EmployAbility

Parent Perspective: The Value of Community Access Board Member and Parent Representative Lynda Sueirro and her daughter, Aspen, talk about how they found EmployAbility's Community Access Program, the positive impact it has in Aspen's life, how the program has been affected by the pandemic, and the need for community support so that it can continue to empower adults with IDD. #AbilityInAction #CommunityAccess #IDDAdvocate #LifeLongLearning #MotivatedMom #TogetherIsBetter

Rick Fleming, an Austin portrait artist with an intellectual disability, created a portrait of former Vice President Joe Biden which has been selected to feature on the Democratic presidential candidate’s official merchandise as a tote bag. #DisabilityArtist #DisabilityVoter

More than 1.1 million children under age 6 in the United States receive services for a disability, while 2.5 percent of parents of young children have a disability that affects their workforce participation. All families, including those with disabilities, benefit from access to affordable child care that will support their children’s development in inclusive and enriching environments. These programs also provide parents with the support they need to thrive. But the dearth of inclusive, affordable child care options causes job disruptions for parents of disabled children at twice the rate of those whose children do not have disabilities.

As the 2020 election nears the finish line, Americans are increasingly bombarded with political ads and neighborhood yard signsall trying to convince voters who will be the best candidate to represent them. In the past, however, disabled people have often not found themselves or their needs prioritized in political pandering. This exclusion seemed to wane throughout the 2020 primary elections, as several presidential hopefuls released disability platforms during their campaignsan unprecedented and long-overdue inclusion of the disability community.

Seizures, sleeping problems, and colds that become pneumonia or bronchitis are just a few of the issues that two-year-old Daelyn Wozniak has already had to deal with in his young life. Wozniak suffered a brain bleed while in utero, and has been diagnosed with cerebral palsy [CP], a disorder that affects a person’s ability to move and maintain balance and posture. From the community, she only asks that people recognize what the disability is, and to be supportive and understan...ding if they come across somebody who is dealing with it. I want to bring awareness to everybody about CP and ask you not to judge a book by the cover. #CPAwareness #CPAdvocate #MotivatedMom

What started as a simple workout video first posted in late March has ballooned in to a three-part series that King has recruited others to participate in called SO Connected. An activity-based video continues to provide home workout routines while another supplements the exercise with healthy eating tips. A third provides a window into the lives of Special Olympic athletes. It’s a way to for those involved to express themselves outside of sports, King said, describing an athlete who can play the piano by ear without sheet music. #AbilityInAction #SpecialOlympics

For many, working from home has become the new norm during the pandemic. As companies continue to invest in this approach, people living with disabilities say it’s time for businesses to consider them an equal part of the workforce. October is National Disabilities Awareness Employment Month, or NDEAM, and advocacy groups agree it’s a good opportunity to close the hiring gap.... #NDEAM #DisabilityWorker #InclusiveWorkplace

Approximately 38.3 million people with disabilities, nearly the equivalent of the entire population of California, are eligible to vote in the upcoming United States elections. This includes 5.4 million Black and 4.1 million Latinx voters with disabilities. Yet the obstacles they face in voting may mean that their voices will not be heard. A report on polling stations after the 2016 elections found that nearly 60 percent had at least one accessibility barrier, an improvement over 73 percent in 2008, but still far from where the country should be 30 years since the ADA’s passage. #DisabilityVoter #DisabilityAdvocacy

35 year old Nandi has a visual impairment and Down syndrome who has choosen entrepreneurship as a path to meaningful employment. With the encouragement and guidance of her care team, Nandi’s interest in photography led her to start her own small business, Scan with Nan. The scanning business idea is a good fit for Nandi because she can focus on the task at hand and take breaks when she needs them. #NDEAM #disabilityentrepeneur #AbilityInAction

We asked the question, Autistic adults, what advice would you give to parents when it comes to meltdowns? What was helpful for you? What did you need?

When Sophia’s mom found out her daughter would be born with an extra copy of chromosome 21, she didn’t know much about Down syndrome. I had never met a person with Down syndrome, said Michelle Sie Whitten, Co-Founder, President & CEO of the Global Down Syndrome Foundation. But Michelle found out quickly there was a void in help for kids like her daughter. Michelle co-founded the Global Down Syndrome Foundationnow the nation’s largest source of funding for Down syndrome-rel...ated research, medical care and programs. Global has donated more than $32 million to establish the first Down syndrome research institute, supporting over 400 scientists and 2,000 patients. The program Michelle is most proud ofGlobal’s Be Beautiful, Be Yourself Fashion Show. The largest Down syndrome fundraiser in the world, raising to date $20 million.

I want our society to know there are capable and talented people on the spectrum who are able to 'walk the walk' but might have challenges 'talking the talk.' During months like October, which is National Disability Employment Awareness Month, I ask companies not to look at what they can do for an autistic person, but what an autistic person can do for their company. #NDEAM #neurodiverseworkplace #IDDWorker #Supportedemployment #InclusiveWorkforce

Same But Different, a nonprofit U.K. group that uses art for social change, is inviting people to choose their favorite photographs in a calendar contest to heighten awareness of rare diseases, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The public is now being asked to scroll through the gallery and vote for their 12 favorites, which will be made into the calendar and available for sale.

When I used a wheelchair, people often rushed to help me get up the stairs. The link in the public’s mind between disability and mobility has led hidden disabilities, such as visual impairment or being immunocompromised, often not being included in conversations about accommodation and support systems. Clinicians are not usually accustomed to talking about states of disability for which there is no clear biomedical explanation or treatment plan. Most people are not accustomed to talking about the barriers that exist for people with non-mobility disabilities. I believe that both of these gaps stem from a lack of knowledge of what it means to be disabled, which can be fixed with education and discussion.