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We all see the news – the deaths, the job losses, the pain. It’s all very hard on our families, communities and even our souls. But what is even more important is the tremendous effort to save lives. Some of this, like the heroic work of first responders, makes the news. But much of the quiet battle does not. I’d love to share with you some important work that RespectAbility has accomplished in conjunction with our allies in the Jewish and disability communities, and some predictions we are offering about the future.

The first phase of this crisis in the United States found us at RespectAbility: [continue reading…]

Californians with disabilities now can use SNAP to eat safely while other states leave people with disabilities at risk

Los Angeles, CA, May 1 – Californians with disabilities and other recipients of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) no longer have to choose between risking exposure to COVID-19 or getting food from the grocery store.

As of April 28, California’s SNAP program, CalFresh, covers online grocery delivery. This benefits approximately 1.1 million Californians with disabilities who depended on SNAP benefits.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, a simple action like going to the grocery store to put food on the table means potentially risking exposure to the coronavirus. This is especially the case for those who are blind or use wheelchairs or other mobility devices for whom maintaining six feet of distance may be impossible. The answer for many American households has been to turn to online grocery deliveries. [continue reading…]

Our townhall style gathering for wheelchair users was facilitated by Ben Spangenberg, Tatiana Lee and Randall Duchesneau. [continue reading…]

Washington, D.C., April 24 – As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to disrupt everyday life for people around the world, three blind triplets have contracted the virus – showcasing the extra precautions people who are blind and have low vision must take during this time.

Nick, Steven and Leo were adopted by Ollie Cantos, who is a board member for RespectAbility and is also blind. The Cantos triplets were the first blind triplets to became Eagle Scouts, and their story went viral, being covered by ABC News and many local news outlets. Ollie, Nick, Steven and Leo also were featured speakers at RespectAbility’s 2018 Capitol Hill Summit.

Despite self-quarantining for more than a month after coming home from college, all three 20-year-old triplets contracted the virus because people they live with had to go in and out of the home. One of their roommates tracked in into the house without showing symptoms. The brothers, who had come from home college a month ago, were living in this house to avoid being in their dad’s home, where their grandmother, who is immunocompromised, lives. Leo has been hospitalized since Monday and Nick was admitted Thursday. Steven is able to remain quarantined at home. Ollie keeps the community updated through posts on his Facebook profile. [continue reading…]

Our townhall style gathering for women with disabilities was co-facilitated by Dr. Donna Walton and Tatiana Lee.
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Our townhall style gathering for Jews with disabilities was facilitated by Matan Koch, Joshua Steinberg, Lily Coltoff and others.  [continue reading…]

Our townhall style gathering for Californians with disabilities was facilitated by Matan Koch, Tatiana Lee, and Lauren Appelbaum, and featured Jaime Pacheco-Orozco, Assistant Executive Director of the Los Angeles Department on Disability.
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Our first gathering for millennials with disabilities and their allies was facilitated by Ben Spangenberg, Tatiana Lee and Eric Ascher, and featured Mathew McCollough, Director of the DC Office of Disability Rights.

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This townhall style gathering for low-vision and blind individuals was co-facilitated by Ollie Cantos, Janet LaBreck and Baksha Ali.

Our COVID-19 Disability Community Gatherings are an interactive ZOOM series that feature expert self-advocates as facilitators and provide opportunities to establish: 1) community connectivity during isolation; 2) time to learn from one another and share resources; and 3) a pipeline to action-based solutions during the COVID-19 pandemic. [continue reading…]