. The extremely low asset limits prevent low-income people with disabilities and older adults from working, saving, and getting married.

The bipartisan SSI Savings Penalty Elimination Act would increase the SSI asset limits from $2,000 to $10,000 for unmarried individuals and eliminates the marriage penalty by allowing two SSI recipients to get married and have up to $20,000 in assets as a couple. The bill also requires asset limits to be adjusted yearly to keep up with the cost of living.

How can you help?

In our efforts to ensure that this bill passes through Congress, please contact your Senators and your Member of the House of Representatives to encourage them to sponsor the SSI Savings Penalty Elimination Act. Every call and every voice make a difference!

RespectAbility Receives Gift From the Yield Giving Open Call

Logos for Lever for Change and Yield Giving Open Call. Text reads Yield Giving Open Call AwardeeThis week, MacKenzie Scott’s Yield Giving announced RespectAbility as one of the Yield Giving Open Call’s awardees working with people and in places experiencing the greatest need in the United States.

RespectAbility is a diverse, cross-disability, and disability-led nonprofit organization that works to create systemic change in how society views and values people with disabilities, and that advances policies and practices that empower disabled people to have a better future. RespectAbility’s mission is to fight stigmas and advance opportunities so people with disabilities can fully participate in all aspects of community.

“This generous contribution from Yield Giving will enhance our ability to achieve systemic change and foster inclusion across sectors,” said Ariel Simms, President and CEO of RespectAbility. “We will be able to leverage this support to expand our reach and impact, advancing more opportunities for our community, developing future generations of disabled leaders, and creating greater shifts in societal attitudes toward disability.” [continue reading…]

2024 Slamdance Unstoppable Highlights Disability-Inclusive Films

Collage from Slamdance unstoppable website including a woman, a radio, an eye, and other objects. Slamdance logo in bottom rightPark City, January 17 – In 2020, filmmaker and disability advocate Juliet Romeo reached out to Slamdance co-founder Peter Baxter, stressing the need for a program for and by disabled filmmakers. Conversations turned to action and Slamdance Unstoppable was born. In 2021, the virtual Slamdance Film Festival included a showcase of disability-inclusive short films. In 2023, Slamdance Unstoppable, which included both short and feature films, aired both in-person and virtually. This year, all Slamdance Unstoppable films will screen in both Park City and Salt Lake City.

Uplifting and amplifying stories by disabled filmmakers is vital due to the disproportionately low representation of disability in the entertainment industry both in front of and behind the camera. In a recent study by USC Annenberg, only 1.9% of all speaking characters in the top 100 grossing films of 2022 were portrayed as disabled, an incredibly small number compared to the 27% of the U.S. population that is Disabled. By showcasing this collection, the Slamdance Unstoppable block is helping to change these statistics. [continue reading…]

A Guide to 2024 Disability-Inclusive Sundance Films

Sundance Film Festival 2024 logo on the screen in a packed movie theater. Text reads January 18-28

Courtesy of Sundance Institute

Park City, January 16 – With one-in-five people having a disability in the U.S. today, the lack of representation – just 1.9 percent of characters in the 100 top-grossing films of 2022 and 8 percent in family films – means that millions of people are unable to see themselves reflected in media.

The 2024 Sundance Film Festival (January 18 – 28) will provide an opportunity for audiences with various disabilities to see themselves represented – both in-person and virtually.

This year, several films feature disability in the plot, including A Different ManFRIDA, Ibelin, Out of My Mind, The Outrun, Stress Positions, Suncoast, and Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story, among others. [continue reading…]

Inspiration Porn: What It Is, Why It’s A Problem, and What You Can Do

On social media or TV, you probably have seen stories of a disabled person being celebrated at their High School prom, or being named an honorary member of their Football team. While these stories may seem harmless on the surface, these stories fall under the trope of “inspiration porn.”

What Is Inspiration Porn?

Inspiration Porn is used to describe the objectification of disabled people with the intention of making people without disabilities feel good. The term was made popular by Stella Young, a disabled comedian and activist, in her TED talk titled “I’m Not Your Inspiration, Thank You Very Much.” Young explained that society has been sold the lie that having a disability is a bad thing, so simply living with a disability makes someone exceptional. The media tends to glorify disabled people for existing and praise non-disabled people for helping disabled people. These superficial narratives have detrimental effects on the representation and perception of disabled people in society. [continue reading…]

Give Inclusivity A Bid: Making Fraternities And Sororities Accessible

As the fall semester of college wraps up, many fraternities and sororities are already starting to make plans for next semester’s Greek life recruitment. Greek letter organizations usually have a set idea of the type of people they would like to extend a bid or formal offer to become a member to. But does that fixed idea of the perfect member come with an ableist mindset?

In 2018, talks of the lack of disability inclusion in Greek life made major headlines when Ann Catherine Heigl, a George Mason University student who has Down Syndrome, was rejected from every sorority. From what the articles described about Heigl, she appeared to have several qualities that sororities look for. She was a varsity cheerleader, involved in the community, and had strong academic performance. Many students with disabilities have a similar story to Heigl’s. They are quickly judged and dismissed before they even have a chance to show who they are, just because they have a disability. [continue reading…]

Poll: Most American Voters Want Politicians to Address Disability Issues

Pie chart with 61% in red and 39% in green. Text reads 61% of Voters with Disabilities disagree with the statement that Public officials and politicians care about what people with disabilities think.It has long been a source of consternation to members of the disability community that political candidates and elected officials rarely speak publicly about issues specific to disabled voters. In fact, few politicians even address how broader issues that they do speak about impact people with disabilities. After most presidential debates, there is a predictable barrage of social media posts from disabled voters who are disappointed that the candidates never mentioned the word “disability,” let alone addressed some of the issues that impact our daily lives the most.

It turns out that the disappointment shared by disabled social media users is more widespread than many might have imagined. According to a recent poll by the think tank Data For Progress, “a majority of disabled voters don’t believe politicians care about the disabled community.”

61% of likely voters with disabilities who were polled disagreed with the statement, “Public officials and politicians care about what people with disabilities think.” Interestingly, 50% of the non-disabled voters who were polled agreed with them. This held true across party lines; 58% of all Democrats polled and 52% of all Republicans disagreed with the statement that politicians care about disabled voters. [continue reading…]

RespectAbility Announces Entertainment Lineup for 10th Anniversary Celebration Event

Los Angeles, October 26 – The national disability advocacy nonprofit RespectAbility is excited to announce the lineup of entertainers for its 10th Anniversary Celebration next week, featuring Platinum Sponsor Wells Fargo. The event will be hosted by actor, comedian, and RespectAbility Entertainment Lab alumna Nikki Bailey. Musician James Ian and dance troupe Straight Up Abilities will be the featured performers, and Sabeerah Najee will be the featured DJ. [continue reading…]

Disabled Filmmakers Reach New Heights this National Disability Employment Awareness Month

In celebration of National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM), Delta Air Lines is featuring seven disability-inclusive films in a Top Picks collection on their seatback, in-flight entertainment. Six of these films were written and/or directed by Disabled filmmakers, and all include Disabled individuals in front of the camera. In addition, these films are available with captions and audio description, creating accessibility for viewers who are deaf and/or blind.

“As both an executive producer of Being Michelle and Vice Chair of RespectAbility, which has worked on some of the projects included in the Delta Studio NDEAM Top Picks collection, I am excited for the world to experience entertainment with powerful disability perspectives told through a lens in which disabled persons had a direct hand in creating both behind and in front of the camera,” said RespectAbility Vice Chair Delbert Whetter, who is a deaf filmmaker based in Los Angeles. [continue reading…]

High Demand, Low Supply: The Effects of the ADHD Medication Shortage

Pills spilling out of a prescription bottle on a black background. Text: "High Demand, Low Supply. The effects of the ADHD Medication Shortage"Around 8.7 million adults in the United States have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), with many relying on medication to be focused and productive. Many adults have been taking their ADHD medication since they were children, so it can be easy to take for granted the access they have had to common types of ADHD drugs. For much of the ADHD population, taking their daily dose of popular medications like Adderall, Ritalin, or Vyvance is as much a part of their morning routine as brushing their teeth. However, that routine is being forcibly altered for millions of people in the U.S. because of an ongoing shortage of ADHD medication. Many people are unable to find their medications, leaving them feeling frustrated and frazzled as they search for alternatives and solutions.

It has been almost a year since the FDA announced a nationwide shortage of Adderall. However, it is difficult to identify the cause because manufacturers are not required to tell the FDA about why there are interruptions in the production process. Some sources cite an increase in ADHD diagnoses as a potential cause. CDC data cited by Time shows that “8% more people in the U.S. filled a stimulant prescription in 2021 versus 2020.” Others think that government agencies and manufacturers are to blame. The Drug Enforcement Administration does not share the quotas it gives for medication production. Manufacturers do not have to share how much medication they make or what their capacities for production are. If they are underperforming, the public would not have a way to know that. People are left wondering when supply will meet demand and how much longer they will need to wait. [continue reading…]

1 2 3 104 105
Respect Ability - Fighting Stigmas. Advancing Opportunities.

Contact Us

Mailing Address:
RespectAbility
43 Town & Country Drive
Suite 119-181
Fredericksburg, VA 22405

Office Number: 202-517-6272

Email: info@respectability.org

Operational Excellence

RespectAbility is recognized by GuideStar at the Platinum level, and has earned a Four-Star Rating from Charity Navigator.
© 2023 RespectAbility. All Rights Reserved. Site Design by Cool Gray Seven   |   Site Development by Web Symphonies   |      Sitemap

Back to Top

Translate »