Mercy Corps’ Post

Each year in July, Disability Pride Month celebrates people who experience disability and their contributions to society. It is also to raise awareness of the challenges people with disabilities still face every day to be treated equally and to promote all types of disabilities as a natural part of humanity. This includes 16% of the world’s population - over 1 billion people - according to the World Health Organization (2023). It is so important to showcase people with disabilities because that allows viewers to see beyond disability. Celebrating #DisabilityPrideMonth with insights on #accessibility and #inclusion I do with intention and purpose. There have been invaluable contributions of individuals with #disabilities to our society and who carried and lived their disability with pride. Some of these champions are: 1. Judy Heumann: A disability rights activist, known as the "Mother of the Disability Rights Movement", who played a significant role in development of American disability legislation (e.g., Americans Disability Act, Section 508, Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, etc.). She used a wheelchair since childhood due to polio. 2. Helen Keller: An author, disability rights advocate, political activist, and lecturer who was deaf-blind. 3. Jim Sinclair: An American autistic activist and writer who is widely considered the founder of the Autism Rights Movement. 4. Franklyn Roosevelt: American politician and lawyer who presided as the 32nd president of the United States who lost the use of his legs due to polio. 5. Steve Jobs: The legendary technology CEO and Co-founder of Apple who had dyslexia as a child. 6. Harriet Tubman: Revered and reviled abolitionist and successful conductor of the Underground Railroad who lived with epilepsy. 7. Louise Braille: A French educator who invented the Braille system who was completely blind. Now we have companies and global modern heroes who continue to carry the torch with technology, digital accessibility, #advocacy, #allyship, and pride such as Apple, Microsoft, Google, Haben Girma, Michael J. Fox, Alice Wong, Nick Vujicic, as well as LinkedIn Top Voices in Disability Advocacy (LinkedIn News, 2022), 🦻 Meryl Evans, CPACC (deaf), Emily Ladau, Brandon Farbstein, Catarina Rivera, MSEd, MPH, CPACC, Marisa Hamamoto, @JulieHarris, Tiffany A. Yu, MSc, Jamie Shields, Maayan Ziv, @RyanHonick, amongst others. I am committed to humbly carry and wear my personal disability experience, educate, and support the voiceless people with disabilities and unsung heroes that disability is a “natural” part of life. Let’s ALL continue to honor the history, achievements, experiences, stories, and inclusion of the disability community – with pride. #InclusionForAll #AccessibilityMatters #PeopleWithDisabilities #BeAVoice #InvisibleDisabilities #VisibleDisabilities #LastingImpact (Alt-text provided)

Ever wondered how to break into the world of disability advocacy? In this enlightening video, disability activist and writer Imani Barbarin shares her personal journey and offers valuable insights for aspiring advocates. Source: TikTok @crutches_and_spice https://lnkd.in/ez2kkas2 Transcript: So I actually get this question a lot. So here's my answer. So I got into this work because, um, after I got my master's degree, it was very hard for me to get a job. So I started tweeting about how hard it was for me to get a job. And then my boss found me on Twitter and asked me to apply for a communication director position. But to get into advocacy work, you don't necessarily need a degree, let alone an advanced degree. Many advocacy jobs or jobs within the disability space do not require anything but a high school diploma. If you want some concrete experience, I recommend joining a board for a disability organization within your state or city. Many of the organizations that receive federal funds for disability advocacy are required to have a board that is representative of the community that they are advocating for. And that doesn't mean just having one or two disabled people, but having disabled people with varying different disabilities. There's protection advocacy agencies that I work for. There's the Arcs, Autistic Self Advocacy Network, CILs are centers for independent living, NAMI for mental illness. There's a lot of opportunity.

Thank you to everyone who joined us for our first Lead Different webinar with Darian Gambrell! We will be posting the full recording of the webinar at the beginning of August. We are pleased to announce Andy Imparato as our next guest for the Lead Different webinar series! - Date: August 16, 2024 - Time: 2:30 PM - 3:00 PM EST Andy Imparato is a distinguished disability rights lawyer and policy professional with over 30 years of experience in advancing policies and practices to improve employment outcomes for people with disabilities. Andy's work is deeply informed by his lived experience with bipolar disorder. As the executive director of Disability Rights California, Andy oversees a $46 million legal services and policy advocacy organization with 26 offices across the state. Since 2016, he has been instrumental in planning four international summits on disability employment, attracting participation from over 40 countries. Andy has also served as an advisor on disability inclusion and accessibility to major employers, including Walmart, Verizon, AT&T, Microsoft, IBM, Walgreens, and SAP. Join us on August 16th to hear Andy share his insights on disability rights, his leadership journey, and the impact of his advocacy work. Don't miss this chance to learn from a leader who has dedicated his career to driving positive change in the disability community. Open to anyone! To register, visit: https://lnkd.in/en46CjFe #LeadDifferent #Webinar #AndyImparato #InniveeStrategies [Image Description: The image promotes a webinar featuring Andy Imparato, Ex. Director of Disability Rights California. The background is dark blue with dotted patterns. Text at the top reads, "FEATURING: EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF DISABILITY RIGHTS CALIFORNIA ANDY IMPARATO." The webinar is on Aug 16, 2024, from 2:30 PM to 3:00 PM EST. A circular photo of Andy Imparato is on the right. Below the details is a blue "REGISTER" button with a hand cursor icon. The bottom text states, "LIVE ON ZOOM - INTERPRETED/VOICED & CAPTIONED - OPEN TO EVERYONE." At the bottom, "Innivee Strategies" and "LEAD DIFFERENT" are displayed. End of Image Description]

Share a list of books and resources on disability rights advocacy. Here's a curated list of key books and resources on disability rights advocacy that can provide you with valuable insights and deepen your understanding of the field: •"Nothing About Us Without Us: Disability Oppression and Empowerment" - This book offers a broad and comprehensive look at the international disability rights movement, encouraging readers to reconsider many assumptions about disability in relation to human rights (Meriah Nichols). •"Waist-High in the World: A Life Among the Nondisabled" - A memoir that provides a poignant and candid look at life with a disability, offering personal insights into the experiences of being a parent with a disability (Meriah Nichols). •"Disability Rights Advocacy Online: Voice, Empowerment and Global Connectivity"- This book examines how disability rights advocates in the UK and US have used new media technologies, offering an original perspective on the relationship between disability and the internet (Routledge). • "The Disability Studies Reader" - A comprehensive overview of disability studies, this book covers various aspects of the field, including cultural studies, literary criticism, sociology, and more (Meriah Nichols). • Additionally, the website Disability Resources offers a wealth of information on advocacy, including key organizations, legislative alerts, and resources for engaging in disability rights advocacy (Disability Resources). • Task for the Audience: Choose one of the books or visit the Disability Resources website to explore their offerings. After engaging with the material, share an insight or learning that stood out to you with your network or in a discussion group. This can help spread awareness and foster a deeper understanding of disability rights and advocacy.

January 6, 1972 is a historic day for the Protection & Advocacy (P&A) network. It marks that day that a physician from Willowbrook State School in New York secretly met with reporter Geraldo Rivera, laying the groundwork for the exposé Willowbrook: The Last Disgrace, highlighting the horrible conditions at the facility. Located in Staten Island, New York, Willowbrook State School served as the largest institution for the treatment of people with disabilities. Upon its opening in 1948, the facility was pictured by administration to be a safe institution for residents to receive therapy, opportunities, resources, and proper care. In reality, it separated the disability community from the rest of society and was understaffed, riddled with disease, and unsafe. Following the failed attempts to expose the horrors at Willowbrook by journalists and staff, Geraldo Rivera released the monumental firsthand investigation and exposé Willowbrook: The Last Disgrace in 1972, catching international attention. As a result, historic legislation protecting the rights of persons with disabilities and Protection & Advocacy agencies were created to ensure people with disabilities are treated equally. As the Protection & Advocacy (P&A) agency for the state of Tennessee, Disability Rights Tennessee works daily to protect the rights of people with disabilities across the state. Through individual and systemic advocacy, DRT ensures Tennesseans with disabilities are free from harm, have access to appropriate treatment, are empowered, and are included in their community. Although the respect for the rights of all persons has made advancements, there is still a critical need for protection and advocacy. Willowbrook: The Last Disgrace set a foundation for agencies like DRT to be present within facilities, monitoring and advocating for those within. Read more in our blog post from last year: https://lnkd.in/eAR_tVbr

From the 504 Sit-In to the Capitol Crawl, the disability rights movement has a long and rich history. Unfortunately, retellings of these moments often leave out the Black disability rights advocates who made them possible. Today, in honor of Black History Month, we celebrate five of these fearless advocates: Johnnie Lacy, Ever Lee Hairston, Joyce Ardell Jackson, Brad Lomax, and Lois Curtis. Read the blogpost below! #Disability #DisabilityRights #DisabilityRightsMovement #DisabilityRightsAdvocates #DisabilityRightsAdvocacy #ActivistsWithDisabilities #DisabledActivists #BlackDisabilityRightsAdvocates #BlackDisability #BlackHistoryMonth #BlackActivism #BlackLiberation #BlackHistory #BlackDisabilityHistory #BlackAmericanHistory #DisabilityHistory #DisabilityRightsHistory #BlackHistoryFacts #BlackExcellence #BlackActivists #DisabilityActivists

From article: "“I was in school from 1990 onward, so I'm part of what they call the ‘ADA generation.’ I always had the ADA at my back,” said Desiree Forte, the youth program manager at Easterseals Massachusetts. Still, she rarely saw disabled people like herself in textbooks. The ADA may be relatively more well-known, but other historic events in the disability rights movement not as well: The 504 Sit-in of 1977, when more than 100 people took over a federal building in San Francisco for 26 days to push for the enforcement of section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the longest takeover of a federal building ever in American history; The Capitol Crawl, when dozens of disabled people climbed up the steps of the Capitol building in 1990 to demand urgency to pass the ADA. Graham Warder, chair of the history department at Keene State College in New Hampshire, says disability history is a “rich” history for students of any age. “It opens up all kinds of new kinds of questions, about sometimes old subjects,” he said. “I mean, how can you talk about war without talking about disability? How can you talk about the workplace without talking about disability? How can you talk about the roles of government? These are real standard questions in history.” https://lnkd.in/gfC6NJA7 #socialstudies #curriculum #disability

Just one of the amazing nonprofit organizations I’ve had the pleasure of helping implement a new accounting solution. Check out the awesome work they do! Know a nonprofit organization that could benefit from industry leading ERP solutions? Check out JMT Consulting today! #nonprofit #sageintacct #erpsolutions #JMT

From the 504 Sit-In to the Capitol Crawl, the disability rights movement has a long and rich history. Unfortunately, retellings of these moments often leave out the Black disability rights advocates who made them possible. Today, in honor of Black History Month, we celebrate five of these fearless advocates: Johnnie Lacy, Ever Lee Hairston, Joyce Ardell Jackson, Brad Lomax, and Lois Curtis. Read the blogpost below. #Disability #DisabilityRights #DisabilityRightsMovement #DisabilityRightsAdvocates #DisabilityRightsAdvocacy #ActivistsWithDisabilities #DisabledActivists #BlackDisabilityRightsAdvocates #BlackDisability #BlackHistoryMonth #BlackActivism #BlackLiberation #BlackHistory #BlackDisabilityHistory #BlackAmericanHistory #DisabilityHistory #DisabilityRightsHistory #BlackHistoryFacts #BlackExcellence #BlackActivists #DisabilityActivists

Looking for a new read? I've got you covered! Against Technoableism: Rethinking Who Needs Improvement by Ashley Shew This has been my latest read and the inspiration for this post because it's simply so excellent and should be a mandatory read for all folks working in digital accessibility, especially the first chapter "Disabled Everything". I highlighted so many parts of this book but I promised myself to pick 1 quote: "It should go without saying that we need to center disabled people as experts about disability and technology" Care Work: Dreaming Disability Justice by Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha Want to explore the ways care manifests in the disability community, by and between diverse disabled folks? Or want to learn more about disability justice? This book is for you. Some of my favourite quotes: "Disabled people are so much more than our access needs" "To see coming into disability as a birth and not a death" "Inclusion without power or leadership is tokenism" Being Heumann: An Unrepentant Memoir of a Disability Rights Activist by Judith Heumann Want to read the story of a pioneer in disability rights? This one is for you. Judy's description of early disabled childhood felt so healing for me. Disability Visibility: First-person Stories from the Twenty-first Century edited by Alice Wong A popular one but popular for a reason! If you have a short attention span and want to read a bit at a time this anthology of disabled stories is for you. Growing Up Disabled in Australia edited by Carly Findlay This one holds a special place in my heart for being one of the first disability non-fiction books I read, it came at a time when I was just coming into my disability identity. I listened to the audiobook of this on a lot of public transport and I'm not afraid to say I cried a lot. Similar to above, an excellent anthology of Australian disabled perspectives and stories. Capitalism and Disability: Selected Writings by Marta Russell This is probably the densest read of all listed here and it's certainly more skewed to the academic side of things. My physical copy of this is well-loved because I refer back to it so often for quotes, the data is a bit out of date but it is still so worth the read. It is focussed on America but so much of what is talked about is mirrored in Australia. On my TBR (to be read): - No Pity by Joseph P. Shapiro - Exile and Pride by Eli Clare - Academic Ableism by Jay T Dolmage - Black Disability Politics by Sami Schalk - The Future Is Disabled: Prophecies, Love Notes and Mourning Songs by Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha - Crip Kinship: The Disability Justice & Art Activism of Sins Invalid by Shayda Kaifa What are your disability book recommendations? I would love to hear them in the comments below ❤️ Hashtags: #Disability #DisabilityCommunity #CripLit #Accessibility