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.