Advice from Special Assistant to the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Ollie Cantos Rockville, Md., Aug. 22 – Ollie Cantos is a blind Filipino-American who currently serves in public service under President Donald J. Trump as Special Assistant to the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Education. “People with disabilities: we all [click to continue...]
An Interactive Session with Photographer Rick Guidotti Rockville, Md., Aug. 22 – Rick Guidotti, an award-winning photographer, visited with RespectAbility Fellows earlier this summer and spent the day taking our portraits. Guidotti became restless of societal standards of beauty after taking pictures of supermodels for renowned publications such as Elle and LIFE magazine. “I was [click to continue...]
Real-Life Lessons from Real World Creator Jonathan Murray Rockville, Md., Aug. 22 – Jonathan Murray is widely credited for being the father of reality television and creative hand behind some of the most successful reality shows ever made. He has nurtured the reality TV industry, and over time has created a space where underrepresented groups [click to continue...]
A Conversation with Morna Murray Rockville, Md., Aug. 22 – Morna A. Murray became acquainted with the disability advocacy world through her journey of motherhood. She has two adult children, one of whom happens to have a developmental disability. “Being his mother has formed my work and helped develop my interest,” said Murray. For years, [click to continue...]
Learning from The Jewish Federations of North America’s William Daroff Rockville, Md., Aug. 21 – “We need people on both sides of the aisle to champion disability issues,” William Daroff told RespectAbility Fellows last month. Daroff is a senior vice president for public policy and director of The Jewish Federations of North America. He works [click to continue...]
A Conversation with the Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation’s Kevin Webb Rockville, Md., Aug. 21 – Armed with a long history in nonprofit work, Kevin Webb gave a group of RespectAbility National Leadership Fellows key information about the Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation (MEAF). Not only is he donating his time to speak to and empower a [click to continue...]
Lessons from USA Today’s Richard Wolf Rockville, Md., Aug. 6 – In a country where two political parties constantly battle for power, it can be difficult for some to choose a side. One might wonder why it is so hard, given the sheer amount of news sources we have at our fingertips. Many news sources [click to continue...]
A Conversation with the Council on Foundation’s Floyd Mills Rockville, Md., Aug. 2 – Growing up, Floyd Mills, the vice president of diversity, equity and inclusion for the Council on Foundations, pictured his dream job in any field but diversity. Yet, Mills has been promoting workplace diversity and inclusion for the past two decades. Everyone’s [click to continue...]
Learning from the Office of Personnel Management’s Michael Murray Rockville, Md., Aug. 2 – “My father was a great father not in spite of his disability but in part because of his disability.” Michael Murray’s involvement in the disability community stems from his personal and unforgettable childhood experiences. After sharing a touching story about his [click to continue...]
Advice from Jewish Family Service’s Linda Burger Rockville, Md., July 26 – Channeling her humble demeanor and the Jewish values she was raised with, Linda Burger has grown to be a leading ambassador for disability in the Jewish community of Houston, Texas. Burger believes in the Jewish thought that all people are created B’tzelem Elohim [click to continue...]
