The intersection of identity with disability uniquely affects people of all races. For Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) this is compounded by the fact that AAPIs are a wildly diverse ethnic group and have an equally diverse range of experiences. With a population expected to surpass 40 million by 2060, and 1.3 million disabled, it is important to understand the intersection between AAPI identity and the disability experience. There is no better time to address these issues than in May while we observe AAPI Heritage Month. Historically AAPIs, especially AAPIs with disabilities, have been underrepresented in disability studies. Surveys on disability often lump this diverse group together as “Asian,” which includes 20 distinct nationalities in the US Census. Despite the size and vibrancy of the AAPI population, the visibility of AAPIs with disabilities remains low. Disclosure of disability is essential for access to services, and yet disclosure among AAPIs is lower than in other ethnic groups.

Reticence to disclose a disability in the AAPI community can be due to the internalization of harmful stereotypes. One of the most pervasive of these stereotypes is the “model minority” myth, in which AAPIs are described as being more smart, successful, or hardworking than other minority groups. This idealized image is limiting, can create a divide between AAPIs and other minority groups, and does not allow room for the disability experience. The “model minority” myth masks or disguises the disability experience of AAPIs and has contributed to a lack of research and debate about this issue. The social pressures of conformity may also increase the reticence of individuals to disclose disability status. This can reduce access to medical assistance, employment accommodations, and other disability services. Once disabled AAPIs do gain access to disability services, some—particularly those who are first or second-generation immigrants—encounter language barriers that can further reduce their access to services, a problem that is only amplified by lack of culturally competent service providers. [continue reading…]

On May 2, 2023, after failing to come to an agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (which includes 350+ TV and film studios and production companies), the Writers Guild of America (WGA) went on strike – stopping all writing projects and bringing many Hollywood productions to a halt.

Since 2018, screenwriters’ pay has gone down about 20%. Additionally, writers are no longer receiving residuals (a percentage of the profit a show makes after it premieres) after their shows go on streaming platforms. Many writers are struggling to make enough money to live. With more than half of American households “cutting the cord” and only buying streaming services, along with the rise of AI technology capable of writing scripts, the concerns around writers’ wages only continue to grow. Writers are seeking a new contract with studios to protect their livelihood given the changing technological landscape.

The major WGA demands include:

• Increased minimum compensation for writers
• Residual agreements for streaming platforms
• Addressing the abuse of mini-rooms – a small writers’ room that works for a short period of time before a show has been approved by a studio allowing studios to pay writers less money and not keep writers on contract
• Increased contributions to health funds
• Regulated use of material made by AI

Learn more: Full List of WGA Demands. [continue reading…]

Elizabeth Kim

If you knew your baby had a disability, would you still keep it?

Two students from my church fellowship debated this question, as I sat quietly between them. My body tensed up, preparing for their answers.

No… I don’t think I would. I would want my child to be healthy and happy.

Well, if God made all of us in His image… shouldn’t we keep the baby?

They turned towards me with sheepish smiles, as if they just remembered I was one of those babies. My eyes widened, and I hastily raised my hands.

No, no, don’t worry! I won’t get offended, please don’t let me stop you from talking about this. I understand where you’re both coming from.

Part of that was a lie.

I was offended, but too numb to register the emotion because I heard variations of this conversation growing up. The responses were similar. No, we want them to be healthy. With genetic engineering, we could remove the defective gene! No, I don’t want my child to have so much suffering in her life. Well, I don’t know… What do you think? I leaned towards “no,” too, until I learned about ableism years later.

I was born deaf to hearing immigrant parents and received bilateral cochlear implants, my first one at thirteen months old, my second at ten years old. As a triple minority, one of the biggest challenges is figuring out how to show up as you are in different spaces. No matter where I go, I’m a woman in a man’s world. I’d feel excluded not only from the AAPI community because of my disability, but also from the disability community because I’m a person of color, which affected my mental health. Over time, the lights in my mind dimmed. Once dark, beasts of all kinds emerged.

[continue reading…]

I met Neil and Denise Jacobson 20 years ago when I was in law school. The reform movement of Judaism was gathering together a group of its leaders with disabilities. I was already pretty jazzed to be invited into such a crowd at the ripe age of 22, but I was blown away by this dynamic power couple. Neil was still in banking then, and it really meant something to me to see someone else with cerebral palsy with professional success.

We stayed in touch. When I left law to go into business for myself, Neil was constantly checking in, sharing his own business ideas, and asking about me. For years before I joined RespectAbility, Neil pressured me to move to California. He knew things would be better for me here, but somehow I never quite understood that the regional center program, which provided all of his independent living support, would support me. When I did finally move here, he was a little disappointed that I moved to “Hell-A” as he called the city in which I live. In fact, it wasn’t until sometime last year that he finally accepted that I was not going to move to his beloved Northern California, but he was happy I was here. He helped me to get regional center services. Now I have the best quality of life that I ever had, and I can thank Neil for it, among others. [continue reading…]

“I am heartbroken over Neil’s passing. He was a giant among us, and the enduring nature of his pioneering legacy will serve as an ongoing testament to the power of just one person to make the kind of difference whose ripple effects will last for generations.

Whether through his leadership in faith inclusion, his tireless and successful efforts to increase economic empowerment of countless members of the disability community, his impact as Vice Chairman of what was then the President’s Committee on the Employment of People with Disabilities in the Clinton Administration, his achievements in executive leadership at Wells Fargo, his indelible impact on the Independent Living Movement, his international work to change lives around the world (including in Uganda at an organization that bears his name), his groundbreaking work at the World Institute on Disability, or through his work as an early Board Member here at RespectAbility, the result was always the same. Namely, everything in which he was so deeply involved benefited indelibly. [continue reading…]

Neil Jacobson may not have known, but he was my teacher.

Neil Jacobson was one of the earliest pioneers in Jewish disability inclusion and belonging. His grassroots advocacy and action in his own congregation became a call to action for other synagogues and Jewish organizations in the Reform movement and beyond. Neil’s influence and his teachings were infused with a love of Torah and the need to belong.

All of us at RespectAbility offer our condolences to the family and friends of this giant in the disability rights advocacy movement. Many remember Neil as one of the people featured in the film “Crip Camp.” I remember Neil from years ago when we volunteered for the nascent disability inclusion initiative of the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ).

Neil and I were members of a Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) disability inclusion task force established in the mid-2000s by Rabbi Richie Address. Neil was leading the Access Task Force at his congregation, Temple Sinai in Oakland, CA. I was a member of a Reform congregation and was also leading a Jewish community-wide inclusion program. [continue reading…]

I interviewed Neil and Denise Jacobson, following a Jewish community screening of the film, “Crip Camp.” They were featured in the film along with Neil’s childhood friend, Judy Heumann, of blessed memory.

Neil was a child of Shoah (Holocaust) survivors. Neil described his father as “the happiest, friendliest, most easy-going guy I have yet to meet. His attitude was that if he could survive the war, he was going to be happy.”

Neil loved life. His joy was contagious, rooted in a deep reverence for life and wonder at the miracle of survival. Neil’s love of life was clearly intertwined with his love of Judaism. The Torah tells us to choose life. [continue reading…]

Summer and sex are here for Chrissy Marshall and her new Easterseals Disability Film Challenge winning short, Rain in my Head. Marshall’s work as a writer/director features two deaf queer lovers, Sarah and Marie, who wander through the quandaries of connection and fulfillment. At the start, Sarah, smoking in the arms of her lover, poses the question: “Do you ever get tired of seeing the glass half full?” Marie answers: “No. We’ve struggled enough. It’s time to be happy.” After the exchange, the film joyfully ambles through a portrait of their lives, holding true to the promise of happiness that Marie speaks of. After all, queer love receiving a happy ending is no small thing. For Rain in my Head, it is the happiness being the end destination that makes it work so well.

In addition to the upbeat ending, the gorgeous movement of the camera and lighting draws us in. It is very apparent that Marshall has homed in on a directing style that is clear and effective. Her film drew accolades from the Easterseals Disability Film Challenge for that as well. [continue reading…]

In this month’s partner spotlight, we look at the fantastic work the Asian Americans with Disabilities Initiative (AADI) is doing. AADI seeks to bring a haven for Asian Americans with disabilities online and in person.

AADI came about when Founder and Executive Director, Jennifer Lee, began recognizing and understanding her disability while grappling with the anti-Asian hate that rose during the COVID pandemic.

Young Asian Americans with disabilities drive AADI, including former RespectAbility Entertainment and News Media Fellow Dennis Tran, who is on Jennifer’s team as a Directory Manager on their External Relations Committee. [continue reading…]