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Women’s Disability Leadership, Inclusion & Advocacy Resources

The Women’s Disability Leadership, Inclusion & Advocacy Resources below are from a six-part training series that RespectAbility developed and implemented for women with disabilities, with support from New York Women’s Foundation and the Coca-Cola Foundation; and thanks to our fully accessible, gracious hosts: Guttman Community College (for five of the six trainings) and Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan (for the sixth training). Its two goals were:

  1. To upskill and empower women with disabilities, preparing them to bring their unique lens to civic life (e.g., becoming volunteers, board members, or employees for nonprofits and government agencies). By advancing their civic engagement, together we advance equity and inclusion in their communities and overall city that they call home.
  2. To build community among the attendees.

While each training was uniquely designed to be most relevant to its target audience/participants, there were five components that, for nearly all trainings, remained consistent:

  1. A noteworthy female keynote speaker and/or panelists who addressed the overall topic, relevant research, mental health advocacy, self-disclosure in the workplace, a Q&A, and sometimes sprinkled with live music. (This ‘frontal component’ was covered as a webinar and/or FB livestreamed. Video coverage shut down after the final Q&A, to ensure the privacy of our participants for the ensuing interactive components.)
  2. Original ‘intra-active’ (self-reflection) empowerment exercises that became highly interactive, joyful empowerment exercises.
  3. Small Group Discussions, [co]facilitated by women with expertise in that particular field (e.g., Self-Advocacy and Mental Health).
  4. Civic Engagement / Volunteer Opportunities relevant to the target audience participating at each training.
  5. A closed FB Group established for each, to foster opportunities for connection among the attendees.

Empowerment for Latinas with Disabilities

The spellbinding keynote speaker and self-advocate was Carol Robles-Román (former Deputy Mayor of NYC). Other dynamic Latinas – all self-advocates and allies – were presenters and facilitators for the later small group discussions (Dr. Shirley Leyro, Clarissa Ramos-Cafarelli, Jessica Palacios, Dr. Kaliris Salas-Ramirez, and Crystal Vazquez). Live music was provided by Amanda Lopez and Rebecca Muller.

The resources below were prepared for an empowerment training on this topic:

Attendees at training for latinas with disabilities smiling together

Intersectional Empowerment for Women and Girls with Disabilities

The powerful keynote speaker and self-advocate was Dr. Donna Walton: A RespectAbility board member; Founder of Divas with Disabilities; and author of Shattered Dreams, Broken Pieces. 

The resources below were prepared for an empowerment training on this topic:

Attendees at training on intersectionality smiling together

Empowerment for Mothers of Students with Disabilities

The dynamic panelists were Donna Meltzer, Michelle Grier, and Dr. Nelle Richardson, moderated by Gabby Einstein-Sim. They, along with other lively facilitators (Dr. Jordana Mendelson, Ketrina Hazell, Candace Cable, and Tatiana Lee), later facilitated small group discussions.

The resources below were prepared for an empowerment training on this topic:

Attendees at training for mothers of students with disabilities smiling together

Adding the “D” to Diversity: Enabling Foundations, Nonprofits and Partners to Include People with Disabilities

The spirited panelists were RespectAbility co-Founder and President, Jennifer Laszlo Mizrahi, and RespectAbility’s Inclusionists Candace Cable, Paralympian and Tatiana Lee, Award-winning actress.

The resources below were prepared for an empowerment training on this topic:

Attendees at adding the "d" to diversity training smiling together

Empowerment for Female College Students with Disabilities

The effective panelists were self-advocates and disability advocates Crystal Vazquez, Rebecca Gross, and Brilynn Rakes, moderated by Gabby Einstein-Sim. They, along with other knowledgeable college professionals in disability and community services (Valora Blackson and Maryanne Sackarnoski) later facilitated small group discussions.

The resources below were prepared for an empowerment training on this topic:

Attendees at training for college students with disabilities smiling together

Empowerment for Jewish Women with Disabilities

The bold panelists were self-advocates Dr. Danielle Sheypuk, Amy Rosenfield, and Ila Eckhoff, moderated by Rabbi Julie Schonfeld. They, and other impactful self-advocates who presented (Rachel Kunstadt and Lori Golden), along with allies Allison Kleinman and Eve Landau, later facilitated small group discussions. Live music was provided by Joanie Leeds and Debbie Fink.

The resources below were prepared for an empowerment training on this topic:

Attendees at training for jewish women with disabilities smiling together

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