Advice from World-Renowned Pollster Stan Greenberg

Stan Greenberg with RespectAbility Fellows and Staff

Rockville, Md., June 30 – As the Fellows in RespectAbility waited in the conference room for a leading pollster to enter the room, the intimidation increased after being told how important this person is.

Stanley B. Greenberg is a world-renowned pollster and New York Times best-selling author. He is known for advising business leaders with a broad knowledge of social and modern economics, along with being a polling adviser to presidents, prime ministers and CEOs globally. He has conducted deep research in more than a dozen countries.

Greenberg visited the RespectAbility office to meet with the Fellows. He previously teamed up with the organization by conducting polling on voters with disabilities in comparison to voters without disabilities. He also conducted a focus group with Republicans who work on Capital Hill and what they know about people with disabilities.

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A Conversation with American Enterprise Institute’s Gerard Robinson

Gerard Robinson with RespectAbility Fellows and Staff

Rockville, Md., June 30 – Gerard Robinson, a resident fellow at American Enterprise Institute (AEI), visited Respectability to share with Fellows and staff about his experience and interests in education, policy and politics. Robinson discussed what skills he has found helpful throughout his career and his commitment to education.

“Mindfulness” is a concept and important skill for a successful career, according to Robinson. He said any individual who chooses to work in a political environment needs to be mindful or aware of a few key factors: the position that they occupy, the power and duties that come with occupying such position, decisions and actions will impact a community or targeted group, and the attitudes and reactions (negative and positive) that may result from the factors mentioned above.

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Advice on Capturing your Audience’s Attention from Pollster and Political Strategist Celinda Lake

Celinda Lake with RespectAbility Fellows and Staff

Rockville, Md., June 29 – Imagine you are a lioness, deep in the African safari. You keep watch over your young cubs that are rolling and tumbling around under the blazing sun nearby. Suddenly, out of the corner of your eye, you see something rustling the tall grass close to your cubs. You stand up, now on alert. A dry breeze wafts the stench of a hyena into your nose before a piercing laugh splits through the air; your cubs freeze. Baring your teeth, you walk toward the hyena that is now visible. As you get closer, you hear laughter coming from all around you and your cubs. You are surrounded. Even as the hyenas move in, you are committed to protecting your cubs, no matter what.

According to Celinda Lake, a person has the attention span of nine seconds; in order to capture that person’s eye, you must have a good story. During her talk with RespectAbility Fellows, Lake called upon her years of experience working for women candidates and nonprofit organizations working to increase the number of women in public office. When a woman is portrayed by the media or her opponent as being “aggressive,” she often is stereotyped as being too intimidating, and ultimately unlikeable. However, when the woman is shown as standing up for others, like a lioness, she is seen in a more positive light. Just because a woman is “intimidating,” does not mean she does not have a heart and the characteristics to “get the job done.” You cannot assume a person’s beliefs and values by simply looking at them.

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Learning from Political Expert Dan Hazelwood

Dan Hazelwood with RespectAbility Fellows and Staff

Rockville, Md., June 29 – “Win people through emotions,” Dan Hazelwood told an audience of attentive RespectAbility Fellows earlier this month. “The heart overrides logic.”

Hazelwood mastered the technique of captivating voters in the political world. His main expertise involves campaign strategy, message development, targeting and persuasion mail. A nationally recognized political campaign professional, his past clients included President George W. Bush and several U.S. senators and governors.

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A Conversation with Donna Meltzer: A Role Model for Disability Advocates

Donna Meltzer with RespectAbility Fellows and Staff

Rockville, Md., June 29 – Donna Meltzer, the CEO of the National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities (NACDD), is not an ordinary disability rights advocate. In fact, it was an internship with Congress that opened her eyes to a new world of activism. Since her internship, Meltzer worked for Rep. Tony Coelho, the father of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

Along with experience in numerous other positions within the disability field, Meltzer shared a wealth of information with the Fellows and staff at RespectAbility. We learned about the history of the ADA, as well as NACDD’s efforts in the evolving disability sector.

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Lessons from Eleanor Clift on Being the Underdog

Eleanor Clift with RespectAbility Fellows and Staff

Rockville, Md., June 28 – Eleanor Clift never aspired to be in a position where her words could influence a large audience’s opinion. However, when the opportunity arose for her to become the amazing reporter she is today, she did not pass it up.

Clift was a product of her generation where “if you were a girl, you aspired to be a homemaker, teacher, or nurse.”

Rather than constrict Clift’s development, the lack of expectations for girls her age served to give Clift a feeling of freedom to explore new opportunities. Initially Clift was a secretary for Newsweek. However, despite her sense of contentment in her secretarial position at Newsweek, she embraced new challenges and accepted the opportunity to cover presidential candidate Jimmy Carter, another underestimated underdog in society who proved the majority wrong. Since then, Clift has authored multiple books, reported for many publications and appeared in several talk shows and movies.

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Learning Effective Advocacy Strategies with Lisa Thomas of the American Federation of Teachers

Lisa Thomas with RespectAbility Fellows and Staff

Rockville, Md., June 28 – “The lack of cohesive, consistent messaging is the Achilles heel of the disability community,” Dr. Lisa Thomas told a group of RespectAbility Fellows earlier this month. “We do have competing priorities.”

Thomas, the Associate Director and Special Education Policy Analyst at the American Federation of Teachers, spoke about strategies and tactics advocating for employment of people with disabilities. Fully one-in-five Americans have a disability and polls show that most of them want to work. However, of the 22-million working-age people with disabilities, only one-in-three are employed. This leads to poverty and costs taxpayers billions of dollars in disability benefits.

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A Conversation with Renowned Journalist Cal Thomas

Cal Thomas with RespectAbility Fellows and Staff

Rockville, Md., June 28 – During his talk with RespectAbility Fellows last week, Cal Thomas, a renowned journalist, celebrated author and Fox News contributor, proclaimed, “A cheerful spirit stands out like a rose in the snowstorm; people want to be around happy people.”

Thomas’ words sparked my excitement and inspiration instantly. I wanted to be that one red rose amongst all of the snow, the optimist amongst all of the pessimists in the workforce today.

His comparison unveils a truth most of us often overlook. We tend to believe that our current job, school/college and skillset make or break our careers. Thomas believes those things are important but explained that true success and opportunity come from our character and the impact we leave with others.

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Watch #BornThisWay on A&E, Tuesday at 10:00 p.m. ET. 

View Education Resources on Disability Issues

Rockville, Md., June 27 — In the U.S., schools were not required to provide special education until 1975. Today, the fight for inclusive education remains a constant battle for parents and students. Born This Way, a reality television show that stars seven diverse young adults with Down syndrome, shines the spotlight on the importance of inclusive education and the Individualized Education Program (IEP) process.

Ensuring children with disabilities receive the education and training they need to succeed is vitally important. Nationally, only 65 percent of students with disabilities graduate high school each year compared to 86 percent of student without disabilities. That means there is 21-point gap in outcomes. Furthermore, only seven percent of students with disabilities graduate college. As such, educators have a critical role to play in empowering more students with disabilities to succeed.

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