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By Lauren Appelbaum and Hon. Steve Bartlett

Washington, D.C., Feb. 7 – As newly elected officials begin their service, it is important that America’s largest minority group are included in policy discussions in a meaningful way. Thus, RespectAbility put together an easy guide with eight tips for leaders and their staff to ensure they reach this important constituent group.

1) Start right away on building connections to people of disabilities and disability groups in the same way that you do with other groups of constituents. 

America has 56 million people with disabilities, more than 20-million of whom are working age. Polls show that the majority of constituents either have a disability or a loved one with a disability. The extended disability community — when you include family members, those with close friends with disabilities and those who work on behalf or volunteer for a disability cause — is 63 percent of Americans. We want to be included in all policies that impact our lives and we are ready to be your partners in success. [continue reading…]

National Leadership Program, Spring 2019

Ariella Z. Barker

In addition to being an attorney, writer and disability activist, Ariella Z. Barker was a Political Communications Fellow in RespectAbility’s National Leadership Program for Spring 2019. RespectAbility is a nonprofit organization fighting stigmas and advancing opportunities for people with disabilities. She communicates with and reports on political campaigns for the President of the United States, Congress and Gubernatorial races regarding disability issues. She also works to improve disability inclusion and perception in the Jewish Community. 

Barker was diagnosed with Spinal Muscular Atrophy at the age of three and lost the ability to walk at the age of eleven, the same year the Americans with Disabilities Act went into effect. Living in an inaccessible world as a wheelchair-user, she quickly became a disability advocate to accomplish her own American Dream. From her public-school system and small hometown, her university and law school, to NYC courthouses and Israeli coffee houses, she paved an accessible path to the future.

Barker obtained her bachelor’s degree in Business and Administration from Emory’s Goizueta Business School in 2002, with a nearly full merit scholarship from Bank of America. In 2005, she received her Law Degree from Emory University, as a Willard DeWitt Scholar. And, this summer, she begins her Mid-Career Masters in Public Administration at the Harvard Kennedy School. 

After law school, Barker was an Assistant Corporation Counsel for the City of New York and Mayor Michael Bloomberg, where she defended high-profile constitutional, employment discrimination and labor law claims. As a result of her work, policy within the City changed. The NYPD began randomly drug testing officers for illegal steroids; city-run prisons were made more accessible; disabled employees requesting an accommodation were allowed alternative criteria for advancement; the NYPD issued a policy prohibiting officers from parking vehicles on sidewalks or curb-cuts, obstructing accessible pathways; and NY state courthouses became more accessible. 

In 2008, Barker emigrated to Israel. She continued working as an attorney, while advocating for Israelis with disabilities to have a more accessible state. She sat on accessibility committees, wrote op-eds for the Jerusalem Post, and encouraged various entities to make their properties accessible. As a result of her advocacy, many private businesses, synagogues and government properties became accessible. And in 2011, she was named one of Israel’s top 50 bachelorettes.

In 2012, Barker returned to the States for medical treatment and family support due to the onset of chronic illness. In battling chronic illness compounded with disability, she learned how impossible it is for Americans with severe or multiple disabilities to access healthcare, gain employment or simply live with dignity. It was this realization that convinced her to leave the practice of law and enter the world of disability policy. 

In 2014, Barker was crowned Ms. Wheelchair North Carolina, a disability advocacy position. As part of her role as Ms. Wheelchair NC, she encouraged producers and major television networks to accurately depict characters with disabilities on television and film. Since then, she has traveled the country, speaking about disability inclusion and rights. In 2016, she began advising politicians on disability issues. And she has published articles on disability issues in The Charlotte Observer, The Jerusalem Post, Garnet News, Push Living, Daily Kos, Grok Nation, Kol Ha’Birah, The Mighty and others.

Barker is the child of an immigrant and a first-generation college graduate. She grew up in rural North Carolina, but she has lived in Atlanta, New York City, and even oversees in Nigeria and Israel. She carried the 1996 Paralympic Torch, modeled for Permobil and has been the subject of several documentaries and news articles. 

Barker once played flute for the Charlotte Youth Symphony, going on to be first chair flute for the Emory University Wind Ensemble. While she no longer plays for audiences, she considers music a necessity of happy living. You can often find her singing or humming along to her favorite song on loop. She’s an avid non-fiction reader, with the exception of her obsession for George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire fantasy series, the basis for HBO’s hit series Game of Thrones. And she’s a lover of fashion, who is certain that heaven is a cross between a giant library and the Vogue accessories closet.

Barker is also an Orthodox Jewish convert, devout Zionist and a dual American-Israeli citizen, who is fluent in English and Hebrew. She loves to cook for and host large Shabbat dinner parties, where traditional Cholent and gefilte fish are replaced with soul food and tacos. She educates the Jewish community and prospective converts on the challenges of living as a convert, from discrimination in marriage and immigration to the struggles of isolation and the difficulty of teaching a non-Jewish grandmother the laws of keeping kosher. And she works with non-Jewish communities in understanding the insular Jewish community, Zionism and the need for a Jewish State, in hopes of lessening the current rise of antisemitism.

Barker wrote two pieces during the Spring 2019 Fellowship. Read them on our website:

• “Rabbi” Steve Rabinowitz Provides Sage Advice for RespectAbility Fellows (February 19, 2019)
• This Women’s History Month, I Remember the #MeToo Survivors with Disabilities
  (March 18, 2019)

She also wrote 12 pieces for the RespectAbility Report:

• The State of the Union and Addressing Disability Issues (February 7, 2019)
• New Video by Stacey Abrams Shows Value of Disability Community’s Vote 
  (February 20, 2019)
• Presidential Hopeful John Hickenlooper Has a History of Improving the Lives of People with Disabilities
  (April 8, 2019)
• Presidential Hopeful Sen. Amy Klobuchar’s Record Proves “Amy for America” Means Americans with Disabilities Too
 (April 9, 2019)
• Kamala Harris Pledges to be President for All People – People with Disabilities, Too (April 18, 2019)
• Beto O’Rourke Campaigns with Disability In Mind (April 22, 2019)
• Joe Biden Runs for President to Bring a Democracy That Serves Everyone, Including People with Disabilities (May 4, 2019)
• Mayor Pete Buttigieg Delivers on Pledge to Include People with Disabilities in His Campaign, Including in Hiring Practices (May 5, 2019)
• Presidential Hopeful Cory Booker Fights for Equal Justice for All, Including People with Disabilities
  (May 7, 2019)
• Presidential Hopeful Andrew Yang Advocates for Early Intervention in Autism (May 10, 2019)
• Gabbard Says Aloha to All Americans, Including Those with Disabilities (May 15, 2019)
• Julián Castro’s Message of “People First” Includes People with Disabilities Too (May 16, 2019)

Learn More About The National Leadership Program

From Intellectual Disabilities and ALS to Mental Health and Deafness, Sundance Films Showcase Variety Important Disability Topics

Park City, Utah, Jan. 24 – As Hollywood takes over Park City, Utah, many conversations are taking place about the importance of diversity and inclusion.

While stats exist, for example, for the number of films directed by one or more women (40% – 45 of the 112 feature films), directed by one or more filmmaker of color (36% – 40) and directed by one or more people who identify as LGBTQIA (13% – 15), no such statistics yet exist for people with disabilities.

However, the festival is taking steps to ensure that disability is fully included in all diversity initiatives, expanding beyond previous focuses on gender, race and sexual orientation.

Karim Ahmad, Director of Outreach & Inclusion at Sundance, has worked with several partners and organizations to further the inclusion of people with disabilities at both the festival and at events throughout the year.

“As we’ve grown our Outreach & Inclusion program over the last year, it’s been deeply important for us to include artists with disabilities in our planning,” he said. “At the Festival, we’ve made considerable advances to bring more accessibility to screening and panel venues, including an elevator at the Filmmaker Lodge and closed captioning and audio description capabilities at all screenings. In our the artist programs, we’ve included artists with disabilities as one of our core priorities for support in targeted fellowships for both emerging and mid-career creators from underrepresented communities, and we are seeing the beginnings of great impact.”

People with disabilities working both in front of and behind the camera have taken notice.

“Hollywood is beginning to wake up to the fact that people with disabilities represent a major slice of American life, and that there is tremendous creative potential, talent and market power just waiting to be tapped,” said Delbert Whetter, who is deaf and the Chief Operating Officer & Head of Business Affairs of Exodus Film Group, as well as a board member for RespectAbility, a nonprofit organization fighting stigmas and advancing opportunities for people with disabilities. “Nowhere are the pioneers of this movement better demonstrated today than at Sundance and in independent film.”

Tatiana Lee, an actress who is a wheelchair user, added: “Sundance is a big deal in the film industry. So to be making big strides this year to include disability, in the films, talent, and panel discussions is an amazing step forward in Hollywood’s inclusion of people with disabilities. As a actor and creative in this industry it gives me great hope toward more opportunities for our community in Hollywood.”

The festival, which prides itself in showcasing the most diverse voices in independent film, will take place from January 24 – February 3 in Park City, Salt Lake City and at Sundance Mountain resort in Utah. In addition to many films promoting inclusion, a panel on disability inclusion will be held on Saturday.

Below please find a guide to films featuring disability in the plot or talent with disabilities. [continue reading…]

• Women and Non-Binary People with Disabilities
• News You Can Use
  
• Women’s Disability Leadership, Inclusion & Advocacy Resources
  • Empowerment for Latinas with Disabilities
  • Intersectional Empowerment for Women and Girls with Disabilities
  • Empowerment for Mothers of Students with Disabilities
  • Adding the “D” to Diversity: Enabling Foundations, Nonprofits and Partners to Include People with Disabilities
  • Empowerment for Female College Students with Disabilities
  • Empowerment for Jewish Women with Disabilities
  • Download Sample Handouts

[continue reading…]

Sen. John Cornyn

Washington, D.C., Dec. 19 – RespectAbility, a nonprofit disabilities organization, thanks Senator John Cornyn for his leadership on criminal justice reform. Said Hon. Steve Bartlett, the former Dallas mayor and member of Congress who now chairs RespectAbility, “While a large number of Members of the House and Senate were pivotal in creating and passing Criminal Justice Reform, and we are grateful to all involved, Senator John Cornyn stepped forward at key moments to assure the success of this reform. In particular, he was crucial to assuring successful Senate passage by a wide margin during Senate floor debate and floor action. Courageous, focused, statesmanlike, relentless, pivotal are words that describe Senator Cornyn’s leadership in Criminal Justice Reform.”

Bartlett continued, “While this Reform will positively affect the entire US population, the Reform has a profound and disproportionate effect on those with disabilities. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, 32 percent of federal prisoners and 40 percent of people in jail have at least one disability. As a fellow Texan, and National Chairman of Respectability, I am personally proud of Senator Cornyn’s leadership.” [continue reading…]

Washington, D.C., Dec. 18 – As Congress advances our national dialogue on criminal justice reform, it is critical to remember that criminal justice issues are issues that dramatically impact people with disabilities. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, 32 percent of federal prisoners and 40 percent of people in jail have at least one disability.

RespectAbility, a nonprofit disability organization, estimates that more than 750,000 people with disabilities are behind bars in America today. This includes 140,000 who are blind or have vision loss, approximately the same number who are deaf or have significant hearing loss and more than 200,000 who have mobility issues. The largest group, which includes more than half a million people, has cognitive impairments. Some have multiple disabilities.

On Tuesday, the Senate passed a set of reforms that could enable tens of thousands of people with disabilities to exit incarceration by an 87-12 vote. The House is expected to pass the bill later this week, sending it to President Trump for his signature. “These developments reflect a bipartisan consensus on the need to address mass incarceration, disproportionate sentencing, and re-entry supports for returning citizens — all issues that disproportionally impact people with disabilities.” said Hon. Steve Bartlett, the former Dallas mayor and member of Congress who now chairs RespectAbility.  “These efforts have garnered support from the White House and Governors from both parties across the country.” [continue reading…]

President George H.W. Bush signs the Americans with Disabilities Act into law.

Washington, D.C., Dec. 3 – On November 30, 2018, America lost a champion for people with disabilities, President George H.W. Bush. In 1990, Bush signed the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) into law, which prohibited discrimination against people with disabilities. The law improved the lives of millions of Americans with disabilities.

“Among President George H.W. Bush’s lifetime accomplishments, perhaps his most profound and impactful is the ADA,” said Hon. Steve Bartlett, who serves as Chairman of RespectAbility’s Board of Directors and who worked with Bush on the ADA. “He was the originator and the force behind the ADA. He consistently gave others the credit. Indeed, he announced his proposal that became the ADA the evening before his inaugural, surprising everyone in Washington except Boyden Gray and Justin Dart. The President allowed Congress to do the legislating of course, but he personally guided the process gently but firmly for 18 months. Millions of Americans with disabilities, and their friends and families, live better lives because of George H.W. Bush. Thank you Mr. President.” [continue reading…]

Stephanie Farfan

A young Latina, Stephanie Farfan is both completing her master’s degree and working at RespectAbility, a nonprofit fighting stigmas and advancing opportunities for people with disabilities, as the Policy, Practices and Latinx Outreach Associate. Farfan first joined RespectAbility as a Fellow in the Spring 2018 Cohort. She returned in August as a full time staff member and already has made quite an impact. She was instrumental in the launch of RespectAbility’s new Spanish-language resource guide. She also represented RespectAbility at a Fiesta Educativa conference in California and even appeared on CNN Español to spread the word.

But before she started working at RespectAbility, she participated in interviews for other jobs. One of them, at a nonprofit near her school, sticks out in her mind. She excelled during the first part of the interview. Then, as Farfan puts it:

“The person who would be my direct supervisor came in and her eyes got really wide when she saw me because I’m a Little Person. Suddenly, she believed I couldn’t do the job, even though I was very qualified and it was just a data entry position. She kept telling me ‘I don’t think you’re smart enough. We really need to hire someone who is very intelligent and has very good attention to detail.’ I quipped ‘Well, I have a 4.7 GPA, I think I’ll be fine.’”

Farfan has been more than just fine. She has taken advantage of her unique perspective on life. In fact, she thinks that having a disability has improved her life in certain ways. Being a Little Person has “given me a community and a sense of culture,” she said. “It also shapes the way I see the world around me and how I react to things. If I didn’t have a disability, I wouldn’t have this personality.” [continue reading…]

“I see the world in a different way than most people and for me, that’s been a positive thing.” – Shark Tank star and businessman Daymond John, who has Dyslexia

UPDATED APRIL 2019

More than 5.4 million African Americans live with a disability in the U.S., 3.4 million of which are working-age African Americans with disabilities.

Only 28.6 percent of working-age African Americans with disabilities are employed in the U.S. compared to 73.7 percent of working-age African Americans without disabilities. This is in line with the rest of the country, with fully one-in-five Americans having a disability and just 30 percent of those who are working-age being employed, despite polls showing that most of them want to work. This leads to approximately 40 percent of African Americans with disabilities living in poverty compared to 22 percent of African Americans without disabilities. [continue reading…]