After a year-long rebranding process that sought input from the organizations’ staff, board, program alumni, partners, and the disability community at large, our organization chose the new name Disability Belongs™.
“We are proud to be a disability-led organization and, to reflect that, we wanted the word ‘disability’ in our name,” explained Ariel Simms, President and CEO of Disability Belongs™. “We also felt strongly that our new name should be a statement of our core belief: that we belong in all aspects of society.”
The new logo for Disability Belongs™ provides greater flexibility for the brand, with variations that are clear and accessible with any color background. We chose to use the font Helvetica for the logotype because of its readability and universal nature. The primary color palate incorporates blue, the standard color of accessibility symbols around the world, along with green and, in a nod to the prior branding, yellow. The abstract, droplet-like shapes could be interpreted in multiple ways, including as markers on a map representing places where disability belongs, or as speech balloons representing the conversations our organization fosters.
Along with our new name Disability Belongs™ comes a clarified theory of change, the components of which are represented in the new tagline: “Redefining Narratives. Developing Leaders. Driving Opportunity.”
- Redefining Narratives: We challenge stigma and amplify authentic narratives on disability – nothing about us, without us!
- Developing Leaders: We model training and empowering the next generation of leaders in disability advocacy across our pillars.
- Driving Opportunity: We take down barriers to education, employment, and civic life to enable disabled individuals to lead lives of their choosing.
The core programmatic areas of our organization are not changing with the new brand:
- Entertainment and News Media – Increase diverse and authentic representation of disabled people in media so people with disabilities are seen for what they can do, instead of what they cannot.
- Leadership and Workforce Development – Enable diverse people with disabilities to participate fully in decision-making.
- Policy and Civic Engagement – Promote best practices in education, employment, entrepreneurship, civic engagement, and access.
- Faith Inclusion and Belonging – Ensure the inclusion of people with disabilities in faith-based communities.
You can follow Disability Belongs™ on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, Bluesky, LinkedIn, and YouTube at @DisabilityBelongs. Our organization’s existing website will be accessible from www.DisabilityBelongs.org. Later in 2025, we will launch an entirely new website that reflects the new brand ethos of our organization.
