Khadija Bari Elected as new Board Chair, with two new additions to the Board of Directors

Khadija Bari speaks at the 2024 Disability Impact Awards

The diverse, disability-led nonprofit Disability Belongs™ (formerly RespectAbility) is focused on systemic change, including changing perceptions and attitudes towards people with disabilities, so they can fully participate in all aspects of community. The recent name change reflects the evolution of the organization’s brand, and with it, the organization also welcomes new board leadership. 

Disability Belongs™ is proud to announce that Khadija Bari (she/her) has been elected as the sixth Chair of the organization’s Board of Directors. “I am thrilled to lead the Board of Disability Belongs™, as we begin this new chapter in the organization’s bright future,” said Khadija Bari. “It is a much-welcomed change as we continue and grow in our work of redefining narratives, developing leaders, and driving opportunity for the disability community across the nation. I am humbled to follow in the footsteps of Disability Belongs™’ past Chairs that have made their mark and continue to pave the way in strengthening the rights of people with disabilities around the world. The expertise of the Board of Directors and Advisors is invaluable to me, and I look forward to supporting President and CEO Ariel Simms as we turn the page and usher in a new era for Disability Belongs™.” [continue reading…]

60 Miles North is a coming-of-age feature film about Clarence Moran (Edward Crawford), who is at the crossroads in his career, and Wild Falls (Audrey Kovar), a woman battling a medical illness and doctors who do not believe her symptoms. Although both Moran and Falls are facing different problems, they find solace and support from each to get back up and find a solution to their issues.

The film dives deep into the complexities of chasing dreams, confronting setbacks, and the transformative power of unexpected connections as well as the challenges some patients face when dealing with doctors who are on a power trip or have a god complex, and refuse to listen to their patients until something terrible happens. [continue reading…]

All aspects of the concert-going experience, from purchasing a ticket to attending the show, can be difficult for a disabled guest. During my time in RespectAbility’s National Leadership Program, through extensive research and open conversations with organizations and venues, I have learned it is possible to have a well-rounded concert experience as a disabled guest with the right accommodations in place.

The Challenges

In the past, I have been a verified fan through Ticketmaster, which qualified me for presale. However, wheelchair-accessible seats were not available on Ticketmaster at the time. This required me to contact the venue directly to purchase the seats, but the venue was not offering the seats until general on-sale. This created a barrier in the process since it did not allow me to utilize my presale status. I have also had barriers when trying to purchase my companion tickets in the same section as me. The Americans with Disabilities Act states up to three companion seats may be purchased, and that these seats must be near the accessible seats. But most venues only allow one companion to be purchased with a wheelchair seat. This can be limiting to the disabled patron when traveling with family and friends, and it is frustrating because non-disabled customers can experience the concert with as many friends as they’d like. [continue reading…]

Read the full report

For the first time, there is a large-scale report providing quantifiable data regarding the lack of accessibility at film festivals for disabled filmmakers and attendees. The Film Event Accessibility Scorecard is a virtual questionnaire form containing 70 questions that touch upon event attendance experience and recommendations. Between July 22, 2022 and November 20, 2023, 353 respondents provided feedback on 75 film festivals and film events internationally.

A big takeaway from the impact report: 73% of disabled respondents experienced some form of inaccessibility in the attendee experience and 93% of festivals received a below the median score. This included lack of accessible seating, volunteers being untrained on access features, the lack of functional assistive listening devices, and panels not being moderated accessibly. For example, 77% responded “somewhat disagree” or “disagree” to the question: “Live captions were available for the panels and Q&As (in-person).” [continue reading…]

Steve Bartlett Award and Spangenberg-Chappell Memorial Award will be presented in Washington D.C. at 3^rd Annual Disability Impact Awards.

June 6, 2024 – RespectAbility is proud to announce the recipients of its third annual Disability Impact Awards, which recognize individuals working to advance opportunities for people with disabilities. Lex Frieden, one of the chief architects of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), will receive the 2024 Steve Bartlett Award, named after the Honorable Steve Bartlett, who served in the U.S. House of Representatives and was a principal co-author of the ADA. The Spangenberg-Chappell Memorial Award will go to RespectAbility Fellow and groundbreaking deaf-blind journalist Steven McCoy. Both Frieden and McCoy will accept their awards at RespectAbility’s Disability Impact Awards Ceremony in Washington, D.C. on July 11^th, closing out a week of policy activity during Disability Advocacy Week. [continue reading…]

Voting should be a stress-free experience. Most people would probably agree that all aspects of voting, including registering to vote, researching the candidates and issues, and casting a ballot, should be accessible to people with disabilities. And thanks to years of effort from disability advocates, there are more accessible voting options than ever before. But unfortunately, barriers to voting persist for disabled people across America.

When disabled people choose to vote in-person, best practices in accessibility are often not fully utilized due to a lack of training and education. Poll workers are often not trained on how to use accessible voting devices, and some demonstrate microaggressions and implicit biases against voters with disabilities. Many disabled people are unable to drive, and for them, getting transportation to the polling place can be a challenge. [continue reading…]

All United States citizens are encouraged to make their voices heard on Election Day. Unfortunately, people with disabilities face a variety of challenges when registering to vote, getting involved in political campaigns, casting a ballot, and running for office. Poll workers are often inadequately trained in operating accessibility features on voting machines. People who receive Social Security Disability Insurance can be penalized for running for office. If a disabled candidate runs and wins, the offices in which they are expected to serve their constituents are sometimes inaccessible. Aiming to remove some of these barriers and give disabled American voters an equitable opportunity to have their voices heard, Representatives Madeline Dean (PA-04) and Mary Gay Scalon (PA-05) introduced the following three bills to the House, with Senators Bob Casey (D-PA) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) introducing companion bills to the Senate. [continue reading…]

Disabled film actors have gained some ground in employment from 2022 to 2023 but remain severely underrepresented in front of the camera among the top films of 2023. Looking at two different UCLA Hollywood Diversity Report studies released in March and May of this year, just 7.1% of theatrical film actors and 4.7% of streaming film actors have a disability. This is in comparison to 26% of the U.S. population.

This is the second year that the UCLA Hollywood Diversity Report tracks the known disability status of actors. This followed numerous disability organizations, including RespectAbility and FWD-Doc, lobbying for disability inclusion.

The report acknowledges it was able to include disability status due to new sources of data, including Nielsen-owned Gracenote’s Studio System, which began tracking on-screen disability representation as part of its inclusion data in 2022, with the assistance of RespectAbility. [continue reading…]

“You shine, just as you are.”

The penultimate song in Netflix’s new animated family film Thelma the Unicorn provides an anthem for the theme of the film. For children watching who have been told they are not good enough because they “don’t look the part,” Thelma (voiced by Brittany Howard) shows them that you can be true to yourself and succeed. However, Thelma needs to lose herself first to learn this important lesson.

Thelma is a pony who dreams of sharing her songs with the world. It is not until an accident that causes her to look like a unicorn that the industry begins to pay attention to her. However, Thelma ultimately betrays herself and those who truly know her. Her path leads to her having a fake boyfriend for publicity and performing AI-generated songs. [continue reading…]