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Saint Paul, Minnesota, Oct. 31 – This month, the Twin Cities Arby’s was named an Outstanding Disability Employer by the Minnesota Organization for Habilitation and Rehabilitation. This recognition happened as part of a state-wide celebration of National Disability Employment Awareness Month. Ben Kopnick, coordinator of the grant program that supported Arby’s to hire more employees with disabilities spoke about “working to integrate them in their workplace culture” and the employees with disabilities learning to “push themselves and grow their skillsets.”

Arby’s is one such example of how the North Star State is working to continue expanding job opportunities for Minnesotans with disabilities.

In a statement released earlier this month, Gov. Tim Walz proclaimed October to be “Employers Hiring People with Disabilities Month.” [continue reading…]

Washington, D.C., August 19 – “The hardest part is to just start; your impact will be immeasurable,” said Steve Bartlett, a former congressman from Texas who was a primary co-author of the Americans with Disabilities Act and moderated a panel entitled, “Making a Difference.” This panel was part of the summit, “From Washington to Hollywood and Beyond: The Future of Americans with Disabilities,” so people with disabilities can fully participate in all aspects of society.

Bartlett, who represented Texas’s 3rd Congressional District, demonstrated his knowledge and experience on the subject. Showing up and making the initial connections are the most important parts of making a positive difference, both in the world and in one’s personal career, Barlett expressed. For instance, he relayed a powerful story of a chance meeting with a man who offered to volunteer for his campaign on Sunday nights. That man continued to advance in local politics and eventually ran for Barlett’s previously held seat and won, thereby succeeding Bartlett. [continue reading…]

National Leadership Program, Spring 2019

Vivian O’Neal

Vivian O’Neal was a Public Policy Fellow in RespectAbility’s National Leadership Program for Spring 2019. RespectAbility is a nonprofit organization fighting stigmas and advancing opportunities for people with disabilities.

O’Neal pursued a Bachelor of Arts degree in Public Relations and Political Science from The University of Southern Mississippi. She has a strong background in public speaking and advocacy work for nonprofits that benefit children with neuromuscular diseases. Fundraising has played a large role in previous service work for O’Neal, specifically for the Muscular Dystrophy Association and Children’s Miracle Network (CMN) Hospitals. Last summer, she was awarded the Miracle Maker award for raising more than $5,000 for CMN hospitals.

O’Neal’s interest in disability rights originally stemmed from the birth of her brother Josiah, who was diagnosed with a rare neuromuscular disease called Nemaline Myopathy. Josiah’s disease falls under the umbrella of Muscular Dystrophy. Watching her brother’s struggles with his disease exposed her to the loopholes within the Americans with Disabilities Act and true accessibility. O’Neal’s interest later grew from Muscular Dystrophy to extend to the entire disability community when she became more involved with nonprofit and advocacy work. She hoped to learn at RespectAbility about the different aspects of disability rights such as employment rates and unequal pay.

O’Neal joined RespectAbility as a junior in college with hopes to take her knowledge back to her hometown of Hattiesburg, MS for her senior year and moving forward. She plans to apply skills gained from her Fellowship to continue working toward the ultimate goal of fighting stigmas and advancing opportunities for not only the disabled community but also for all minority groups.

Upon graduation, O’Neal hopes to move to Washington, D.C. to attend law school and pursue a career that places her in the midst of the political realm with hopes of one day potentially working on Capitol Hill.

O’Neal wrote several pieces during the Spring 2019 Fellowship. Check them out on our main website:

• Success in Disability Employment: Vincenzo Piscopo Speaks on Disability Inclusion in the Workplace and Coca Cola’s Philanthropy (April 1, 2019)

She also wrote 14 pieces for The RespectAbility Report:

• As 2670 Iowans with Disabilities Lose Jobs, Gov. Kim Reynolds Calls Them “Some of Our Best Workers” (March 7, 2019)
• 20,000 Illinoisans with Disabilities Gain Jobs, are “One of the Priorities” for New Gov. JB Pritzker
  (March 7, 2019)
• 1381 Connecticuters with Disabilities Gain Jobs as Gov. Ned Lamont Promises “Absolute Opportunity” (March 8, 2019)
• 3,769 Alabamians with Disabilities Lose Jobs; Ranks 49th out of 50 States (March 22, 2019)
• 2,473 Arkansans with Disabilities Gain Jobs (March 22, 2019)
• 810 Hawaiians with Disabilities Leave the Workforce (March 23, 2019)
• As Mississippi Loses 2,875 Jobs for People with Disabilities, Gov. Phil Bryant Wants More Opportunities (March 23, 2019)
• Maine Gains 3,067 Jobs for People with Disabilities, Ranks 36th in the Nation for Disability Employment (March 24, 2019)
• 708 Delawareans with Disabilities Left the Workforce Last Year (March 24, 2019)
• Expansion of Best Practices leads to 10,471 new jobs for Virginians with Disabilities
  (March 27, 2019)
• Great news: 5,760 New Jobs for Arizonans with Disabilities Last Year (March 27, 2019)
• 1,014 Massachusetts Residents with Disabilities Lose Jobs, Bay State Drops to 27th in Nation
  (March 27, 2019)
• Bad News: 9,887 Oregonians with Disabilities Left the Workforce Last Year (March 28, 2019)
• Great news: Minnesota Stands 5th in the Nation on Jobs for People with Disabilities as Gov. Tim Walz Takes Office (March 28, 2019)

Learn More About The National Leadership Program

Washington, D.C., Nov. 6 – Below you will find two up-to-the-minute resources to help you this election:

1. Straight Q&A’s with candidates on disability issues organized by state. If you do not see a candidate from a senate or gubernatorial race, or local candidates in New York City and Los Angeles, it is because the candidate chose not to answer the questionnaire. RespectAbility is nonpartisan and all candidates were given an equal chance to make voters aware of their views on disability issues.
2. Apps and information on where to vote, how to vote and who to contact if there is an issue. As voters go to the polls, it is vital to know that voters with disabilities have every right to vote. If you have a problem voting due to lack of access for disability, contact 866-OUR-VOTE, or other resources listed below, immediately. Please let us know as well by emailing LaurenA@RespectAbility.org. View all of this information on one place on our blog: Disability Voter Resource Guide

Now please go vote! The disability community is 56 million citizens strong. Show your power at the ballot box! [continue reading…]

Washington, D.C., Nov. 5 – As voters head to the polls, many are concerned about various access issues from physical accessibility to voter ID laws. This is a federal election year; additionally, many state legislative seats, state executive offices, local offices and ballot amendments will be voted on. We’ve compiled resources provided by general Election Day voter rights organizations as well as those provided by various disability groups.

See below for apps and information on where to vote, how to vote and who to contact in case there is an issue. Voters with disabilities have every right to vote. If you have a problem voting due to lack of access for disability, contact 866-OUR-VOTE to talk to lawyers on hand to answer Election Day questions and concerns about voting procedures, or other resources listed below, immediately. Please let us know as well by emailing LaurenA@RespectAbility.org. Did we miss an important resource? Share with us and we’ll update this guide. [continue reading…]

Washington, D.C., Oct. 27 – As voters head to the polls, candidates for U.S. Senate and governor, as well as local candidates in New York City and Los Angeles, have outlined their views on ensuring equal employment opportunities for the one-in-five Americans with a disability by responding to a questionnaire by the disabilities advocacy group RespectAbility.

Candidates from all sides of the aisle completed the questionnaire, showing that disability rights is a nonpartisan issue. The responses also are geographically-diverse, coming from states around the country, as politicians are paying more attention to the disability community.

“Our nation was founded on the principle that anyone who works hard should be able to get ahead in life,” said RespectAbility’s President, Jennifer Laszlo Mizrahi. “People with disabilities deserve equal opportunity to earn an income and achieve independence just like anyone else.”

According to a recent survey, 74 percent of likely voters have a disability themselves or have a family member or a close friend with disabilities. The upcoming elections and their results will have an impact on people with disabilities, so it is important to become familiar with the candidates’ thoughts on certain issues.

“Candidates for office ignore the disability community at their peril,” said former U.S. Representative and Dallas Mayor Steve Bartlett. Bartlett, who was a primary author of the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990, is the chairman of RespectAbility. “People with disabilities deserve equal opportunity to earn an income and achieve independence just like anyone else.” [continue reading…]

#RespectTheAbility campaign spotlights model employers that demonstrate how hiring workers with disabilities benefits the employer, the employee and society

As we celebrate the contributions of workers to our nation’s history and enjoy one last summer weekend, RespectAbility invites you learn about the incredible talents of people with disabilities. We hope you enjoy the amazing success stories captured in our #RespectTheAbility campaign which highlights the benefits companies reap when they hire talented people with disabilities.

“Many companies hire the best talent out there, no matter what package that talent comes in,” said Jennifer Laszlo Mizrahi, president of RespectAbility. “Employers’ focus should be on the abilities an individual brings to the table to better the organization, not any disabilities the individual may have. It is time for all employers to look beyond the disability and understand the true value of these employees.”

The #RespectTheAbility campaign began by celebrating the success of Ernst & Young LLP as a case study and featured a conference call with Lori Golden, Abilities Strategy Leader from Ernst & Young, on “Disabilities to Diverse Abilities: Changing the Workplace Paradigm.” Arthur Young, co-founder of EY, was deaf and exceptionally talented. [continue reading…]

Rockville, Md., Aug. 29 – Sean McElwee and Megan Bomgaars are talented designers who have sold products featuring their designs to make a living. These entrepreneurs also happen to have Down syndrome.

McElwee and Bomgaars are cast members on Born This Way, an Emmy award-winning unscripted reality television program created by Bunim/Murray Productions and airing on A&E Network. Born This Way stars seven young adults with Down syndrome and their families, and showcases their lives in a positive, accurate way. The fourth season of the hit docuseries highlights McElwee’s and Bomgaars’ businesses, both of which have made remarkable progress in recent months. [continue reading…]