As the U.S. celebrated Hispanic Heritage Month this year, two places with large Hispanic populations were dealing with the aftermath of natural disasters. Hurricane Fiona made landfall in Puerto Rico on September 18 and Hurricane Ian made landfall in Florida on September 28. According to the Center for Disaster Philanthropy, people with disabilities have a [click to continue...]
New York, NY, October 6 – Charo Mato is an Argentinian filmmaker with hearing loss who graduated from the Image and Sound Design career in the University of Buenos Aires. She was a fellow of the Sundance Documentary Film Program with her first documentary film 8 Stories About My Hearing Loss, which premiered at 9° [click to continue...]
Charo Mato es una cineasta argentina con pérdida auditiva. Se graduó de la carrera de Diseño de Imagen y Sonido en la Universidad de Buenos Aires. Fue becaria del Programa de Cine Documental de Sundance con su primer documental 8 cuentos sobre mi hipoacusia, que se estrenó en el 9° FIDBA y ganó el premio [click to continue...]
New York, NY, October 6 – As part of RespectAbility’s reflection on Hispanic History Month, I interviewed Isabella Vargas, an apprentice in RespectAbility’s Entertainment and News Media department. She is an advocate for the disabled community and strives to bring more representation of Hispanic/Latinx/Latine people in the entertainment industry. According to data from the Annual [click to continue...]
Los Angeles, Sept 19 – For my family, the 15th of September has historically been spent in my parents’ backyard commemorating my father’s birthday with a “churrasco.” In my family, the 15th is not be confused with the 14th, which is what is actually on my father’s birth certificate, because his father was too drunk [click to continue...]
“We have to be more Mexican than the Mexicans and more American than the Americans, both at the same time! It’s exhausting!” – Abraham Quintanilla, Selena, 1997 Austin, Texas, Sept 19 – Being raised as a first generation American, I always was taught to be proud of where I came from and know our culture [click to continue...]
Rockville, Maryland, Sept. 15 – Today marks the first day National Hispanic Heritage Month, celebrated each year from September 15 through October 15. National Hispanic Heritage Month recognizes the contributions made and the important presence of Hispanic and Latinx Americans in the United States and celebrates their heritage and culture. It is important to note this [click to continue...]
Los Angeles, June 9 – Krista Ramirez-Villatoro is a self-proclaimed “Intersectionality Queen.” As a Latina/Hispanic, disabled woman who is part of the LGBTQ+ community, she’s learning to advocate for herself and speak up for her specific needs. “Other people don’t know what you need. I think that’s one of the mistakes I made in undergrad [click to continue...]
Los Angeles, California, June 3 – Danny J. Gomez is an actor, model and advocate for authentic casting in Hollywood. Born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana, Gomez was far away from the storied Hollywood sign and its accompanying industry opportunities. However, distance did not stop Gomez from pursuing his dreams. Inspired by his favorite [click to continue...]
Los Angeles, CA, Oct. 8 – Shireen Alihaji is a poet/filmmaker from Los Angeles covering stories on labor rights, environmental justice, hate crimes, human trafficking, gender discrimination, sexual violence, capital punishment, health care equity, immigration/refugee reform, restorative justice, and accessibility for people with disabilities. As a woman with Epilepsy, a child of duel cultural (Iran/Ecuador), [click to continue...]
