Los Angeles, April 19, 2021 – Barry Shore, the Ambassador of JOY of who is a former quadriplegic, stars in his own segment of “What Do You Pray For?” The film was made by Ben Rosloff, a talented emerging filmmaker on the Autism spectrum who serves as a Jewish Inclusion Fellow in RespectAbility’s National Leadership Program. [continue reading…]
Jake Stimell
In 2010, I began my journey at Camp Bauercrest. I had been visiting camp for a long time, as my brother and father were both proud alumni. My attendance at camp was always destined to be. However, as a person with a physical disability causing low muscle tone, it was far from clear that I would find my Jewish home at a sports camp.
Prior to going to camp, I was an awkward middle school student. I did not have many friends and was not particularly happy at home. Camp, at the beginning, was not much different. I broke my wrist and was forced to cut my first summer short. I had trouble making friends and was the least athletic kid in camp, making me feel like an outsider. [continue reading…]
The Miracle Project was founded in 2004 by Elaine Hall, a Jewish woman who felt compelled to ensure that all people with disabilities felt accepted, included and loved. She created this organization to pass her love of the arts on to other people who feel the same. Hall’s desire for working with people with disabilities started when her own child was diagnosed with Autism at a young age. She wanted to make sure that all people with disabilities, specifically those diagnosed with Autism, feel included in society and in anything they do. Additionally, many of these people have felt judged or bullied by peers at school or in social settings. Therefore, Hall has worked tirelessly to create this “safe space” for people to come and be whoever they truly want to be without fear of judgment. [continue reading…]
Leah Romond. Photo by Liz Bretz
Los Angeles, CA, April 15 – Since its premiere at SXSW 2021, the feature film Best Summer Ever has been making waves in the entertainment industry for its authentic representation and inclusion of people with disabilities both in front of and behind the camera, all wrapped up in an energetic and joy-filled musical. RespectAbility recently had the chance to interview one of the film’s producers, Leah Romond, who is also a current Senior Production Advisor at RespectAbility. Romond speaks openly about her experiences with traumatic brain injury, pivoting from law to producing in entertainment, and working at RespectAbility.
In 2012 Romond had mononucleosis, which turned into viral encephalitis that resulted in a brain injury due to brain inflammation. She explained her experience as living with one brain for part of her life and after the injury, being given a completely different brain. Before the injury, “my brain was like a super computer, very detail oriented. As an attorney, I had to keep a lot of facts in my brain and be able to recall them at a moment’s notice,” Romond said. [continue reading…]
Shannon DeVido
Los Angeles, CA, April 14 – Shannon DeVido, a multi-hyphenated talent, is an actress, comedian and writer. Her body of work spans several mediums, but the connective tissue coalescing her diverse pursuits is her wicked, introspective sense of humor. Most recently, DeVido showcases her wide range of talents with a starring role in the new feature film, Best Summer Ever—a musical with a majority of talent with disabilities both in front of and behind the camera.
Hailing from Philadelphia, DeVido was born with spinal muscular atrophy. Disappointed by her prospects of becoming a famous athlete, DeVido found theatre at an early age, introducing her to the world of performance and entertainment. [continue reading…]
Washington, D.C., April 13 – RespectAbility, in partnership with 193 leading brands, nonprofits and cultural leaders including MTV Entertainment Group, today announced the first-ever Mental Health Action Day, to be held on Thursday, May 20 during Mental Health Awareness Month.
Over the past two decades, suicide rates have risen, particularly among young adults. And the COVID pandemic has accelerated the already dire crisis, giving way to what many mental health professionals have called the “second pandemic.” [continue reading…]
Washington, D.C., April 12– On February 25, the Equality Act was passed by the House of Representatives. The Act includes a major overhaul of civil rights protections for many Americans, including millions of people with disabilities. Now, it waits for further action by the United States Senate.
The Equality Act specifically identifies sex, gender and sexual orientation as prohibited categories of discrimination or segregation. As a result, discrimination in areas such as public accommodations and facilities, the criminal justice system, federal funding, employment, housing, credit and education would be prohibited on the basis of sex, gender, or sexual orientation. This would be a major change and significant expansion of civil rights. In 2020, the Supreme Court decision in Bostock v. Clayton County expanded employment protections against discrimination for gay and transgender people. [continue reading…]
Ben Rosloff
Los Angeles, CA, April 9 – Ben Rosloff, a talented emerging filmmaker on the Autism spectrum who serves as a Jewish Inclusion Fellow in RespectAbility’s National Leadership Program, has created an unprecedented mini-series of one-on-one interviews with Jews with disabilities. The series features deep insights and fabulous emotion as people answer the very personal question, “What do you pray for?”
“What Do You Pray For?” is a series of short interviews of Jews with disabilities who tell viewers in their own words what they pray for and what prayer means to them. The project features Jews with various disabilities from across the United States, with a myriad of different connections to their Jewish identity. [continue reading…]
Los Angeles, April 9, 2021 – Rachel Rothstein, a fourth year rabbinical student at Hebrew Union College who is hard of hearing, stars in her own segment of “What Do You Pray For?” The film was made by Ben Rosloff, a talented emerging filmmaker on the Autism spectrum who serves as a Jewish Inclusion Fellow in RespectAbility’s National Leadership Program. [continue reading…]
Los Angeles, April 9, 2021 – Rabbi Lauren Tuchman, a sought-after speaker, spiritual leader and educator who lives with blindness, stars in her own segment of “What Do You Pray For?” The film was made by Ben Rosloff, a talented emerging filmmaker on the Autism spectrum who serves as a Jewish Inclusion Fellow in RespectAbility’s National Leadership Program. [continue reading…]
