As you know, a major focus of our Jewish program is providing varied venues for Jews with disabilities to enrich the Jewish community with their talent. A critical facet of the Jewish experience is artistic expression through:  music, visual arts, dance, photography, creative writing and poetry.

As a people, we have celebrated many great poets:  Emma Lazarus (“Give me your tired, your poor . . . ”); Israeli Yehuda Amichai (“A child is . . .”); Hannah Senesh (“Blessed is the flame . . .”); and Allen Ginsberg (“I saw the best minds . . .”) are but four examples. With one in five Jews experiencing disability, it is entirely possible that one or more of these luminaries had a disability of some kind, but whether or not that is the case, Jews with disabilities should have an important role in our artistic voice. [continue reading…]

Gomez to Receive Christopher Reeve Acting Scholarship at Media Access Awards on November 19

Los Angeles, California, Nov. 18 – Danny J. Gomez, an actor, model and advocate for authentic casting in Hollywood, will be awarded the Christopher Reeve Acting Scholarship at the 2020 Media Access Awards. In partnership with Easterseals Southern California, the Media Access Awards is an annual ceremony that honors media and entertainment trailblazers advancing disability awareness and inclusion. Previous recipients of the Christopher Reeve Scholarship include Lauren “Lolo” Spencer and RespectAbility’s Hollywood Inclusion Associate Tatiana Lee.

Gomez receiving this scholarship will be a full circle moment, as he credits the Easterseals Disability Film Challenge for helping to kick-start his acting career, starring in Check Mate in 2018 and in I/O in 2019. [continue reading…]

Joshua Steinberg

I have already shared my enthusiasm for my position as the Associate for Jewish Leadership, but even now I find religion an abstract topic. It has been difficult to wrap my head around, and to believe in. The idea that a supreme being has control over our lives can be scary to think about. I never considered myself a religious person and never truly believed in the existence of God.

Like many of us in nonprofit leadership, I am moved by the notion of a higher purpose or calling, but like many, I struggle with the notion of faith in a divine being. Yet I’m beginning to realize in this role, that for Jewish leaders there can be different paths of faith, and different connections to Jewish identity… During my youth, I wanted to spend my time with friends having fun. One day, I closed my eyes to reflect on my life, and saw my grandmother shaking her head at me. I took it as a sign that my grandmother would not be pleased with the direction I was taking and started changing my life for the better and to make myself happier. I was also beginning to explore my beliefs in order to find fulfilment. [continue reading…]

None of four Senate candidates even mention the word disability on their campaign websites, and none of their websites are fully accessible to voters who are blind or deaf

Washington, D.C., Nov. 12 – Despite there being more than 1.2 million Georgians with some form of disability, all four Senate candidates in the most hotly contested Senate races in America have thus far failed to reach out to voters with disabilities. Indeed, none of the four candidates even mention the word disability on their campaign websites, and none of their websites are fully accessible to voters who are blind or deaf.

The failure of Georgia Senate campaigns to reach out to voters with disabilities is in stark contrast to President-elect Joe Biden who made outreach to the disability community a key part of his winning strategy. A poll conducted by Democracy Corps on behalf of RespectAbility in the major battleground states in the days leading up to Election Day found that 60 percent of voters with disabilities say they have or were planning to vote for Joe Biden, compared to 35 percent of voters with disabilities supporting President Trump. This showed a shift from 2016, when a poll conducted by Lake Research Partners and The Tarrance Group found that voters with disabilities split their votes between President Trump (46 percent) and Secretary Hillary Clinton (49 percent). [continue reading…]

Nasreen Alkhateeb

New York City, Nov. 12 – Nasreen Alkhateeb is an award-winning director and cinematographer who has dedicated the last decade to creating content that amplifies underrepresented voices. She is a leader on diverse storytelling projects that include broadcast, digital, and film. Most recently, she has spent the last two months as the cinematographer for Kamala Harris’ campaign as she was seeking the Vice Presidency. I sat down with her after the monumental win to discuss her creative trajectory, life on the campaign trail, and what the future of American filmmaking looks like.

When did you start developing your voice?

I started to develop my voice at a young age… It didn’t feel like a good thing then, because I was ostracized for being different and othered. People didn’t really know how to relate to me, because of my ethnicity, culture, my parents’ religion; because of my skin color. I was raised by a women’s rights activist who taught me at a young age to ask for what I want – and to use my voice not just on behalf of myself, but the people around me as well. At Pratt Institute, I found a community that was like me in that it used its artistic gifts to create work that can potentially influence the world. That was there I started to envision how I can take my weird film, sculpture, and monster make-up, and turn it into social justice work. [continue reading…]

The focus is now on Georgia where the competition in two Senate races is fierce. The outcome of these two races will determine which party controls the U.S. Senate. It is vital that the lives, livelihoods and learning opportunities for the 1.2 million Georgians with disabilities get the attention they deserve!

RespectAbility is working with local Georgia disability groups and activists in a crucial civic engagement role. But we need your donation now so we can:

• Host nonpartisan Senate candidate forums online where campaigns offer their vision of how to serve people with disabilities.
• Show candidates how to make their campaigns accessible to voters with disabilities. This includes accessible websites so those who are blind or have low vision can use screen readers to view content. It also means ensuring there are captions on videos and virtual events so people who are deaf or hard of hearing can make informed decisions.
• Organize and host online focus groups and town halls where Georgia voters with disabilities can express their views on key issues that impact their lives, livelihoods and living.
• Conduct a Georgia poll to see where voters with disabilities prioritize key issues.
• Do key outreach to the press so disability issues get the attention they deserve.

Please, donate today. Your contribution will help foster a political climate that values the needs and priorities of people with disabilities in Georgia and throughout the country.

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Election Day came, Election Day went. Each American experienced the ensuing, nail-biting days differently. We are delighted that several disability allies – from both parties – won their races. We look forward to partnering with them and others in the future.

Disability or no disability, the voting process during a pandemic was a feat. This feat was followed by the stress and/or anxiety of The Count, regardless of the candidate we supported. With the hyper-focus of the election now behind us, we are still left with this deadly pandemic and the health and employment challenges that come with it. [continue reading…]

A new Warner Bros. film “The Witches” is coming under fire for its depiction of a villain who has “split hands,” perpetuating harmful stereotypes against people with limb differences. Unfortunately, this is a stereotype that has existed in films for decades and leads to people being afraid of those who look different from them.

“The decision to make this witch look scarier by having a limb difference – which was not an original part of the plot – has real life consequences,” said RespectAbility’s Vice President, Communications, Lauren Appelbaum, who regularly advocates for more authentic portrayals of disability on screen as well as hiring of people with disabilities behind the camera to ensure mistakes like these do not occur. “Unfortunately, this representation in ‘The Witches’ teaches kids that limb differences are hideous or something to be afraid of. What type of message does this send to children with limb differences?” [continue reading…]

Updated Nov. 10

Washington, D.C., Nov. 4 – It is the morning after Election Day 2020 and many results are still being counted. RespectAbility stresses the importance of counting every vote, particularly as many people with disabilities chose to vote early – both in-person and via mail – in this election due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Several states have not counted all of their early voting ballots yet.

Although many results are still not finalized, several candidates who support opportunities for people with disabilities already have been declared as winners. These individuals completed the 2020 Disability Voter Questionnaire for presidential, Senate and gubernatorial candidates put out by the national disability inclusion organization RespectAbility. RespectAbility is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to ending stigmas and advancing opportunities so people with disabilities can fully participate in all aspects of their communities. [continue reading…]