Mritika Senthil, Community Engagement Specialist at the Asian Americans with Disabilities Initiative, reflects for AAPI Heritage Month. Transcript My name is Mritika Senthil and I am currently serving as the Community Engagement Specialist at the Asian Americans with Disabilities Initiative. I’m also currently a student at a boarding school in South Carolina. One thing that [click to continue...]
Trigger warning: depression, mention of self-harm and suicide Author’s Note: My depression and dissociation comes and goes. In any given year it can happen once, multiple times, or not at all. I am not a medical professional and therefore, my advice is only a suggestion. I understand not all advice or shared practices work for [click to continue...]
Los Angeles, CA, April 8 – Growing up Vietnamese American to a family with disabilities and unhealed intergenerational trauma was something very eye opening for me. In my experience, mental health and disability are rarely discussed in our Vietnamese American cultural upbringing, and they are often seen as shameful. In fact, they were portrayed as [click to continue...]
Los Angeles, CA, June 1 – Sophie Jaewon Kim is a 14-year-old actress who can be seen on Netflix’s The Healing Powers of Dude. Kim represents a new generation of disabled actors who are indelibly transforming the entertainment industry. Kim is doing more than just wowing audiences with her acting breakthrough—she is leading the way [click to continue...]
Celebrating AAPI Heritage Month by recognizing the Legislative Leadership of Sen. Tammy Duckworth Washington, D.C., May 23 – Since being elected to represent Illinois in the U.S. Senate in 2016, Tammy Duckworth has carved a name for herself as an advocate for disability and veterans’ rights. She also bears the honor of having many “firsts” [click to continue...]
Celebrating AAPI Heritage Month by recognizing the Legislative Leadership of Sen. Mazie Hirono Washington, D.C., May 23 – U.S. Senator Mazie Hirono (D-HI) has been working in government since the 1980’s, striving tirelessly to make a difference and has made great advances on many fronts. She is the first Asian American woman elected to the [click to continue...]
Jewish. Chinese. Adoptee. Those three words don’t seem to go together, and yet for me they do. Those three words describe me and my identity… oh and don’t forget to add: autistic! Talk about intersectionality! Upon first glance, it’s easy to notice that I don’t “look” like the typical American Jewish woman, nor does [click to continue...]
Los Angeles, May 20 – Everyone has different motivators in life. Some people are motivated by passion, some money, others necessity. For Shaina Ghuraya, her motivation is her white-hot rage. It’s that same rage that unintentionally drove Shaina to become a filmmaker. As a Punjabi woman in a wheelchair, Shaina describes herself as a triple [click to continue...]
Los Angeles, May 19 – Steve Lee is a Chinese standup comedian, writer, actor, and producer with Amyoplasia Congenita Disruptive Sequence. Amyoplasia congenita is the most common type of arthrogryposis multiplex congenita (AMC), and mainly refers to disorders with limb involvement. Originally from Hong Kong, Lee came to America when he was 17 as an [click to continue...]
“The fundamental DNA among all those of good will remains the same: meaningful inclusion and true empowerment.” Los Angeles, May 2 – Having worked in inclusive public policy since the 1990s, Ollie Cantos is a firm believer in getting comfortable with being uncomfortable in order to create change in the world. Currently serving as Special [click to continue...]
