World Institute on Disability

Where in the world will WID be this week? The Leadership Exchange in Arts and Disability - LEAD

Marcie Roth, Executive Director and CEO and Dawn Skaggs, Chief Programs Officer along with Stephanie Fell will present an interactive session entitled Integrating Disability-Inclusive Principles into Arts/Cultural Organizations' Emergency Planning on Thursday, August 1st. LEAD24 will take place in Seattle, Washington beginning July 31st through August 2nd. There is still time to register to attend the conference virtually using the following link: https://web.cvent.com/event/1b970df7-6aea-402e-8f8e-57c5ec3525de/regProcessStep1

Today marks the 34th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act! We honor and celebrate those who fought for this landmark legislation that has been instrumental in advancing the rights of individuals with disabilities. As we forge ahead, we lift up Disability leaders still paving the way to equal opportunities and inclusion.

On this 34th anniversary of the ADA, this is a call to all Americans with Disabilities to Act! Celebrate, protect, defend, declare and act on your rights today!

Tomorrow you can join Verizon as they commemorate the anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)! WID Board of Directors Global Policy Committee Chair, Zachary Bastian will be a featured speaker. This virtual session will celebrate The Disability Collection which is a collaborative initiative aimed at shifting the narrative around the portrayal of the disability community in media. The session not only explores the genesis of this impactful project but also delves into the profound influence it has had on content creators and the broader conversation surrounding disability representation. ASL and CART services will be available. Register at: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1LqD1fmwMqtnMijkh5ItJsKpjIs_PimkkQoKJ0qcMS9s/viewform?edit_requested=true

World Institute on Disability is currently engaged in a research project to better support disability-owned businesses. Your participation in a brief survey will help efforts to supprt disability-owned businesses grow and thrive.

This project is funded by JPMorgan Chase. This survey should take less than 15 minutes to complete, depending on the length of your written responses. We thank you for your feedback and any/all information you can provide! Please visit this link to participate in the survey: https://lnkd.in/eVww_q7r

Please note – this survey discusses various resources that you may or may not know about. At the end of the survey, you will see a link to a resource page that will provide more information on all of the resources mentioned.

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It’s Disability Pride Month and WID is proud to be doing disability inclusive research!

As leading experts in disability inclusive focus groups, surveys and UX testing we are proud of our national cadre of disabled research participants who bring their disability expertise and our corporate partners and clients who are prioritizing disability inclusive research.

If your agency, corporation, or organization needs disability policy, practice or product research we can help.

If you are a person with a disability, join our cadre, make your voice heard and be a part of the solution.

Meet Global Heumann Fellow, Dr. Munir Sewani! Munir is a university teacher, researcher, socio-educational theorist, and disability advocate. He has been working as an Assistant Professor of Education at SMI University in Pakistan for
the last 12 years. Additionally, he is the founding Volunteer Director of the Global Forum for Teacher Educators, where he provides free education to children, youth, women, and elders from disadvantaged communities. Munir has delivered guest lectures at various global institutes, including The Open University, UK, the School of Education at UC Berkeley, Adult School Berkeley, Northampton University UK, and Leuphana University of Lüneburg, Germany. He has developed several educational models and frameworks, including Munir's socioecoethical model of human rights education and socio-ethical model of inclusivity.

This coming week you can find Dawn Skaggs at Phi*con, NACCHO's Public Health Informatics Inaugural Conference and at the NACCHO 360 Conference! Check out the details below!

PHI*con - NACCHO's Public Health Informatics Inaugural Conference

Dawn Skaggs, Chief Programs Officer, will be co-presenting a session entitled PHI*con: User testing for accessibility - websites, electronic communication, infographics and beyond at PHI*con on Tuesday, July 23rd.PHI*con is a NACCHO Conference specifically focusing on Public Health Informatics, Surveillance, and IT. The conference will be held July 22-23, 2024, in Detroit, Michigan. It's not too late to register to attend in- person or virtually.

Link to Register: https://virtualcommunities.naccho.org/2024phicon/home

NACCHO 360 Conference

She will also be co-presenting a session on Wednesday, July 24th entitled Beyond the demographics: Comparing City, County, and State outcomes to a public private partnership task force approach to generating local disability health equity solutions. The NACCHO 360 Conference takes place from July 22nd - 26th, 2024 in Detroit, Michigan. Registration is still open for in-person or virtual attendance.

Link to Register: https://www.naccho360.org/registration/register

Meet Global Heumann Fellow Kasim Rashid Sajjabi! Kasim is an Ugandan disability scholar and advocate with over 25 years in the disability rights and justice field. He has worked with robust organizations of persons with disabilities (OPDs) in Uganda, Rwanda, Somalia and UK, invariably providing technical support to each OPD. The Fellow currently supports a Somalia NGO - Youth Peer Education Network (Y-Peer Somalia) as Technical Adviser on a digital innovation Hub. Kasim enthusiastically takes up the fellowship offer at WID committed to promoting inclusion and justice for fellow PWDs. He holds a master’s degree in community disability studies from the University College of London (UCL) United Kingdom. This is complemented with several professional certificates which include: a month-long training in disability and health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), Disability inclusion in Humanitarian Programming at the KAYA Connect Humanitarian academy.

Meet Global Heumann Fellow, Robbie Francis Watene, PhD!

Robbie Francis Watene, PhD is a scholar, leader and human rights defender from Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland, Aotearoa New Zealand. With 35 years lived experience of disability, Robbie has worked in the disability sector for over 15 years as a support worker, humanitarian documentarian, social entrepreneur, researcher, consultant, and advisor. She has experience working with disabled people in France, Bangladesh, India, Mexico, Colombia and Ecuador, and has spearheaded research on gender, war and disability rights. Robbie is Disabled-Led Research Lead at the Donald Beasley Institute, where she oversees a variety of disability rights research projects and a team of disabled researchers. She is also co-founder and Director of The Lucy Foundation, an international social enterprise that has developed the world’s first value chain of coffee that is entirely inclusive of disabled people - from the farmer in Mexico, to the consumer in Aotearoa. Robbie serves on various governance boards and is Mum to 3-year-old Mita, and 6-month old Te Kawehaumārie (Ngāti Maru (Hauraki), Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Hine, Te Rarawa).

We are delighted to share that WID's inaugural cohort of three Global Heumann Fellows started on July 1st. Please join us in welcoming:

Kasim Sajjabi, Uganda; Munir Sewani, PhD Pakistan; and Robbie Francis Watene, PhD New Zealand

More information about our first cohort of the Global Heumann Fellowship will be coming later this month. We cannot wait to share more about these three disability rights leaders and the research projects that they will be working on for the next year. Thank you, once again, to all of our applicants. We were thrilled by the exceptional caliber of applications we received from over 70 countries, making the selection process incredibly challenging. We have already launched a WhatsApp group for all of our applicants, and the discussions among them are thought-provoking and mutually supportive. We will seek opportunities to engage with all applicants as we look to expand the Global Heumann Fellowship.

We are excited to partner with the Disability Justice Project to provide guidance to the cohort on documentary-style storytelling. We especially want to thank Wells Fargo and the Ford Foundation, for funding the first inaugural cohort of three fellows, as well as Wells Fargo, Microsoft and Mitsubishi Electric Americas Foundation for funding the startup of this initiative in 2023.

Celebrating 4 years of responding in support of disability-led organizations in disasters.

World Affairs Council - Cincinnati & Northern Kentucky and the US Department of State International Visitor Leadership Program invited WID to present at their Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management for the Indo-Pacific event. Discussions focused on accessibility and universal design, global community inclusion, emergency preparedness, disaster risk reduction, and climate resilience. We discussed best practices in emergency preparedness, management, planning, and coordination among federal, state, and local government and the private sector, while implementing whole community solutions. GADRA was a featured topic in these international discussions, where disability expert leaders discussed how to develop contingency plans for natural disasters, pandemics, technological hazards, and/or terrorism threats. Discussions included generating awareness, and operationalizing disability inclusive readiness and resilience that includes individuals with disabilities and leaders of disability-led organizations. The goal of disability inclusive disaster planning is to change the disproportionate impact of disasters on people with disabilities and other marginalized populations and to build the capabilities of disability expertise.

🎉We are thrilled to share that we are a 2024 grantee! We are very excited to get started on our demonstration project funded by and ! We are incredibly proud that AARP selected us for this investment to make San Patricio County Texas a more equitable location for residents of all ages.

Through this grant we will provide older adults and people with disabilities the opportunity to bring their lived-experience to emergency management and public health equitable disaster planning. Community participants will receive accessibility accommodations, Wi-Fi connections, and a stipend to join remote meetings with other community leaders.

Check out What's Up with World Institute on Disability this July in the latest edition of our newsletter! Dawn Skaggs discusses Disability Pride in Emergency, Disaster, and Climate Resilience. We also cover SCOTUS's recent opinions and the potential impact on the disability community and more.

Find out what's up with WID with this link: https://mailchi.mp/wid/news-july-4039113?e=de6df5d82e

🎉 Happy Disability Pride Month! 🎉

July is Disability Pride Month, held to commemorate the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) which was signed into law on July 26, 1990. Join us as we take this opportunity to celebrate and honor the achievements, resilience, and diversity of the disability community all month.

As Pride Month ends, our commitment to inclusion and representation continues. Let's carry forward the spirit of Pride by advocating for accessible spaces, challenging ableism, and celebrating the full spectrum of our community's diversity.

Celebrating Juneteenth and Disability Pride 🌟✊🏿✊🏾✊🏽

As we honor Juneteenth, the day that marks the emancipation of the last enslaved African Americans in 1865, it's essential to recognize the intersection of race and disability. This Juneteenth, let's amplify the voices of Black disabled activists. Together, we can work towards a future where freedom, equity, and accessibility are universal rights for all. ❤️🖤💚💛

Want to know what's up with World Institute on Disability this month? Check out this link to our newsletter. In this month's newsletter we have staff perspectives on the intersection of disability and the LGBTQIA+ community with pieces written by Heather Duncan and Gina Griffiths. We also look at the summer challenges of heat, hurricanes and health resilience with a piece written by Dawn Skaggs. And more!

Happy June and Happy Pride!

Link: https://mailchi.mp/wid/news-july-4039101?e=de6df5d82e

Wondering where to find WID? Chief Operations Officer, Kat Zigmont will be at the Xfinity store at 1068 E Brokaw Rd in San Jose, CA on June 6 from 1:00-3:00 for the ASL Services Launch!

Last week Marcie Roth, Executive Director and CEO of the World Institute on Disability attended and participated in AT&T's corporate-wide celebration of the Global Accessibility Awareness Day. This live and virtual presentation celebrated the partnerships with disability-led organizations, assistive technology developers, and AT&T.

It's not too late to join Verizon to celebrate Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD) at their virtual event hosted by WID Global Policy Committee Chair, Zachary Bastian, Verizon's Senior Manager, Strategic Alliances. This event exploring exciting accessible technology features welcome remarks from ADVANCE Membership Chair Jean Marston, along with Thomas E. Foley, Executive Director of National Disability Institute, and Tom Pey, Founder and CEO of Waymap. The discussion will explore how technology, powered by licensed spectrum, can help people with disabilities navigate to work and thrive on the job.

When: Thursday, May 16, 2024 from 3:00 - 4:00 PM EST

RSVP here to join the conversation: https://lnkd.in/eP8Aa79Q

Exciting news! 🎉On this Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD), World Institute on Disability, Scribely, GIPHY and Daniella Decker are proud to unveil our collaboration with the DisCo Collective! The DisCo Collective, short for Disability Community Collective, is pioneering a movement to foster greater visibility and inclusivity for anyone who loves to share GIFs online.

In celebration of this year’s , the DisCo Collective has teamed up with GIPHY to curate a collection of GIFs featuring Disabled creators and advocates. But here's what makes it truly special: each GIF is accompanied by authentically crafted alt text by Scribely, ensuring accessibility for all users. What's more, we're incorporating influencers' self-descriptions into the alt text to ensure we are authentically representing each person’s identity.



You can check out more about this launch in a post written by Daniella Decker in WID's Special Edition GAAD Newsletter.

Link Here: https://mailchi.mp/wid/news-july-4039089?e=de6df5d82e

Check out all of the GIFs on WID's GIPHY Brand Channel here: https://giphy.com/worldinstituteondisability