Disability Lead’s Post

Helen Keller's remarkable journey inspired millions worldwide and sparked important conversations about disability rights and accessibility. Helen Keller 5 Takeaways Perseverance Over Adversity: Despite being deaf and blind from a young age, Helen Keller's life teaches us the power of perseverance and determination in overcoming seemingly insurmountable obstacles. The Importance of Education: Keller's journey highlights the transformative impact of education and learning. Through the guidance of her teacher, Anne Sullivan, she not only learned to communicate but also pursued higher education, becoming an advocate for accessible education for all. Empathy and Compassion: Keller's advocacy work and writings reflect her deep empathy and compassion for others. She championed causes such as disability rights, women's suffrage, and social justice, demonstrating the importance of empathy in creating a more inclusive and equitable society. Courage to Dream Big: Keller's life inspires us to dream big and pursue our goals with courage and tenacity. Despite her disabilities, she set ambitious goals for herself and achieved remarkable success, showing that with determination, anything is possible. The Power of Resilience: Keller's resilience in the face of adversity serves as a powerful reminder of the human capacity to overcome challenges and thrive. Her life teaches us to embrace resilience as a mindset, allowing us to bounce back from setbacks and emerge stronger than before. Read More: https://lnkd.in/dZCywpXk

One of the ten principles of Disability Justice is intersectionality. Many is the disabled community live at the intersection of being disabled and another marginalized identity. Here’s an excerpt from a blog written by advocate Rasheera Dopson, MPH for The NAMED Advocates where she talks about being Black and disabled and what she wishes she had learned about living at that intersection: “If I would’ve had the foreknowledge of knowing black female leaders before me were able to achieve pioneering feats and overcome insurmountable odds all while having disabilities, I would have boldness and courage quicker– to be able to stand up to the bullies on the playground who made fun of disabilities. I would’ve been able to stand to the school system and tell them myself I was well capable of doing great things even if I was taking special education and remedial class because there were black disabled women like Fannie Lou Hammer who had already defeated the odds. The leadership of Harriet Tubman and Fannie Lou set the precedent that disability should never be a factor in determining anyone’s greatness or capacity.” You can read the full blog post here: https://lnkd.in/evv8ze-P #DisabilityJustice #Intersectionality #ThoughtLeader #ThoughtLeadership #WomenLeaders #DisabilityRights #DisabilityAdvocate

Check out this webinar! ⬇️⬇️⬇️ Great lineup and topic! 🔥

🌟♿July 1st marks the beginning of Disability Pride Month. At Diversity Role Models, we recognise the unique and intersectional experiences of everyone, and celebrate their differences. 💕 At Diversity Role Models we recognise the importance of young pupils seeing and accepting those who are different from them. A number of our volunteer Role Models have a disability - either visible, or invisible - and we are grateful to them for sharing their stories within schools to help in our mission of promoting understanding and acceptance of individual differences. 🌈🤝 By highlighting the achievements and stories of people with disabilities we can challenge stereotypes and reduce stigma. By hearing the stories of Role Models with a disability, it allows young people to develop empathy and respect for differences and reduce exclusion and bullying in classrooms and schools. 💖📚 Here are some interesting facts about Disability Pride Month: 🟥Disability Pride Month originated in the United States 🟨The first Disability Pride Day was held in Boston in 1990. ⬜The month is dedicated to raising awareness about the barriers faced by people with disabilities and advocating for their rights. It is also a time to celebrate the diversity and uniqueness of the disability community. 🟦The Disability Pride Flag, created by Ann Magill, is often used to represent the month. 🟩The flag is crossed by a diagonal band of five colours - red, gold, white, blue, and green - to symbolize various disability experiences and identities. #DiversityRoleModels #learning #school #students #love #student #knowledge #teacher #business #love #pridemonth #disabilityawareness #disabled #equality #diversity #inclusion #disabilityinclusion #disabilitypride #equality #equity #hiddendisability #pride

If your organization is for the advancement of Black people but doesn't include a disability justice framework, which includes making your social media accessible with image and video descriptions, and giving Black Disabled voices a seat at the table then do you really stand for Black liberation? 10 PRINCIPLES OF DISABILITY JUSTICE by Sins Invalid INTERSECTIONALITY “We do not live single issue lives” –Audre Lorde. Ableism, coupled with white supremacy, supported by capitalism, underscored by heteropatriarchy, has rendered the vast majority of the world “invalid.” LEADERSHIP OF THOSE MOST IMPACTED “We are led by those who most know these systems.” –Aurora Levins Morales ANTI-CAPITALIST POLITIC In an economy that sees land and humans as components of profit, we are anti-capitalist by the nature of having non-conforming body/minds. COMMITMENT TO CROSS-MOVEMENT ORGANIZING Shifting how social justice movements understand disability and contextualize ableism, disability justice lends itself to politics of alliance. RECOGNIZING WHOLENESS People have inherent worth outside of commodity relations and capitalist notions of productivity. Each person is full of history and life experience. SUSTAINABILITY We pace ourselves, individually and collectively, to be sustained long term. Our embodied experiences guide us toward ongoing justice and liberation. COMMITMENT TO CROSS-DISABILITY SOLIDARITY We honor the insights and participation of all of our community members, knowing that isolation undermines collective liberation. INTERDEPENDENCE We meet each others’ needs as we build toward liberation, knowing that state solutions inevitably extend into further control over lives. COLLECTIVE ACCESS As brown, black and queer-bodied disabled people we bring flexibility and creative nuance that go beyond able-bodied/minded normativity, to be in community with each other. COLLECTIVE LIBERATION No body or mind can be left behind – only moving together can we accomplish the revolution we require. I challenge you to change your world view, today and right now. #10PrinciplesOfDisabilityJustice #DisabilityJustice #SinsInvalid #ChangeYourWorldView

The Dallas Morning News published a fascinating story showing the value of being intentional about hiring folks with disabilities. Randle D. Howard, president and CEO of Howard Construction, sought out someone with muscular dystrophy. The person said that when the hiring managers see her in person for the first time, they take her out of consideration. Howard asked her if she knew anyone like her that wanted to work. She told him she wanted to work and she now works for Howard. How did Howard arrive at this point of being intentional about disability inclusion? He told this story at a Rotary Club Awards event. It goes back to his college days. He had a roommate who happened to be blind. The university only had 500 Black students out of 18,000 in 1977. Howard suspected they put him with the Blind student because of this. He asked for another roommate, but the dorms were full. Later, when a spot opened, Howard decided not to change roommates. By that point, he had gotten to know his roommate and found him to be a cool person. Howard ended his speech with the following message. “We challenge everybody in the room to look at our differences and to open up opportunities, doors, to everyone’s talents,” he said. July is Disability Pride Month. More appropriately, it's a disability awareness month. What will you do to intentionally make progress with disability inclusion beyond the month of July? ✉️ Want to work with me? Open to opportunities. Contact me. 🔔 Tap the silent profile bell to catch the next post 👉 Follow #MerylMots for past posts #Inclusion

INCREDIBLE! Stop everything you are doing and listen to this podcast!! #DisabilityJustice #BlackHistoryMonth #Philanthropy #Podcast

From elementary school classrooms to adult care homes, so many of our care structures for disabled people are designed without their participation, often in direct opposition to their stated desires. But why? Lauren Schrero Levy, a disability rights advocate and lawyer, shares with Alida what she has learned since founding the disability advocacy nonprofit The Nora Project and serving as a civil rights lawyer at Equip for Equality. Listen: https://hubs.ly/Q02l4vxM0 Together, they explore the challenges in our current institutions for people with disabilities and the promise of inclusive spaces. Discover Lauren’s insights on honoring the dignity of every person: 💡The reasons behind society’s segregation of people with disabilities 💡The negative impact of remaining uninformed on conversations around inclusivity 💡Opposing viewpoints among parents of children with disabilities 💡The innate hope and usefulness of interdependence Listen: https://hubs.ly/Q02l4vxM0

We want to say a massive THANKYOU to the @Department of Communities for granting us $10,000 for our new project: Empowering Young Leaders in Disability! This exciting new project is a unique opportunity for young people with disabilities (YPWD) aged 12 – 25, living in regional WA to engage in a face-to-face workshop. Through utilising the lived experience of YPWD, these accessible and fun youth-friendly workshops will empower young leaders who live with disability. This will be delivered through a series of workshops facilitated by other YPWD that target four key elements: -Self-Advocacy -Employment -Sharing Lived -Experience Leadership [ID: The image shows a "Thank You" graphic from YDAN (Youth Disability Advocacy Network). At the top left is the YDAN logo, and in the center, there is a large "Thank You!" text with confetti. Below, the text reads: "Thank you to the Department of Communities for granting us $10,000 for our new project: Empowering Young Leaders in Disability!" The background is dark blue, with the text in white and orange accents.]

Check out this great free equity and inclusion episode!