Ensuring People with Disabilities to Have Equality

Friends,

As we close out another phenomenal year, we want to acknowledge our deep appreciation for you and your contributions to our work. Your unwavering support invigorates us to continue to make an impact for people with disabilities!

This year, RespectAbility became Disability Belongs™, and we are stepping into an incredible new chapter with our new brand and a renewed commitment to paving the way to opportunity for people with disabilities. By proudly embracing "disability" in our name, we are leading the charge to redefine perceptions and celebrate true inclusion as a disability-led organization. 

We are making a lasting impact by driving opportunity for the disability community, redefining harmful narratives of disability, and developing disabled leaders and inclusion champions. Below, we have laid out some of our key accomplishments this past year.

• We believe that anyone should be able to fully practice the faith of their choice, and this year we launched the Raising Awareness & Advancing Disability Belonging in the Christian Community” pilot initiative. This project will produce preaching resources and support accessibility improvements for four congregations who have joined the inaugural cohort. This work complements our ongoing efforts in the Jewish community and project serving faith communities of all kinds.
• Our National Leadership Program, in which we empower more than dozens of dynamic young leaders with disabilities, provided a transformative blend of professional development, cutting-edge skills training, and invaluable mentorship tailored for emerging professionals with disabilities. Our program isn't just about learning—it's a hands-on journey that equips these passionate individuals with the real-world experience they need to thrive in their careers. Recent graduates of the program have gone on to obtain employment with the Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities in Philadelphia, PBS, the California Department of Civil Rights, the National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities, and more! Others have been accepted into graduate programs at the University of Texas, University of North Carolina, and the University of Colorado Boulder.
• We expanded our Entertainment Lab to include both a five-month Virtual Lab and in-person intensives. The growing program provided 51 emerging professionals with disabilities with opportunities to develop skills, collaborate with peers, and receive mentorship from industry leaders. This dual approach ensured access for everyone and advanced Lab Fellows’ career development, empowering folks with disabilities from diverse backgrounds to break into the television, film, and streaming industries.
• Disability Belongs™ had an incredible opportunity to meet with 15 Congressional offices in-person and dozens more remotely, passionately advocating for action to support greater competitive, integrated employment for people with disabilities and pushed for changes to significantly increase access to voting for our community. We sought to rally support and secure partners in advocacy needed to enact these vital changes.  

While we are proud of our we have achieved this year, we recognize that there is so much more to do to reach our mission of full inclusion in all aspects of community. Applications for our programs from people with disabilities doubled this year. Despite significant employment gains for disabled jobseekers in the early post-pandemic period, job opportunities for our community is receding and our community needs more support. Thousands of disabled folks who want to worship alongside their chosen faith community, just like anyone else, are still be excluded for faith services and inaccessible houses of worship. We want to change all of that, but we need your help!

We need your help to continue offering life-changing opportunities to more individuals with disabilities. Demand for our programs far exceeds what we can currently provide. Your support will play a crucial role in helping us redefine negative narratives surrounding disability, develop future leaders in all areas of society, and create a future filled with more opportunities. Every donation, no matter the size, makes a meaningful difference.

Please consider making a tax-deductible donation before December 31st to take advantage of the charitable giving benefits for 2024. You can give online at through our GlobalGiving page. If you would like to follow along with our latest updates, make sure to follow us on Instagram or LinkedIn.

As we wrap up the year and look forward to new possibilities, we extend our deepest gratitude to you for being a vital part of our community. Thank you for your continued support! 

Gratefully,

Ariel A. Simms, Esq.

A New Era For Our Organization

After a thorough and inclusive process, a year in the making, RespectAbility is now known as Disability Belongs™!

To be clear, our mission, focus, and priorities remain unchanged. By incorporating “disability” into our name, we emphasize that being disabled is part of the human experience. We will continue to push for systemic change for people with disabilities and their intersecting identities. We are proud of RespectAbility’s past work and accomplishments, and we are invigorated by the opportunities yet to come as Disability Belongs™!

With all the exciting changes on our rebranding journey, we also continue our exciting work! As the new brand continues to gain traction, your efforts and support are invaluable. Your contributions in the past have propelled us to the position we are in today – thank you! Please read on for my updates on our exciting changes and what we've been up to this summer.

Our organization is currently engaged in a full-scale effort to pass legislation that will:

• Ensure emerging technologies meet accessibility standards
• Improve access to the ballot box for eligible voters
• Raise asset caps on Supplemental Security Income (SSI) to eliminate barriers to work
• Help ensure real jobs for real pay for disabled individuals  

As a nonpartisan organization, we recognize the importance of garnering support from across the political spectrum. This year alone, we’ve pushed for our policy priorities through dozens of meetings on Capitol Hill, actively advocating to support the disability community at large. Our commitment to addressing the obstacles faced by disabled constituents remains unwavering. Our goal is to drive positive and impactful change.

Lab Program Shines the Focus on Pitching

Since 2019, our award-winning Entertainment Lab elevates disabled creatives, focusing on building community, networking, and career advancement. We help develop the talent pipeline of disabled writers, directors, and others behind-the-camera, while introducing them to executives who advise Lab Fellows on various aspects of the industry and their craft, and in turn, enabling studios and production companies to learn about the talents and benefits of hiring disabled people.

Throughout the month of August, Entertainment Lab Fellows are honing their pitching skills for their projects through a combination of seminars and practice sessions, both internally and with external mentors. In addition, 10 Fellows have chosen to workshop their scripts this month, which includes an informal table read and feedback from peers and Disability Belongs™ team members.

Disability Belongs™ Announces Exciting Changes to Board of Directors

Disability Belongs™ is proud to announce that Khadija Bari (she/her) has been elected as the sixth Chair of the organization’s Board of Directors. “I am thrilled to lead the Board of Disability Belongs™, as we begin this new chapter in the organization’s bright future,” said Bari. “It is a much-welcomed change as we continue and grow in our work of redefining narratives, developing leaders, and driving opportunity for the disability community across the nation. I am humbled to follow in the footsteps of Disability Belongs’ past Chairs that have made their mark and continue to pave the way in strengthening the rights of people with disabilities around the world. The expertise of the Board of Directors and Advisors is invaluable to me, and I look forward to supporting President and CEO Ariel Simms as we turn the page and usher in a new era for Disability Belongs.

Bianca Casanova Anderson (she/her), a Director of Disability Belongs™, is now the organization’s Treasurer, and Karen Horne (she/her), another Director, has joined the Board’s Executive Committee at large. Former Advisory Council members Tamala Scott (she/her) and Toby G. Wong (she/her) were elected to the Board of Directors.