RespectAbility

@respectabilityusa | partner
RespectAbility fights stigmas and advances opportunities for people with disabilities. RespectAbility is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that understands we are a stronger community when we live up to our values – when we are welcoming, diverse, moral and respect one another. We work with entertainment, policy makers, educators, self-advocates, nonprofits, employers, faith-based organizations, philanthropists, journalists and online media to fight stigmas and advance opportunities for people with disabilities. Led by people with disabilities and those who love them, we know that people with disabilities and their families have the same hopes and dreams as everyone else, even if they face different challenges. We do not lobby; we educate. Our free tools and factual resources inform so people with disabilities can achieve the education, training, jobs, security and good health that everyone needs and deserves.
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Retro TV.
Retro TV.
Lauren Appelbaum
 • 
Disability
February 23, 2022

GLAAD Report Finds Disability Is Still Greatly Underrepresented on TV

A new report by GLAAD found that the number of series regular characters with disabilities counted on primetime broadcast TV decreased, down to 2.8% (22 of 775) from a record high of 3.5% last year and 3.1% the year before. The number of characters counted also fell, from 27 to 22. Since Variety VIP+ reports that Americans [...]
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Headshots of Liam Michel Saux, Vanessa Burghardt and Reid Davenport. Text: Disability Representation at Sundance Film Festival 2022
Headshots of Liam Michel Saux, Vanessa Burghardt and Reid Davenport. Text: Disability Representation at Sundance Film Festival 2022
Lauren Appelbaum
 • 
Disability
January 23, 2022

Sundance Film Festival 2022 Shines the Spotlight on Disability Authenticity

With one-in-five people having a disability in the U.S. today, the lack of representation – just 2.3 percent of characters in the 100 top-grossing films of 2019 and 8 percent in family films – means that millions of people are unable to see themselves reflected in media. The 2022 Sundance Film Festival (January 20 – 30) will provide an [...]
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Lauren Appelbaum
 • 
Complex Regional Pain Syndrome
November 27, 2021

Why CRPS Awareness Month Is So Important

In March 2018 I was diagnosed with Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD), now classified as Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS), which is a form of chronic pain that usually affects an arm or a leg. With just 200,000 people in the U.S. diagnosed with CRPS in the U.S., most people have not heard of CRPS, which [...]
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Sandra Mae Frank smiling headshot
Sandra Mae Frank smiling headshot
Lauren Appelbaum
 • 
Deafness
August 20, 2021

Deaf Actress Sandra Mae Frank Joins the Cast of 'New Amsterdam'

Deaf actress Sandra Mae Frank has joined NBC’s “New Amsterdam” as Dr. Elizabeth Wilder. It is important to note that Frank is being added as a doctor, as many medical shows feature disabled actors as patients, but not as people who are helping others. Actors Rachel Handler, who is an amputee, and Matthew Jeffers, who [...]
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"Born for Business" poster featuring entrepreneurs with disabilities.
"Born for Business" poster featuring entrepreneurs with disabilities.
Lauren Appelbaum
 • 
Disability
August 12, 2021

'Born for Business' Shines a Spotlight on Disabled Entrepreneurs

Docuseries from the Emmy Award-winning creators of “Born This Way,” Bunim/Murray Productions, as well as Shopify Studios, begins streaming on Peacock and CRAVE on August 23 A powerful docuseries that spotlights the untold stories of four entrepreneurs with disabilities, “Born for Business” gives viewers an insider’s look at what it takes to launch and run [...]
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Old-fashioned film camera.
Old-fashioned film camera.
Lauren Appelbaum
 • 
Disability
August 7, 2021

Bentonville Film Festival Features Disabled Filmmakers and Actors

The Bentonville Film Festival (BFF) took to the screens – both live in Arkansas and virtual on computers and TV sets throughout the country – for its seventh year. Chaired by Academy Award winner Geena Davis, BFF champions women and diverse voices. According to festival programmers, out of all films selected for this year’s program, [...]
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Poster for Selahy, a film by Alaa Zabara
Poster for Selahy, a film by Alaa Zabara
Lauren Appelbaum
 • 
Deafness
August 5, 2021

New Film 'Selahy' Tells the Story of a Deaf Girl in War-Torn Yemen

Narrative Film Selected for Competition Shorts of the Bentonville Film Festival An independent hard-of-hearing Yemeni-American director and cinematographer, Alaa Zabara recognizes the power of media to “change the hearts and minds of an audience, highlight the stories that need to be told, and to amplify the voices of the voiceless.” Her newest film, “Selahy ‘My Weapon,’” is [...]
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Sophie Kim and the cast of "The Healing Powers of Dude."
Sophie Kim and the cast of "The Healing Powers of Dude."
Lauren Appelbaum
 • 
Disability
July 9, 2021

Disability-Inclusive Netflix Show 'The Healing Powers of Dude' Receives Emmy Nominations

Netflix’s “The Healing Powers of Dude,” which took disability inclusion to a new level when it premiered in January 2020, has received several Daytime Emmy nominations. Jace Chapman, who plays Noah, a boy with social anxiety in middle school, has been nominated for Outstanding Principal Performance in a Children’s Program. In addition, the team has [...]
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A scene from Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood with Max and all of the o there characters on a rug listening to a story.
A scene from Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood with Max and all of the o there characters on a rug listening to a story.
Lauren Appelbaum
 • 
Autism Spectrum Disorder
April 4, 2021

'Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood' to Feature New Autistic Character

PBS KIDS Adds New Character To “Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood:” Meet Max, Teacher Harriet’s Autistic Nephew Max’s character will offer an authentic representation of autism for children and adult audiences alike 13-year-old Israel Thomas-Bruce has not had the opportunity to see himself represented on TV in the way that many other children may have. That is [...]
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Kayla Cromer reading "Snow Day for Groot."
Kayla Cromer reading "Snow Day for Groot."
Lauren Appelbaum
 • 
Disability
March 19, 2021

Disney's Magic of Storytelling Features Actresses With Disabilities

Talent From the Walt Disney Company Bring the Magic of Storytelling to Next Generation of Storytellers After launching a new campaign to inspire the love of reading featuring a diverse group of talent from across the Disney family, Disney is shining the spotlight on two actresses with disabilities who are reading Disney books. This is [...]
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