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Los Angeles, California, July 22 – Across America people are doing vital work – protesting and working to fight structural racism. At the same time, Black and other people with disabilities are being excluded even in nonprofit groups that are working to fight inequity.

RespectAbility conducted a major study and published Disability in Philanthropy & Nonprofits, which looked at the levels of disability inclusion in the social sector across the country. The largescale study found significant data showing that nationwide, organizations overall want to be inclusive, but are unintentionally excluding the one-in-five people with disabilities. [continue reading…]

Washington, D.C., June 21 – Throughout National LGBTQ+ Pride Month (June), the LGBTQ+ community has been reflecting on the ongoing struggle to secure, protect and expand their rights. The LGBTQ+ community and the disability community intersect in significant ways. According to a study published in 2012, fully 36 percent of women in the LGBTQ+ community and 30 percent of men in the community also self-identify as persons with disabilities. Digging deeper shows that 26 percent of gay men, 40 of bisexual men disclosed having a disability as did 36 percent of lesbians and 36 percent of bisexual women.

Identifying the full scope of the LGTBQ+ community remains a significant challenge due to continuing fears about disclosure and stigmas that remains a painful fact of life in many parts of the United States and the world. Estimates prepared in 2018 by Gallup put the total number of LGBTQIA Americans at approximately 11 million individuals. Further work done in 2019 by the Movement Advancement Project (MAP) and the Center for American Progress estimated that nearly 5 million LGBTQ+ people live with some form of disabilities. [continue reading…]

Los Angeles, California, June 10 – A coalition of more than 40 Jewish organizations, led by the disability nonprofit RespectAbility, is pleased to announce a new Jewish Disability Access & Inclusion Training Series. This seven-part series, which will run virtually from June 23 through August 11 is a collective offering to the Jewish world so Jewish organizations can welcome, respect and include people with disabilities from all backgrounds in the important work that they do.

Jewish organizations partnering in the series include the Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA), the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ), The United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism (USCJ), Reconstructing Judaism, Yeshivat Chovevei Torah, Jewish Women International (JWI) and dozens of others. Eric Fingerhut, President and CEO of JFNA said, “We will have reached a major milestone in Jewish community building when we no longer need to identify ways to remove barriers to participation.” [continue reading…]

RespectAbility Entertainment Professionals Lab, Summer 2020

Ali McLean

Ali MacLean is an award-winning writer, actor, and mental health advocate in Los Angeles. She is a graduate of the Miami University Actor’s Program and the LaJolla Playhouse Acting Conservatory, and has worked on comedies such as THE JIMMY KIMMEL SHOW, CAN’T HARDLY WAIT, HBO’s MR. SHOW, and Showtime’s THE GREEN ROOM.

Her short films have won and screened at Atlanta, Palm Springs, Method Fest, Slamdance, Gen Art, Toronto Int’l Film Festival, and more. Her screenplays have been a Stowe Story Labs fellowship recipient, a Writer For Writer Fellowship recipient, Top Ten Comedy at Table Read My Screenplay, an Honorable Mention and Fellowship recipient from Sidewalk Films, a finalist at WeScreenplay Diverse Voices the Orchard Project, IFP Filmmakers Program, and a semi-finalist at Chesterfield, Screencraft, Scriptapalooza, and the LA Int’t Film Festival. She is an alumni of the Women In Film Mentor Program, the RespectAbility Lab, and is a Coverfly Endorsed Writer, whose scripts have placed in the Top 3% overall on their Red List.

MacLean has written for various networks, including MTV, VH-1, FOX and POP TV. After almost 20 years of writing comedy, MacLean decided to return to her first love, the theater. She is a multi-award winning playwright whose work has been seen in LA, New York, Boston, and London, and is published by Applause Books and Smith & Kraus. Most of her work examines adversity, depression, violence, and trauma using humor as a Trojan horse. As a mental health and anti-violence advocate, she is committed to representing those voices. Recently she created The Cathartic Company. TCC’s creative model is to partner with nonprofits, pair performances and screenings with talk backs, and provide resources for the community.

She is currently a member of the Sundance Collective, Imagine Impact, Ensemble Studio Theatre, Antaeus Theatre Playwrights Lab, The Cloud Factory, The Resident Artist at the Citadel of Playwrights, The Greenlight Women International Writer’s Group, and the Dramatists Guild. [continue reading…]

Washington, D.C., May 19 – 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.

What do I do if I’m a person with a disability and lost my job because of COVID-19?

You are not alone. A monthly report published by the University of New Hampshire’s Institute on Disability (UNH-IOD), shows that nearly one million working-age people with disabilities lost their jobs. That represents a 20 percent reduction of the number of workers with disabilities in our nation’s economy. There is a significant question whether those jobs will ever come back.

The U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) website has a comprehensive run-down on what you as an individual with or without disabilities needs to know about accessing unemployment benefits if you are an eligible worker. [continue reading…]

In Partnership With The Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation

This townhall-style gathering for people who use wheelchairs was facilitated by Tatiana Lee, Hollywood Inclusionist at RespectAbility and Bill Cawley, Director, Peer & Family Support Program at the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation.

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New Poll Shows 81% Voters Support Allowing SNAP Users to Order Groceries Online for Delivery

Washington, D.C., May 12 – Fifteen states have yet to ensure their high-risk residents can receive online grocery deliveries through Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), leading to millions of people with and without disabilities risking exposure to COVID-19 or going hungry.

Nationwide, 11 million Americans with disabilities depend on SNAP, also called food stamps, to pay for groceries and provide for their families.

Since the start of the pandemic, 35 states have a taken a critical step to ensure that the people at the greatest risk from COVID-19 can safely order groceries online. In these states, beneficiaries who depend on SNAP to put food on the table can now order their groceries online and get it delivered to their homes.

However, 15 states have yet to act: Alaska, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Maine, Michigan, Mississippi, Montana, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Ohio, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah and Virginia.

Yet, according to a new poll conducted by Democracy Corps on behalf of the Center for Voter Information, 81 percent of voters say they favor allowing people who use SNAP to be able to order and pay for groceries and delivery online, so they don’t have to go into stores.

Status of Online SNAP as of May 12

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Act Now to Stop People with Disabilities From Being Forced to Choose Between Hunger and COVID-19!

The lives of millions of people with disabilities are at stake!

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, going to the grocery store becomes a life or death decision for people with disabilities and/or underlying medical conditions.

In 2019, the USDA launched a trial effort with six states to allow Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) beneficiaries to use their benefits to pay for online grocery deliveries. At the beginning of the pandemic, an additional 13 states joined in the pilot. As of August 25, 4 states have yet to act.

This costs no additional money but can save many, many lives. SNAP delivery saves lives. 

• A recent battleground poll conducted by Democracy Corps on behalf of the Center for Voter Information shows that 81 percent of voters say they favor allowing people who use SNAP to be able to order and pay for groceries and delivery online, so they don’t have to go into stores.
• According to the Census Bureau, there are more than 56 million Americans living with a disability. Disabilities include visible conditions such as spinal cord injuries, low vision or hearing loss and nonvisible disabilities including learning disabilities, mental health or Autism.
• Nationwide, 11 million Americans with disabilities depend on SNAP, also called Food Stamps, to pay for groceries and provide for their families.
• Research conducted in the 2018 election shows that 74 percent of likely voters either have a disability themselves or have a family member or a close friend with disabilities.
• Read letter from the Consortium of Citizens with Disabilities to Congress on Expanding Pilot (PDF).
• Read letter from the Consortium of Citizens with Disabilities to USDA on Expanding Pilot (PDF).

Online SNAP Pre-COVID-19

Status of Online SNAP as of December 11, 2020

Governors in 3 states (AK, ME, MT) have not yet announced any plans to ensure their residents don’t have to risk their lives to get food. Those states are in red in the map above.

The following states already now have been approved for online usage of SNAP/Food Stamps: AL, AR, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DE, FL, GA, HI, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, MI, MN, MO, MS, NC, ND, NE, NH, NJ, NM, NV, NY, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VA, VT, WA, WI, WV, WY and the District of Columbia.

#SNAPDeliverySavesLives

Learn More:

• 15 States Deny Access to Safe Food Options for People with Disabilities
• COVID-19 Resources

Act Now to Enable People Who Use SNAP (Food Stamps) to Get Food Delivered

Washington, D.C., May 7 – Since the start of the pandemic, 25 states have a taken a critical step to ensure that the people at the greatest risk from COVID-19 and who rely on Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits can safely order groceries online – with 12 of them starting the process in recent weeks. The disability nonprofit RespectAbility congratulates leaders in twelve states that are now in the process for applying for a waiver from the U.S. Department of Agriculture that would allow SNAP recipients to use their benefits for online grocery delivery via Walmart or Amazon.

However, nineteen states have yet to act or publicly announce any plans to ensure their constituents can receive online grocery deliveries through SNAP. Instead, millions of people with and without disabilities have to risk exposure to COVID-19 or go hungry.

States that have yet to act include: Alaska, Connecticut, Delaware, Indiana, Illinois, Kansas, Maine, Michigan, Mississippi, Montana, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah and Virginia.

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