News

Karen Horne

Los Angeles, CA, Nov. 14 – Karen Horne, Senior Vice President of Equity and Inclusion at WarnerMedia has joined the board of advisors at RespectAbility, a nonprofit organization that fights stigmas and advances opportunities so people with disabilities can fully participate in all aspects of community. Bringing more than 20 years of entertainment industry experience, Horne has been recognized as a Diversity and Inclusion pioneer and pipeline builder. This expertise closely aligns with RespectAbility’s mission to strengthen a diverse talent pipeline of people with disabilities through a number of different leadership development programs, such as their Summer Lab for Entertainment Professionals with Disabilities, currently in its third year.​

“We’re thrilled to welcome Karen to our board of advisors” says Jennifer Laszlo Mizrahi, President of RespectAbility. “Her expertise in entertainment and inclusive talent development is unmatched, and we are excited to continue working together to create programs that will tap even further into the disability community that has historically been excluded from so many areas of the entertainment industry.” [continue reading…]

Washington, D.C., November 11 – Today marks the annual observation of Veterans’ Day, an annual celebration of the service of all brave people who have served in the United States Armed Forces. First observed in 1919, this American holiday was initially conceived to celebrate those who fought and died in the First World War but later grew to become an occasion celebrating all veterans after the Second World War.

According to the Disability Statistics Compendium, released by Institute on Disability at the University of New Hampshire, there are more than 17 million veterans. Among America’s veterans, more than 1.6 million veterans have a military service-connected disability. There are more than 2 million African American veterans, among whom more than 566,000 have a disability. Of the 1.2 million Hispanic/Latinx veterans, 321,000 have disabilities. Lastly, there are approximately 302,000 Asian American/Pacific Islander veterans and approximately 64,000 have disabilities.

Just as the workforce has changed in recent decades to include more equal opportunities, women have been serving their country in increasing numbers, especially in the post-9/11 era. Out of the 1.6 million female veterans in America today, over 357,000 have disabilities. [continue reading…]

Kurt Yaeger and Tongayi Chirisa in a scene from Another Life on Netflix

November 11, Los Angeles, CA – American actor, director and professional athlete Kurt Yaeger, who also happens to be a below-the-knee amputee, understands the importance of authentic casting and hiring disabled people within film & TV so we can continue the path of diversity and inclusion on the big screen.

Yaeger is known for his recurring role as ‘Greg the Peg’ on the FX crime drama series, Sons of Anarchy, as well as numerous other roles in popular TV shows such as NCIS: New Orleans, The Good Doctor, L.A.’s Finest, The Village and more. Currently, Yaeger portrays Dillon Conner in the futuristic sci-fi series Another Life, which recently launched its second season on Netflix.

Yaeger’s character, Dillon Conner, is not defined by his disability. Yet he is a very realistic depiction of a disabled individual – “portrayed as sexually attractive, fully capable and not hindered by his disability in any way.” [continue reading…]

Jefferson City, MO, November 10 – This week, the Missouri Workforce Development Board met to discuss the status of workforce practices in the Show Me State. In response to this meeting, RespectAbility, a national, nonpartisan nonprofit organization, submitted testimony on how to implement best practices, advocate for greater inclusion and improve the standing of people with disabilities in the workforce.

“When it was passed with broad, bipartisan support in 2014, the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) invested unprecedented resources into efforts to get people with barriers to employment into the labor force,” said Olegario “Ollie” Cantos VII, RespectAbility’s Chairman. “Now, after the pandemic that has reshaped our economy, it is time to devote significant attention to supporting the economic advancement of students, job-seekers, and entrepreneurs with disabilities.”

There are 463,213 working age (18-64) Missourians living with some form of disability. Before the pandemic, 36.9 percent of the working age population of people with disabilities were employed. It is critical that Missouri’s Workforce Development Board listen to the individuals with disabilities and advocates impacted by these unemployment rates. In order to make the workforce more inclusive, and to find practical ways to make the workforce more accessible for the entire population, RespectAbility collects, summarizes, and publicizes ideas on key workforce solutions. To learn more about RespectAbility’s advocacy work, please visit our Policy website. [continue reading…]

Springfield, IL, October 27 – This week, the Illinois Workforce Innovation Board’s Equity Task Force met to discuss the status of workforce practices in Illinois. In response to this meeting, RespectAbility, a national, nonpartisan nonprofit organization, submitted testimony on how to implement best practices, advocate for greater inclusion and improve the standing of people with disabilities in the workforce.

“When it was passed with broad, bipartisan support in 2014, the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) invested unprecedented resources into efforts to get people with barriers to employment into the labor force,” said Olegario “Ollie” Cantos VII, RespectAbility’s Chairman. “Now, after the pandemic that has reshaped our economy, it is time to devote significant attention to supporting the economic advancement of students, job-seekers, and entrepreneurs with disabilities.”

There are more than 696,000 working age (18-64) Illinoisans living with some form of disability. Before the pandemic, percent of the working age population of people with disabilities were employed. It is critical that Illinois Workforce Innovation Board (IWIB) listen to the individuals with disabilities and advocates impacted by these unemployment rates. In order to make the workforce more inclusive, and to find practical ways to make the workforce more accessible for the entire population, RespectAbility collects, summarizes, and publicizes ideas on key workforce solutions. To learn more about RespectAbility’s advocacy work, please visit our Policy website. [continue reading…]

Read the full proclamation

Concord, NH, October 27 – New Hampshire must “help to create more inclusive workplaces and a stronger economy,” said New Hampshire Governor Christopher T. Sununu in a proclamation marking October as Disability Employment Awareness Month.

Gov. Sununu also committed his state to building “an inclusive community that increases access and opportunities to all, including individuals with disabilities.”

This is an important public commitment for the more than 86,678 working-age people living with disabilities in New Hampshire. In the economic expansion prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, New Hampshire had a 44.4 percent disability employment rate. By contrast, people without disabilities had an employment rate of 82.8 percent. That means that there is a 38.3 percentage point gap in labor force participation rates between people with and without disabilities. [continue reading…]

Subject of Film Jordyn Zimmerman, Also Serves on RespectAbility’s National Disability Speakers and Training Bureau

New York City, Oct. 26 – Communication is an essential part of daily life. It’s how we express our needs, wants, feelings, and so much more. Unfortunately, many school systems currently lack the resources, knowledge, and awareness of how to fully support disabled students in their education journey when the students’ methods of communication do not align with society’s traditional views of how to communicate. A new documentary film titled This is Not About Me hopes to change this by sharing the story of Jordyn Zimmerman, a nonverbal autistic woman whose own education journey is filled with years of misunderstanding and a lack of support from her teachers. However, once Zimmerman finally received communication tools from her educators, she excelled at education and has since gone on to receive her bachelor’s degree in education Policy, and hopes to continue being a catalyst for change in today’s education system.

This Is Not About Me starts off by following Zimmerman as she wanders around her campus at Ohio University. Throughout the documentary, we gain insight into the obstacles that she faced in order to get there. Those who don’t know her story might assume her journey was easy. But that’s far from the truth. [continue reading…]

Read the full proclamation

Bismarck, ND, October 25 – “North Dakota leads the nation in the employment of people with disabilities,” said North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum in a proclamation marking October as Disability Employment Awareness Month.

Citing pre-pandemic statistics from the U.S. Census Bureau, Gov. Burgum emphasized that “workplaces that welcome the talents of all people, including people with disabilities, are a critical part of efforts to build an inclusive community and strong economy.” Gov. Burgum’s statement also highlighted the critical work of the U.S. Department of Labor, the North Dakota Department of Human Services, and North Dakota’s Division of Vocational Rehabilitation to align programs that “support employment of people with disabilities.”

These are important public commitments for the more than 41,000 working-age people living with disabilities in North Dakota. In the economic expansion prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Peace Garden State had a 57.2 percent disability employment rate. By contrast, people without disabilities had an employment rate of 85.9 percent. That means that there is a 28.6 percentage point gap in labor force participation rates between people with and without disabilities. It is worth noting that before COVID, this was the second smallest gap in the whole country, eclipsed only by Wyoming. [continue reading…]

Read the full proclamation

Little Rock, AR, October 25 – “Individuals with disabilities offer a wide range of expertise and play an integral role in our efforts to build an inclusive community,” said Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson in a proclamation marking October as Kansas Disability Employment Awareness Month.

Gov. Hutchinson also noted “the value and talent that people with disabilities add to our workplaces” and affirmed “Arkansas’s commitment to sustaining an inclusive community.”

This is an important public commitment for the more than 272,189 working-age people living with disabilities in Arkansas. In the economic expansion prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Natural State had a 32.8 percent disability employment rate. By contrast, people without disabilities had an employment rate of 76.9 percent. That means that there is a 44.0 percentage point gap in labor force participation rates between people with and without disabilities. [continue reading…]