Traditionally, during the Passover seder, we ask four questions, starting with the well-known refrain “mah nishtanah ha’layla ha’zeh mi’kol ha’leylot: why is this night different from all other nights?” This year, there are far more than the traditional four answers to this query.

We are, right now, living in a time of challenge and hardship, a new “mitzraym” or narrow place for all of us, with a deliverance that will come not just before dinner served, but at an uncertain time in the future. We don’t know when we will be fully free of coronavirus. We do know that we can each be a part of the redemption of each other’s challenges, especially those faced by people with disabilities, and by others who, due to income or otherwise, lack adequate housing and food. It is a time when our global community, physically distant, is called to come together in spirit, to unify in an expression of our gratitude for what we have, and to support those who need it most. [continue reading…]

With Passover right around the corner, we would normally be planning on gathering around the table for a Seder with our loved ones. We read from our Haggadah, celebrate, and give thanks for the liberation of our people from oppression. This gratitude might feel difficult, however, with the current COVID-19 plague looming overhead. Instead of being brought together, we are embracing “social distancing.” The isolation becomes its own oppression, making many search for the freedom of celebrating the holiday with the community.

JOIN US!

To make Passover accessible to people with disabilities, RespectAbility along with partner organizations is creating a virtual Kehila (Community) specifically geared toward people with intellectual disabilities. This will kick-off with a tailored Passover Seder which will be a fun, engaging, and informative time for all involved. The Seder will take place on Monday, April 13, 2020, at 7:00pm Eastern time, or 4:00pm Pacific time. All are welcome and you can join this Seder by clicking here to register. We at RespectAbility want to wish you all a wonderful Pesach and look forward to seeing you all on Monday the 13th. [continue reading…]

FANCY NANCY – “Nancy’s New Friend” – Nancy learns about autism when she befriends Lionel’s favorite cousin Sean. This episode of “Fancy Nancy” airs Thursday, April 2 (8:00-8:30 A.M. EDT) on Disney Channel. (Disney Junior)

Los Angeles, California, April 1 – With one-in-five people having a disability in the U.S. today, the lack of representation – just 3.1 percent on primetime television and even less in children’s television (less than one percent) – means that millions of people are unable to see themselves in media today. Disney Junior’s Fancy Nancy is hoping to buck that trend in a new episode, “Nancy’s New Friend.” Nancy is excited to meet her friend Lionel’s favorite cousin Sean, who is on the Autism spectrum. But Nancy does not understand why Sean does not respond to him and needs to learn how to connect with Sean in a different way than she does with other friends.

“We hope this episode will help our viewers understand that there are sensitivities to be mindful of when engaging with someone who has autism,” said Fancy Nancy co-producer/head writer, Krista Tucker. “People with autism may act in ways we feel are different, and that’s okay—they’re just being who they are. In a world where so many children interact with kids who have autism, this kind of understanding creates compassion, tolerance and friendship. Most importantly, it creates a world that is kind and accepting of all of us.”

The episode, which airs on Thursday, April 2 at 8:00 a.m. ET, is timed to celebrate World Autism Awareness Day. [continue reading…]

Film will premiere as the Opening Night selection of The ReelAbilities Film Festival: New York and will be shown virtually on March 31, 2020, followed by a Q&A.

New York City, March 31 – Have you ever been online, just aimlessly scrolling through the web and found an article that makes a point you’ve been trying to get across for years, but have never been able to express: one of the moments where you can’t help but to exclaim that “they put it into words”? When it comes to the topic of disability representation in mainstream cinema, Code of the Freaks, directed by Salome Chasnoff, does just that, except for instead of being an 800-word opinion piece, it’s a brilliant, clever and expertly-crafted, hour-ish long film.

Touting a comedic disclaimer that “no people with disabilities were harmed in the making of this film,” Code opens with clips from the 1392 movie Freaks – from which it draws its name – and uses these examples as a jumping-off point for the discussion to come on disability representation in mainstream cinema. It takes clips from movies that include characters with disabilities and picks apart the way those characters, their stories and the situations are portrayed – including what the directors and writers got right, if anything, and what they did terribly (in most instances) wrong. It brings with it an important message in the fact that film, in many ways, functions as an educational medium – insofar as introducing people to experiences they might be unfamiliar with – meaning that what they ‘teach’ goes a lot further and deeper than one might think.

[continue reading…]

Washington, D.C., March 27 – President Trump signed into law today the $2 trillion-dollar emergency stimulus aimed at propping up the economy during the current crisis. This law is unprecedented in its scope and is meant to help our nation respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. Even now, government agencies are going to work to implement the new law.

Millions of Americans living with disabilities are wondering what this new law means for them and whether they will see any benefit. The short answer is yes, but how far the law will go to help people with disabilities who are uniquely at-risk to the impact of the virus remains an open question. [continue reading…]

Lily Coltoff

Erdenheim, Pa., Mar. 27 – As I sit in my childhood home outside of Philadelphia in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, now almost two weeks after having been uprooted from my “new” life I was starting in DC, it seems only natural that my mind should wander to happier, “easier” times – many of which only happened one month ago. Four weeks ago, COVID-19 was just coming on our radar, having had only just jumped from the international pages to the bottom of the front page. My mind was elsewhere – primarily focused on Jewish disability advocacy.

It’s strange to think that, right now, I’m working in a field that, only a few short years ago, I had absolutely no idea existed. [continue reading…]

Washington, D.C., March 26 – Last night Senate leaders voted unanimously to move forward on the $2 trillion-dollar emergency stimulus bill meant to help our nation respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. The bill, originally called the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), now goes to the House of Representatives for a vote. If passed, then it will go to the President’s desk to become law.

You can read more about the bill on the Senate Appropriations Committee website HERE.

However, what does this mean for the millions of Americans living with disabilities? What provisions will specifically impact or help the disability community? What help is there for actual people with disabilities who are uniquely at-risk to the impact of the virus?

RespectAbility and a host of other disability advocacy organizations have been working around the clock to answer these questions for the past several days. Those that lobby have been fighting hard to include key provisions into the law that will help the more than 56 million Americans with disabilities. [continue reading…]

*** SPOILERS AHEAD ***  

Los Angeles, Calif., March 26 – Rarely does a film come along that feels entirely refreshing, not just in terms of the genre, but in everything it does: “Single” is one of those hidden gems. The new Ashley Eakin film, Special Jury Recognition Winner at SXSW 2020 for Narrative Shorts, shines with its gorgeous, saturated, Hollywood-polished cinematography, authentic representation and undeniable assertation that it is not a love story – while tackling the complexities of dating while disabled.

“Single” tells the story of a day in the life of Kim: a millennial looking to live her life and maybe find love along the way – or at least a chance to get off of Tinder. As the film opens, she can be seen acting like any other twenty-something: buying a bottle of wine, talking on the phone to her friend and telling her about the blind date she’s going on, set up by her mom’s friend from book club.

She also has one arm. [continue reading…]

Tatiana Lee

Los Angeles, California, March 25 – I’m a person living with a disability. I was born with Spina Bifida, and I live in Los Angeles. Like many of you, I never thought I would see this in my lifetime. As of last week, my family and I are officially on stay-at-home orders. That means no leaving the house unless necessary, like for groceries and medical needs. This type of life is too familiar to most people with disabilities, but that doesn’t mean this isn’t a difficult time. Some are self-isolated and can’t get the care they need. Having a chronic health condition makes you feel doomed to be in contact with anyone, even for everyday care needs.

I am very fortunate I have family that helps to keep me safe and healthy. It’s great to know I’m not totally isolated because I am with my mom and sister. That is not the case for many of my peers. It’s unsettling to live in a moment of constant uncertainty, especially during times of medical rationing, knowing that we (the disability community) will probably be the last to receive proper care. But we must remain strong and optimistic, and healthy during this time. [continue reading…]