Israel’s Nalaga’at Theater Deaf-Blind Acting Ensemble, RespectAbility and White House’s Claudia Gordon join for magic night of culture at the Kennedy Center

Washington, D.C. – In a moving night of theater and exchange, Israel’s famous Nalaga’at Theater Deaf-Blind Acting Ensemble, RespectAbilityUSA, and the White House’s Claudia Gordon joined together for a night of magic. Nalaga’at is a world famous acting group whose cast consists of a dozen talented deaf-blind actors. RespectAbility is an American non-profit organization devoted to empowering people with disabilities to be valued and respected for the abilities that they do have. Claudia Gordon works at the White House Office of Public Engagement where she serves as the Public Engagement Advisor to the Disability Community.  Fully 56 million Americans have disabilities, roughly one in five Americans.

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Gov. Jack Markell

Rep. Pete Sessions

TJ Lavin

• TJ Lavin, host of MTV’s “The Challenge,” recovered from a near fatal accident and is a supporter of people with disabilities.
• Gov. Jack Markell (DE) is the immediate past chair of the National Governors Association and is the leading state advocate for employing people with disabilities. See the NGA’s Report here: NGA.org
• Rep. Pete Sessions, U.S. Congressman (R-TX) and chairman of the House Rules Committee, is one of the strongest advocates in Congress for people with disabilities. His son has Down syndrome and is an Eagle Scout.
• With special guest 23 time Paralympian medalist Matt Cowdrey

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• 3 out of 4 people with disabilities surveyed value a job and independence over government benefits (no partisan split)
• Disability community sites employer perceptions that they will be “less successful than someone without a disability” as primary barrier to jobs
• Disability community names top ways to impact work environment as change in employer attitudes, employer training, and change in structure of benefits system
• Younger PwDs (Post IDEA/ADA Generations) More Interested in Self-advocacy
  
• Less than half of PwDs looking for work have access to quality training programs, career counseling, and professional resources (e.g., job coach) needed to help with a job search. [continue reading…]