Founded in 1948, Israel’s accessibility for people with disabilities was not a top priority.  I recall several almost comical incidents from nearly 20 years ago when helping people with disabilities navigate Israel.  On one group trip, while pushing 20-something Rivka in a wheelchair in northern Israel, the sidewalk abruptly ended. We carried her in the wheelchair to where sidewalk eventually continued.  In the Old City, near the Kotel, I asked soldiers where was the accessible path. They lifted Rivka up the steps in her wheelchair.

Fortunately, Israel today is fairly accessible and straightforward: from riding buses, to shopping in grocery stores, to studying in university. Modern Israel has become a well-known destination for accessible travel.

Israel’s road to accessibility has been a journey. Physical accessibility doesn’t happen automatically; nor does shifting attitudes toward people with disabilities and accessibility. [continue reading…]

Rockville, Maryland, April 22 – One of the political visionaries behind the Americans with Disabilities Act, former Congressman Steve Bartlett, visited a new cohort of RespectAbility Fellows to discuss vision of a different sort. Bartlett also is chairman of RespectAbility, a nonprofit that fights stigmas and advances opportunities so people with disabilities can fully participate in all aspects of community.

“I challenge you to think about what you want your life to be like, feel like, and how you want it to be structured, ten years from today,” Rep. Bartlett said. “Then peel that back to ninety days. And if that’s how you want your life to be in the next ninety days, why would you spend any resources today that don’t take you to that purpose?”

And part of that purpose, he advised, should be to serve others by fighting against stigmas and helping people with disabilities find employment. They are challenges Bartlett met by co-sponsoring the ADA, and that the new RespectAbility Fellows have tried to meet over the past several months. [continue reading…]

Today as we observe Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day, we think of the 6 million Jews and 5 million others, including people with disabilities, who were targeted for extermination in Nazi Germany.  It is easy to delude ourselves into thinking that all of the perpetrators of this horrific genocide were simply uniquely evil, and that somehow that generation of Germans disproportionately reflected the worst of humanity. And yet, that’s really not true, is it? Hitler was evil. Eichmann and the Nazi Party’s leaders were evil. But we must ask ourselves how they managed to sway a population of generally decent people into at best ignoring – and in many cases participating in – the mass destruction of fellow humans. [continue reading…]

Washington, D.C., April 17 – As more Americans with and without disabilities are caught up in the economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, people are wondering where to find answers to life-or-death questions. In this How-To Guide, the RespectAbility team has compiled clear information about several key Economic Benefits to see you through these challenging times.

This guide includes the latest information and online resources about three key topics: accessing your CARES Act payment, accessing food resources and understanding unemployment insurance.  [continue reading…]

During the 49-day `Counting of the Omer,’ we traditionally retrace our ancestors’ seven-week spiritual journey from Exodus to Sinai each evening. Typically together, we count the days until the 50th day, Shavuot, when we commemorate and joyfully celebrate the Giving of the Torah at Sinai. This year, however, in a manner unprecedented in a century, we are additionally ‘counting days’ in a most precarious, daunting, and totally unfamiliar manner.  As we hold our dear families close to our hearts and close in our homes we count the days – yet without any tangible, identified end to the nightmare of this cruel and excruciating pandemic.

For how many days…or months will we be counting until we return to joyous and fulfilling lives of inclusion within the fabric of our Jewish communities?  And even when we gradually do cease counting the horrid days of the past and begin a gradual return to a semblance of normalcy,  we will forever be counting the losses of beloved family members, friends, colleagues, synagogue congregants and neighbors of all ages, and cherishing the lives lost among the heroic frontline workers, both familiar and unfamiliar. [continue reading…]

CDC reports that approximately 90% of people hospitalized with COVID-19 have underlying conditions

Los Angeles, Califonia, April 15 – As the CDC reports that approximately 90% of people hospitalized with COVID-19 have underlying conditions, the nonprofit disability organization RespectAbility is inviting people with disabilities to share experiences and organize online.

Said Jennifer Laszlo Mizrahi, president of RespectAbility, “People with disabilities are disproportionally impacted by both the health and economic consequences of the COVID-19 crisis. People with disabilities urgently need to be there for each other and to organize so leaders understand our lives and future are at stake.”

RespectAbility is inviting people with disabilities from across America to join in a series of Zoom gatherings. The purpose of the gatherings is for individuals to share experiences, brainstorm ideas, prioritize issues and bring solutions forward to decision makers and service providers. RespectAbility’s virtual events include separate sessions for people who are blind, use wheelchairs, are young adults with disabilities, have developmental disabilities, and for women with a variety of disabilities. Participants may choose one or more sessions to attend. Additional sessions will be added later. [continue reading…]

Washington, D.C., April 14 – People with disabilities are at particularly high risk during the COVID-19 crisis. According to the CDC, approximately 90% of hospitalized patients had one or more underlying conditions. Millions of people with disabilities are unable to get food and medicine. And there are widespread fears in the community about medical rationing. Especially in a time of crisis like this, it is critically important that people with disabilities are accurately portrayed in film and television and that the public sees their lives as valuable.

To address this, RespectAbility is hosting a new series of virtual workshops for people with disabilities in the entertainment industry. The first workshop will take place Wednesday evening and will feature a conversation with Ryan O’Connell. O’Connell, who is openly gay and has cerebral palsy, broke new ground for representation of LGBTQ+ people with disabilities with his Netflix series Special. Learn more and RSVP here: https://www.respectability.org/2020/02/ryan-oconnell-webinar. [continue reading…]

Rockville, Maryland, April 14 – Since 1999, the United States has seen an increase in the number of suicide-related deaths by 30 percent, according to a study conducted in 2018 by the Center for Disease Control. Along with these disheartening statistics, is the fact that only half of the people who died by suicide had diagnosed mental health conditions. Linda Burger believes the solution should be a support net for every individual to have in case of a mental health crisis. Over the past five years, Burger led Jewish Family Service Houston to establish programs to strengthen support from prevention to postvention through the establishment of evidenced based best practice programs and services.

Earlier this year, Burger spoke to RespectAbility Fellows about the stigmas surrounding mental illness and, in particular, death by suicide or overdose. Her presentation revolved around her work with the Jewish Family Services of Houston (JFS), of which she has been CEO since 2005. She presented the numerous programs JFS has created or implemented for her community in Houston. [continue reading…]

“I enjoy RespectAbility’s strong sense of mission. I really like the very positive atmosphere. It doesn’t feel like the [disability] community is victimized or there is something to mourn, it is a super positive approach to some of the issues the community faces. It is rarer than you might think.”

– Richard Phillips

Richard Phillips, based in the Philadelphia area, is a loyal ally of people with disabilities who serves on the board of RespectAbility. He chairs RespectAbility’s strategic planning committee, and helps connect like-minded individuals who are potential supporters of RespectAbility. Additionally, Phillips speaks to cohorts of Fellows about his own personal and professional experiences, and how these relate to the disability community.

[continue reading…]