Communication is essential to creating an inclusive and welcoming workplace and ensuring a seamless and collaborative accommodation process. In a webinar with the Job Accommodation Network (AskJAN), Disability Belongs™ shared key strategies and resources to help employers navigate accommodation discussions with confidence.

Reasonable accommodations help unlock employee potential, enhance workplace productivity, and support a diverse workforce. They also ensure compliance with Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and similar laws, when applicable. [continue reading…]

The term Universal Design is increasingly common in conversations around accessibility, but what exactly does it mean? Universal Design is the configuration of a space or environment so it can be accessed, used, and understood by the greatest number of people, regardless of their size, age, or ability. This concept ensures buildings, parks, homes, and public transportation are approachable and inclusive for all.

Seven principles of Universal Design were developed in 1977 by a working group of architects, product designers, engineers, and environmental design researchers, led by the late architect Ronald Mace of North Carolina State University. These principles can be applied to update existing designs or guide the creation of new designs. [continue reading…]

Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Tadashi Nakamura.

“I think I’m taking it better than I thought I would”

“What did the neurologist say?”

“The, uh.. the neurologist, I think… is pretty sure I have Parkinson’s. I’m pretty sure I have Parkinson’s. I have so many of the symptoms.”

In Third Act, filmmaker Tadashi Nakamura depicts a poignant portrait of his father, Robert Nakamura. The film touches on many aspects of his father: his traumatizing past and long-concealed depression, kinship with art and community, work and legacy, familial relationships, and the present state of his life with Parkinson’s. While striving to create a film worthy of his father’s legacy, Tadashi is simultaneously working through his own feelings about the Parkinson’s diagnosis and the reality of his father’s looming mortality. [continue reading…]

Courtesy of Sundance Institute.

“I became an advocate without knowing it at first. I was thrust into it, but that was okay.”

Marlee Matlin found herself as an advocate and role model early on in her career within the entertainment industry.

When Matlin starred in “Children of a Lesser God” in 1986, many other deaf individuals were finally seeing themselves reflected on screen. For example, Lauren Ridloff’s parents brought her to see the film when she was just 8 years old. Shoshannah Stern called Matlin “the first person I saw myself in.”

At the same time, when Matlin was nominated for an Oscar for her role, news coverage repeatedly said she would never have a starring role again because she is deaf. As a result, Matlin felt she had to prove that she belongs in Hollywood and was not just a sympathy vote. Even years later, when CODA was being made, there was a belief that Matlin is the only deaf actor out there. [continue reading…]

At Disability Belongs™, eliminating barriers to work and advancing competitive, integrated employment (CIE) is one of our top policy priorities. We are committed to ensuring all workers are valued and paid fairly in inclusive workplaces. The path to fair wages and inclusive employment for disabled workers is a challenging one, but with your continued support we can help make it a reality. That starts with legislation that ensures all employees be compensated fairly and equitably.

Last session, Disability Belongs worked to advance the Transformation to Competitive Integrated Employment Act (TCIEA), a bold step toward ending subminimum wages for disabled workers by eliminating 14(c) certificates nationwide and promoting CIE. Despite our advocacy and the incredible support of our larger network, TCIEA didn’t make it through the legislative process in the 118th Congress. However, some of its key provisions were incorporated into a larger funding bill, called a continuing resolution, near the end of last session that would have also reauthorized the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). WIOA is a landmark law that connects job seekers with education, training, and support services while linking employers with skilled workers.

Unfortunately, Congress did not reauthorize WIOA as part of the continuing resolution. Instead, a stopgap version of the funding bill was passed, excluding key provisions from both TCIEA and WIOA. Now, as we move into the 119th Congress, the future of these critical pieces of legislation remains uncertain. [continue reading…]

Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Los Angeles Times.

At face value, “Life After” starts with a story about Elizabeth Bouvia, a disabled woman from California who sought the right to die in 1983. However, Bouvia’s impact – and “Life After” as a result – is about so much more, including: the lack of accessible, affordable, quality healthcare; ableist views portraying disabled people in society as having less value than nondisabled peers; the lack of employment opportunities; and the feeling of isolation that many disabled people face.

After years of courtroom trials as Bouvia fought for the right to die in the 1980’s, she disappeared from public view. In “Life After,” disabled director Reid Davenport sought to determine what happened to Bouvia. Four decades after her trial, he wanted to know what today’s society thinks about giving disabled people access to assisted suicide. Lending his voice in the beginning of the film, Davenport shares, “I see myself in how Elizabeth moved through the world.” During this narration, the camera view is what Davenport sees from a seated position as he navigates the world while utilizing a wheelchair. [continue reading…]

What are ABLE Accounts?

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Established more than a decade ago, ABLE accounts are savings and/or investment options which allow qualified individuals with disabilities to save up to $100,000 without losing eligibility for Social Security and other government benefits. Medicaid eligibility is retained regardless of the account balance. Interest earned is tax-free. [continue reading…]

As a nonpartisan, disability-led, and majority-disabled organization, Disability Belongs™ is deeply committed to dismantling systemic biases and barriers that cause harm, perpetuate discrimination, and, in some cases, even lead to violence against our community.

Recent news has highlighted harmful and dangerous rhetoric, which portrays individuals with disabilities as “less than” our non-disabled peers and demonizes our community simply on the basis of disability. Such narratives foster fearmongering and perpetuate biases towards an already marginalized identity and experience. This stigma reinforces misconceptions that disability automatically equates to incompetence or an inability to succeed, including in the workplace. Disabled workers frequently find themselves in unjust situations, and we are often expected to continuously prove our value, despite being more than qualified for our roles. The interplay of ableism and dangerous rhetoric leads to even greater challenges and stigma. [continue reading…]

Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Jeff Beatty.

While the new documentary film “Deaf President Now!” covers an important event from disability rights history, its recent premiere highlights that Deaf and other disabled individuals are continuing to fight to not be treated as “less than.”

“Deaf President Now!” tells the story of the 1988 eight-day protest against a 124-year-old history of only hiring hearing presidents of Gallaudet, the world’s only Deaf university. However, it is truly a universal story about people refusing to be invisible.

“Deaf people were second class citizens,” Co-Director Nyle DiMarco, who also is a Gallaudet alumnus, model, actor, and Deaf activist, says in a meet the artist video with Sundance. “But the students were fed up. They were angry after centuries of oppression and discrimination.” [continue reading…]