Students and job seekers with disabilities and their allies must recognize that economic empowerment does not take place within a vacuum. Relating to children’s education, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires “a free appropriate public education to eligible children with disabilities throughout the nation and ensures special education and related services to those children.” For more detailed information about the IDEA, there’s a series of reports from the National Council on Disability, Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Report Series. In addition, for students with disabilities of all ages, there is anti-discrimination protection under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act. At the federal level, these laws are enforced by the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) at the U.S. Department of Education. OCR works in close partnership with the U.S. Department of Justice on disability cases that relate to education. For Native American students with disabilities on federal lands, enforcement of civil rights in educational settings is conducted by the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) at the U.S. Department of the Interior. For more information, read Frequently Asked Questions About Section 504 and the Education of Children with Disabilities. [continue reading…]
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While COVID-19 vaccinations have started, the pandemic is still ravaging lives, livelihoods and our children’s education in its wake. So how will we move forward on diversity, equity and inclusion as we make our way out of this pandemic? How can the disability community move ahead and work to advance other marginalized groups at the same time?
In the aftermath of one of the most divisive election cycles in recent memory, there is a proven place for positive messages that will win hearts and minds on critical issues facing Americans. Indeed, the opposite holds true as well. Competing to show who is suffering the most actually repels support by playing what has been called a game of “Oppression Olympics.”
Over the course of more than seven years, RespectAbility has engaged in strategic public opinion research to advance opportunities and reduce stigma so people with disabilities can fully participate in all aspects of community life. [continue reading…]
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair…” ― Charles Dickens’ “A Tale of Two Cities”
Dear friend,
On behalf of the board, staff and entire RespectAbility team, we extend our warmest wishes and gratitude to you and your loved ones. May you get all you need and always be surrounded by love, fun, meaning and good health! [continue reading…]
Ollie Cantos, RespectAbility Vice Chair, with his triplet sons who are Eagle Scouts, along with RespectAbility Vice Chair Vivian Bass, Calvin Harris, Chair Emeritus and CEO Jennifer Laszlo Mizrahi
As part of the Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities’ COVID-19 Coordination Cohort, we have been helping lead the united efforts of more than 110 disability groups on Capitol Hill. We at RespectAbility are grateful to join so many other national disability organizations in standing with our community when we were needed most. Quite simply, we are family, and THAT is what families DO.
When COVID-19 began to ravage our own by threatening the lives, livelihoods and physical and mental health of our friends, colleagues and loved ones, we quickly activated all our assets at every level. We leveraged an “all hands-on-deck” approach to make a difference on multiple fronts. As has been true since our inception, we called upon thousands to get involved. True to who we are, we rallied like never before: [continue reading…]
In RespectAbility’s 2020 annual report you will find stories from some of the key members of our team, including several board members, who have shared personal accounts and critical impacts experienced this year. These include personal discussions about our work through which, thanks to your support, we have made a difference in many people’s lives. [continue reading…]
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Every new president can choose a team to advance their agenda. Thus, the incoming Biden-Harris Administration will have more than 9,000 new political jobs, all of which are listed in the “Plum Book”. There are also numerous part time board and commissions where you could have a voice on behalf of underrepresented groups while making our country better.
RespectAbility is a proud partner of www.InclusiveAmerica.org, a nonprofit which is working to develop slates of qualified diverse candidates for every relevant position so we can provide a positive alternative to the status-quo. We are working to support policies that increase diversity, equity and inclusion in the public sector. For example, we supported their Pledge for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
Learn from an expert panel who discussed navigating the “Plum Book” and identified the process for being considered for political appointments. Learn how YOU can make a difference in the next Administration!
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Election Topline – Word – PDF
Election-Eve Topline – Word – PDF
Now that the dust has settled on the outcome of the 2020 election, new data has poured in about voter preferences, turnouts, and ticket splitting. From the Democratic primaries all the way to election day, there have been unprecedented efforts by candidate for public office to talk about the issues most important to the approximately 38 million eligible voters with disabilities. Polling conducted earlier this year showed that the votes of the disability community were up for grabs all the way to November.
Watch the reveal of a new election day poll of over 2,400 voters completed by the national public opinion and political strategy research firm Lake Research Partners and in partnership with the National Disability Rights Network (NDRN). Our exciting panel helped make sense of how candidate outreach to voters with disabilities may have swung the election and where the disability community stands in relation to other underrepresented communities. [continue reading…]
A Conversation and Call to Action with Michael Morris
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Signed into law in 1977, the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) was created to encourage banks to meet the needs of all borrowers and work against the divisions created by discriminatory practices like redlining. The law has existed for 43 years to help low- and moderate-income neighborhoods through retail banking and community development. However, CRA has yet to fully support the inclusion of people with disabilities as an eligible group.
Now, the Federal Reserve Board is currently soliciting public feedback to guide future changes to the law, how banking regulations are created and how to promote greater inclusion. This is a critical opportunity for the disability community to get organized and send in our ideas.
According to the National Disability Institute, sixty percent of adults with disabilities only have a low or moderate income and that far too many Americans with disabilities live in neighborhoods that count as low- or moderate-income communities under the CRA.
Watch an exciting and dynamic conversation with Michael Morris, JD, the founder and Senior Strategic Advisor of National Disability Institute, about why CRA matters for people with disabilities and how we can make our collective voices heard. The conversation was moderated by Hon. Steve Bartlett, chairman of RespectAbility, former Mayor of Dallas and former President and CEO of the Financial Services Roundtable. [continue reading…]
Two weeks ago, Lily Coltoff highlighted the symbolic role of the number seven in Judaism. This week’s Shabbat Smile continues with this “seven motif,” all weaving an overall message about virtual Jewish education during this pandemic and beyond.
1) To open, I invite you on a musical, whimsical st/roll down memory lane, by listening to and/or learning the lyrics to an age-old Israeli song – suddenly relevant to our virtual Zoom world! [continue reading…]
