Listen to our CEO’s birthday wish!

Fully fifty years ago today, my wonderful parents welcomed me into life in Durham, N.C. Since then I’ve been to 33 countries (mostly for work) and shared amazing friendships and adventures with terrific people. Where did the time go?

In looking back on fifty years, the most cherished things in my life are the people I love (family, friends, colleagues) and the positive difference we have been able to make together on this planet.

So, as I start my next fifty years (yes, I plan to live until I am 100), I pledge to do everything I can to enable people with disabilities to be seen for the abilities, values and talents they have. 

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Tomorrow I turn 50!!! I am so blessed in what I experienced these first 50 years. Amazing. I plan to live until 100, so tomorrow I start the next half of my life.In the future I want to be a better family member and friend to the people I love, and to continue to fight for people with disabilities. In lieu of gifts, if you want to give me something, then please join me by donating to www.RespectAbilityUSA.org!

Jonah Selber

Philadelphia, PA – Jonah Selber, who was born with a developmental disability, is a longtime, successful employee of Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals where he serves as an office assistant in the Information Systems Department. He loves his job and never takes it for granted. Unlike 70% of working age Americans with disabilities who are out of the workforce, Jonah has been working for 17 years delivering important business documents and greeting customers in the Information Systems service center at one of the nation’s top hospitals. [continue reading…]

New Toolkit for Policy Makers/Leaders Released Along with Poll/Focus Group Research Report:

America at Risk: Job Crisis for People with Disabilities – Views on Solutions from 3839 People on the Front Lines

Washington, DC. RespectAbilityUSA, a non-profit organization working to empower people with disabilities to achieve the American dream, is proud to release a new toolkit for policy makers, leaders and activists along with a formal report, “America at Risk: Job Crisis for People with Disabilities — Views on Solutions from 3839 People on the Front Lines.” The toolkit and report are designed those who want to expand job opportunities for people with disabilities based on the real-life experiences and opinions of those most impacted by the crisis of lack of jobs for people with disabilities in America. This issue is important because:

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America at Risk- Job Crisis for People With Disabilities — Views on Solutions From 3839 People on the Front…

Yesterday, in a horrible hate crime, a man yelled “Heil Hitler” at the Jewish Community Center in Kansas City and then murdered three innocent people because he saw them as “the other”. My prayers are with the victims and their families.

Hitler didn’t “just” kill Jews — he was a mass murderer who also killed people with disabilities and others right along side Jews. It was Hitler’s way of creating a master Aryan race. So when someone yells “Heil Hitler” and then kills innocent people – the hater has embraced a philosophy that sees Jews, people with disabilities and others as worthy of elimination.

Fortunately, in America today people don’t go hunting people with disabilities dead like what happened in KC. But according to the FBI, last year the number of hate crimes reported against people with disabilities doubled.
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Washington, D.C. – RespectAbilityUSA, a non-profit organization working to empower people with disabilities to achieve the American dream, is proud to release a toolkit for job seekers with disabilities.

Unlike employment outcomes for women, African Americans and Hispanics, which have been improving over time, the gap between employment rates of those with and without disabilities has expanded significantly. [continue reading…]

Washington, D.C. – RespectAbilityUSA, a non-profit organization working to empower people with disabilities to achieve the American dream, is proud to release a toolkit for policy leaders on employment for people with disabilities. The toolkit is important because:

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ABILITY Awareness, in conjunction with the United Nations’ Department of Public Information hosted a panel discussion: The Art of Engagement.

The event will take place on Friday July 19th as part of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). The panel is described as, an entertaining approach to building awareness through music, theater, humor and various visual arts stimulates attention to an otherwise resistant society: http://www.abilitymagazine.com/UN-ABILITY.html.

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