Los Angeles, July 15 – RespectAbility’s 2021 Summer Lab Fellows recently were joined by RespectAbility’s own Matan Koch, Vice President for Workforce, Leadership, and Faith Programs, as well as Leah Romond, Senior Production Advisor at RespectAbility, for a conversation around when and how to disclose your disability in the workplace. Despite the passing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), many still face workplace discrimination as early as the interview process. Due to this, Koch and Romond took the time to share insight with the Lab participants, covering topics such as how to ask for accommodations and when it’s the right time to talk about your disability with your employer. [continue reading…]

Dear candidate:

RespectAbility, a national nonpartisan nonprofit organization fighting stigmas and advancing opportunities so people with disabilities can fully participate in all aspects of community, is preparing nonpartisan state voter guides of Democratic and Republican Senate and Gubernatorial candidates. These guides will cover a variety of issues that impact the 1-in-5 Americans who live with a physical, cognitive, sensory, mental health or other disability. This is being done in conjunction with our online publication, www.TheRespectAbilityReport.org, also known as www.VoteAbility.com, which is the definitive place for voters who care about the intersection of disability and electoral politics. [continue reading…]

Los Angeles, July 13 – On the third week of RespectAbility’s Summer Lab for Entertainment Professionals with Disabilities, actors and disability advocates Tatiana Lee and Eileen Grubba teamed up to lead a conversation on how to pitch yourself to industry professionals.

Tatiana Lee

Entering the entertainment industry is an incredible feat as a person without a disability. And those with disabilities encounter the extra challenge of fighting to be taken seriously after being historically excluded. However, Lee was inspired by the lack of representation and decided to embody the Black disabled women she did not see on TV when she was younger. Lee is a model, actress, writer and producer, as well as an Instagram influencer. She has starred in projects such as Jade, Footloose, and Together and Better. [continue reading…]

Washington D.C, July 9 – On June 17, 2021, Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) introduced the Work Without Worry Act. This piece of legislation would allow Americans with disabilities to take on employment opportunities without the fear of losing higher Social Security benefits.

Currently, if an adult has a disability that began before the age of 22, they may be eligible for Social Security’s Disabled Adult Child (DAC) benefit. This benefit considers these adults to be dependents on their parent(s) and as such their benefits, like any child under the age of 18, rely on their parent’s Social Security contributions and earnings. [continue reading…]

Washington, D.C., July 9 – Alabama Governor Kay Ivey signed Act 2021-514 allowing ABLE Savings account holders to deduct up to $5,000 per year per taxpayer on State Income Taxes. The plan, announced by Alabama State Treasurer John McMillian, aims to make saving achievable for people with disabilities by allowing ABLE account holders to save without losing the public benefits which many individuals with disabilities depend on.

What are ABLE Accounts?

In 2014, the 113th Congress passed H.R. 647, the Stephen Beck Jr. Achieving a Better Life Experience Act (ABLE Act), which established tax-advantaged savings accounts for people with disabilities and their families. The ABLE Act was designed to support people with disabilities who are required to meet means/resource tests to continue receiving potential life-saving benefits. Members of the disability community who are on benefits are restricted to having less than $2,000 in liquid resources. Millions of people with disabilities rely on public programs for income, health care, housing assistance and food security. ABLE Accounts allows people with disabilities to accumulate savings that do not affect their eligibility for these benefits. [continue reading…]

Newark, N.J., July 9 – Last month, Governor Phil Murphy (D-NJ) signed Senate Bill 3434 into law after five months of delays. This piece of legislation extends the length of educational and transitional services for eligible students with disabilities, who are slated to age out of the academic system at the age of 21. In New Jersey, the length of service extension is approximately one year.

How many students will benefit from this new law? 

According to the Disability Compendium Annual Statistics, there are 220,362 students with disabilities served under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) in New Jersey public schools.  Percentage wise, this represents 12.6 percent of all students in New Jersey’s K-12 schools. This might seem like a small percentage; however, every student served deserves an equal right to access resources that they need. [continue reading…]

“The Jewish Los Angeles Special Needs Trust (JLA Trust) provides professional trustee services to people with physical, mental, cognitive, and developmental disabilities with affordable pooled special needs trusts so beneficiaries of legal settlements and inheritances do not lose their essential government benefits.  Our person-centered services support people surviving on these benefits (often SSI and/or Medi-Cal), helping them to use their funds to pursue hobbies, get better medical care, or even go on vacation.”

Two weeks ago, I had the absolute joy and privilege to attend a webinar entitled “How Nonprofits Work.” It was the second of seven free, phenomenal webinars being put together by Joshua Steinberg. This “Leaders of the Future” series, which concludes on July 20, is providing incredible content to introduce aspiring Jewish lay leaders with disabilities, like me, to the topics and skills we need to lead as volunteers and professionals in nonprofit organizations. As of yesterday, the series had had fantastic sessions on individual giving and making an organization or individual truly shine on social media. Yesterday’s session, which demystified the sometimes daunting world of foundations, was so informative that I’m going to write about it for next week. Remember, if you’ve missed any of these webinars, they are available for free on the RespectAbility website, now and forever. [continue reading…]

Alex Howard

Alex Howard is a compassionate, funny guy, to whom it is incredibly easy to talk. Alex has MEPAN Syndrome – one of only 18 people in the world with the condition – and Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. MEPAN Syndrome is a rare genetic neurological disorder that usually presents in early childhood, but Alex was not diagnosed until age 27.

Alex’s great sense of humor definitely helped him cope with being undiagnosed for his first 27 years and continuing to live with uncertainty. He explains that living without a diagnosis and being the kid in school with “an undiagnosed neurological condition” tends to bring with it loneliness and isolation, and Alex indeed experienced these feelings.  Films and movies have long been part of Alex’s coping mechanisms, along with, of course, jokes. On bad days, Alex has found solace in villains in movies like, The Joker. He joked, “Well, at least I’m not that guy!” [continue reading…]