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Elizabeth Kim

If you knew your baby had a disability, would you still keep it?

Two students from my church fellowship debated this question, as I sat quietly between them. My body tensed up, preparing for their answers.

No… I don’t think I would. I would want my child to be healthy and happy.

Well, if God made all of us in His image… shouldn’t we keep the baby?

They turned towards me with sheepish smiles, as if they just remembered I was one of those babies. My eyes widened, and I hastily raised my hands.

No, no, don’t worry! I won’t get offended, please don’t let me stop you from talking about this. I understand where you’re both coming from.

Part of that was a lie.

I was offended, but too numb to register the emotion because I heard variations of this conversation growing up. The responses were similar. No, we want them to be healthy. With genetic engineering, we could remove the defective gene! No, I don’t want my child to have so much suffering in her life. Well, I don’t know… What do you think? I leaned towards “no,” too, until I learned about ableism years later.

I was born deaf to hearing immigrant parents and received bilateral cochlear implants, my first one at thirteen months old, my second at ten years old. As a triple minority, one of the biggest challenges is figuring out how to show up as you are in different spaces. No matter where I go, I’m a woman in a man’s world. I’d feel excluded not only from the AAPI community because of my disability, but also from the disability community because I’m a person of color, which affected my mental health. Over time, the lights in my mind dimmed. Once dark, beasts of all kinds emerged.

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After an extensive search and interview process, 20 individuals were invited to participate in the Los Angeles Cohort of RespectAbility’s 2023 Entertainment Lab taking place May 1 – June 9, 2023, and 20 individuals were invited to participate in the Virtual Cohort of RespectAbility’s 2023 Entertainment Lab taking place August 14 – September 21, 2023. The 6-week Lab aims to develop and elevate the talent pipeline of disabled entertainment professional working behind-the-scenes in television, film, and streaming, while connecting them with industry professionals and creatives. Participants include people with physical, cognitive, sensory, mental health, and other disabilities ranging in age the 20’s through the 50’s. The Lab is a recipient of The Roddenberry Foundation Impact Award.

Screenwriting software Final Draft, which forged a multi-year partnership in 2020 with RespectAbility, provided free licenses of Final Draft 12 for all Lab Fellows, as well as other educational resources.

Learn about the rest of the 10th Anniversary Series

Read transcript

Advancing opportunities means that we take down barriers to education, employment, entrepreneurship, and civic engagement and create pipelines to enable disabled individuals to lead the lives of their choosing. Watch the recording of this fireside chat and learn from members of our Staff and two of our key partners about our work in this area and our vision for the coming years. [continue reading…]

Each month, RespectAbility’s Policy Department testifies on multiple plans and pieces of legislation, providing our insight, perspective, and advocacy.

This month, we are pleased to share recent testimony to the Washington State Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board’s February 2023 meeting, and testimony to the Workforce Arizona Council regarding Public Comments on ARIZONA@WORK Job Center Vision and Structure of One Stop Delivery System. [continue reading…]

The Faith Inclusion and Belonging team is pleased to welcome three new apprentices to our team! They will be working on leadership skills and contributing to the growth of the department as we continue to develop our multifaith space. Below, read more about them! [continue reading…]

National Leadership Program, Spring 2023

Rebecca Woolfe

Rebecca Woolfe was a Faith Inclusion and Belonging Fellow in RespectAbility’s National Leadership Program for Spring 2023. RespectAbility is a nonprofit organization fighting stigma and advancing opportunities so that people with disabilities can fully participate in all aspects of community. [continue reading…]

Creating a community of belonging is an intentional endeavor.

Understanding the terms that comprise DEIA=B provides a solid framework for faith communities.

Diversity encompasses all the ways in which people of the same faith and belief system can differ, including but not limited to race, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, socioeconomic status, disability, mental health, or national origin.

• Diversity is more than just acknowledging and/or tolerating difference. It’s a set of conscious practices that seek to understand and appreciate the interdependence of humanity, cultures, and the natural environment.

Equity ensures everyone has support and access to the resources they need to flourish, identifying and eliminating barriers that have prevented the full participation of communities most impacted by systemic oppression.

• Improving equity involves increasing justice and fairness within the procedures and processes of institutions and systems, as well as in the distribution of resources. Tackling equity issues requires an understanding of the root causes of outcome disparities within our society and institutions.
• Equity differs from equality. Equality refers to treating everyone the same but does not necessarily lead to equitable outcomes because diverse communities have diverse needs and have faced varying obstacles and inequities.

Inclusion requires that people of all backgrounds, identities, abilities, perspectives, and beliefs have an equal opportunity to belong, achieve, and contribute to their communities. An inclusive institution promotes and sustains a sense of belonging; wherein all people are respected for their inherent worth, dignity, talents, beliefs, backgrounds, and ways of living.

Accessibility is the design, construction, development and maintenance of facilities, information and communication technology, programs, and services so all people, including people with disabilities, can fully and independently engage with them.

Belonging is a human need. When we belong, we are seen for the whole of who we are. We are contributors to the community, not recipients of others’ intentions. We are known, valued, respected, and supported. A community of belonging is the most important outcome we can achieve.

Download the Word Document

Table of Contents

• The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in Faith Communities
• Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Access = Belonging
• Before Events and Services
• General Accessibility Guidelines
• In-Person Events and Services
• Virtual Events and Services
• About The Authors

Introduction

Dear Friends,

Shelly Christensen

We are excited to share our new Inclusive Congregations Guide! I hope your faith community will use this new guide to identify practical ways to encourage people with disabilities and those who love them to actively participate in all services, programs, and events. People with disabilities and mental health conditions and those who love them want to belong—like anyone else.

RespectAbility has been at the forefront of Jewish disability inclusion for nearly ten years. In 2022 I joined RespectAbility as the first ever Senior Director of Faith Inclusion and Belonging to lead our expansion to multi-faith disability inclusion. With the support of our Board of Directors and our generous donors, we established the Faith Inclusion and Belonging department.

I have been part of the growing faith community disability inclusion world for over 20 years. During that time, I have been active in many interfaith organizations. There are so many amazing organizations that embrace the importance of inclusion, providing webinars, toolkits, and other resources within a denomination or religious tradition. Our goal is to share what others are doing and work together to elevate the voices of people with disabilities in multi faiths. RespectAbility is a partner and collaborator. By coming together, we challenge stereotypes and fight stigmas to ensure that people with disabilities are seen, valued, respected, loved, and involved in their faith community as they wish.

This verse in Isaiah 56:7 illuminates why belonging and inclusion lead to a community for all people.

“I will bring them to My sacred mount
And let them rejoice in My house of prayer.
Their burnt offerings and sacrifices
Shall be welcome on My altar;
For My House shall be called
A house of prayer for all peoples.”

Together, we can create spaces where people belong. The Inclusive Congregations Guide will help you do that!

Warmest regards,

Shelly Christensen, MA FAAIDD
Senior Director of Faith Inclusion and Belonging
RespectAbility
ShellyC@RespectAbility.org

The purpose of Jewish Disability Awareness, Acceptance, and Inclusion Month (JDAIM) is to unite Jewish communities to raise awareness and champion the rights of all Jews, including Jews with disabilities, to be respected, valued, and included in all aspects of Jewish community life. As we celebrate the 15^th anniversary of JDAIM, we reflect on the intersections of ableism and antisemitism that make our commitment to inclusive communities more important than ever before.

Explore our recommended books, podcasts, and films that highlight disabled and Jewish talent, as well as a comprehensive guide to make your programming more accessible and inclusive. The month is also filled with virtual events that highlight authors, creatives, and other disabled individuals sharing their lived experience at the intersection of faith and disability. [continue reading…]