Past Events

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Jewish Family Service of the Lehigh Valley, Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley, and RespectAbility hosted a virtual town hall forum on disability and inclusion in our Jewish Community.

This 1.5-hour discussion was open to everyone, and individuals with disabilities were encouraged to attend.

Lily Coltoff

JFS Disability Liaison Amanda Thomas, Ph.D., joined moderators from RespectAbility to lead the webinar. Lily Coltoff began by sharing some of her personal story and some of RespectAbility’s national Jewish disability inclusion data from their recent survey.

According to Statistics Canada, 22% of Canadians live with a disability. It’s a sure thing that someone you work with has a disability. Knowing that, are we creating workspaces that allow for accommodations without our colleagues having to ask or disclose their disability publicly? Are we inadvertently using ableist thinking? How can we make the work environment welcoming to all?

Jennifer Laszlo Mizrahi, co-founder/director of the Mizrahi Family Charitable Fund, is a long-time serial innovator, and Jewish leader. She founded the disability-led nonprofit RespectAbility, which fights stigmas and advances opportunities so people with disabilities can fully participate in all aspects of community. In the last year, RespectAbility consulted on more than 200 entertainment media productions and provided testimony in every state on disability issues.

Join Sinai Temple and RespectAbility for a conversation about Jewish disability inclusion! Hear from filmmaker and actor Aaron Wolf and poet Erika Abbott about their experiences as Jews with disabilities. Following their reflections, there was a Q&A session led by Rabbi Erez Sherman from Sinai Temple.

In February, Tzedek Box partnered with RespectAbility to focus on Disability Justice and Access. With hosts Dena Robinson and Darin Lim Yankowitz, attendees heard from leaders of RespectAbility, “a diverse, disability-led nonprofit that works to create systemic change in how society views and values people with disabilities, and that advances policies and practices that empower people with disabilities to have a better future.” RespectAbility also prioritizes accessibility in faith-based communities, with a particular focus on the Jewish community. Matan Koch, the Vice President for Workforce, Leadership, and Faith Programs was their featured guest, and Aaron Seglin was their musical guest..

Aaron Wolf, an award-winning actor, director, speaker, and activist uses his creative voice to tell stories from the heart, that entertain and matter. He is the co-founder of Howling Wolf Productions. Some of his work include the Academy Award® shortlisted film Restoring Tomorrow, and TAR, the theatrical throwback thriller that came out last year staring Wolf with Academy Award Nominees Timothy Bottoms and Graham Greene. He also has created the I AM ABLE Foundation.

Wolf drew from his personal experiences, sharing insight into his struggle to tackle the urgent topic of learning disabilities and de-stigmatize people deemed disabled. For Wolf, this is one the most critical civil rights issues currently being overlooked and misunderstood by society and he is on a quest to use his voice and work for positive change.

Presented in Partnership with DreamWorks Animation

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Have you seen DreamWorks Animation’s Madagascar: A Little Wild on Hulu or Peacock TV yet? For six seasons, RespectAbility Vice Chair Delbert Whetter, along with Jevon Whetter and Justin Maurer, consulted on this series, which includes a deaf character who uses sign language; the character’s sister also signs. Chimpanzee siblings Dave and Pickles are breaking barriers and are part of a movement changing the landscape of disability representation in children’s television and streaming content. Dave and Pickles have a meaningful story arc throughout the entire series and Dave is not defined by his deafness.

New this season, a little girl named and modeled after deaf actress Shaylee Mansfield trades cards with Dave at the zoo. She was animated by using a video reference of her performing the role. In what is possibly a first for deaf performers, she is credited alongside the “audible” voice actors for her “sign over” performance in the episode “‘Gloria’s Got ‘Em All.”

Learn from the team’s ASL consultants as well as Executive Producer Johanna Stein and Actress Shaylee Mansfield on how they worked together to bring about dynamic deaf characters. [continue reading…]

A Conversation with Disabled Creatives and Advocates, Tatiana Lee and Lesley Hennen

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Navigating the Entertainment industry can be a daunting and overwhelming experience for anyone. And when you’re a person with multiple underrepresented identities, disability included, the feeling of burnout can become real very quickly. This event was a conversation between RespectAbility Entertainment & News Media team members, Tatiana Lee & Lesley Hennen. They shared their experiences and tips for navigating advocacy as disabled creatives, and how to handle the inevitable burnout that comes with it. [continue reading…]

When we think of diversity in the arts, do we consider the 1-in-5 people who live with a disability? Due to a lack of accessibility and stigma, artists with disabilities rarely get to take the stage to tell their own stories. This event featured a conversation with industry leaders about writing for disabled voices. [continue reading…]

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For many folks who are looking to start a career in the Entertainment industry, whether in development, writing, production, marketing, and everything else in between, the starting point is film school. Since the best way to improve on-screen representation of people with disabilities is to hire more disabled people in all aspects of the storytelling and filmmaking process, how can film schools ensure full accessibility for disabled students and faculty? This event was a conversation with RespectAbility Summer Lab alumni and current working Entertainment professionals, Laura Alsum, Michael Dougherty, Tyler Hoog, Andrew Reid, and Faith Strongheart. We discussed their lived experiences as disabled individuals who have navigated film school, and shared some best practices for schools to ensure accessibility for all.
[continue reading…]