American Association of People with Disabilities

Join us later this month for AAPD's annual ADA Celebration on July 25, 2024 from 5:30-7:30pm ET, to recognize the 34th Anniversary of the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)! We hope you'll join us to reflect on the accomplishments of our community and look towards a future where the goals of the ADA are fully realized. Special guests and more information to come soon! In the meantime, get your tickets today at https://bit.ly/4cmQBvq Join us in-person at the Salamander Hotel in Washington, DC, or livestream the event to join us virtually. - In-Person Accommodations: ASL and CART will be provided. AAPD strives to make all of its in-person events fragrance-free. We ask that you arrive as scent and fragrance-free as possible in order to accommodate all guests. - In-Person COVID Policy: Masks will be required except for when eating and drinking. Proof of negative COVID test will be required for entry. Masks and COVID tests will be available upon arrival. - Virtual Accommodations: ASL, CART, and audio described event link. Need help or other accommodations? Please contact development@aapd.com. #AAPD #DisabilityRights #DisabilityAwareness #DisabilityAdvocate #DisabilityInclusion #Spoonie #TheBarriersWeFace #SuckItAbleism #AbleismExists #AAPD #BeingDisabledDoesDefineMe #ADA

On Tuesday, July 9th, 2024, Maria Town, President & CEO of AAPD, joined Disability Matters host Joyce Bender to commemorate the 34th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Maria shared how AAPD is working to uphold the ADA and advocates for the rights of people with disabilities. You'll hear hear insightful discussions on the ongoing efforts and challenges in the fight for disability rights. Listen to the podcast episode on-demand: https://lnkd.in/eaz2uHQG #DisabilityMatters #Podcast #ADA #AAPD #DisabilityRights #Inclusion #Advocacy #AmericansWithDisabilitiesAct #DisabilityAwareness #DisabilityAdvocate #DisabilityInclusion #TheBarriersWeFace #HandsOffMyADA #CripLivesMatter #NothingAboutUsWithoutUs #DisabilityPolicy #DisabilityAgenda

It's Disability Pride Month! #DisabilityPride is a time for disabled people to celebrate our community, honor our history, and share disabled joy. Another way we celebrate #DisabilityPrideMonth is by demanding better for ourselves and other disabled people. That's why this month AAPD is honoring Disability Pride with a campaign called Pride In Action: inviting you to take action with us all month long to fight for a better world for disabled people. After all, it takes Pride to know that you are worthy of accommodation, equity, and joy, and to advocate for yourself accordingly. In the words of disabled writer, poet, and activist, Laura Hershey: "Remember, you weren't the one who made you ashamed, but you are the one who can make you proud. " Keep tuning in throughout the month for opportunities to take action with us! #PrideInAction #DisabilityRights #DisabilityAwareness #DisabilityAdvocate #DisabilityInclusion #TheBarriersWeFace #Accessibility #HandsOffMyADA #DisabilityJustice #DisabledPower #WeTheDisabled #DisabilityPolicy #DisabilityAgenda #AAPD

Navigating the professional world with multiple disabilities can be isolating, but an AAPD internship at New Disabled South boosted Shannon Stubblefield's confidence. Working with Kiana Jackson, New Disabled South's Research Director, offered practical research skills beyond academia. Kiana championed Shannon's perspective as a Black disabled researcher, highlighting its inherent value. The internship instilled the importance of knowledge sharing. It emphasized transparency and acknowledging research limitations while presenting findings. A collaborative and supportive environment was a stark contrast to past experiences. "I aspire to be a leader who values diverse perspectives and contributions, fostering caring, inclusive and supportive environments. The emphasis on transparency, collaboration, and celebrating individual strengths, as demonstrated by my colleagues, will forever guide my leadership approach within the disability community." - Shannon Stubblefield #AAPDIntern #InternLife #YoungProfessional #FutureLeader #CareerGoals #DisabilityRights #DisabilityAwareness #InclusiveWorkplace #DisabilityAdvocate #DisabilityInclusion #Spoonie #AAPD

Join us later this month for AAPD's annual ADA Celebration on July 25, 2024 from 5:30-7:30pm ET, to recognize the 34th Anniversary of the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)! We hope you'll join us to reflect on the accomplishments of our community and look towards a future where the goals of the ADA are fully realized. Special guests and more information to come soon! In the meantime, get your tickets today at https://bit.ly/4cmQBvq Join us in-person at the Salamander Hotel in Washington, DC, or livestream the event to join us virtually. - In-Person Accommodations: ASL and CART will be provided. AAPD strives to make all of its in-person events fragrance-free. We ask that you arrive as scent and fragrance-free as possible in order to accommodate all guests. - In-Person COVID Policy: Masks will be required except for when eating and drinking. Proof of negative COVID test will be required for entry. Masks and COVID tests will be available upon arrival. - Virtual Accommodations: ASL, CART, and audio described event link. Need help or other accommodations? Please contact development@aapd.com. #AAPD #DisabilityRights #DisabilityAwareness #DisabilityAdvocate #DisabilityInclusion #Spoonie #TheBarriersWeFace #SuckItAbleism #AbleismExists #AAPD #BeingDisabledDoesDefineMe #ADA

"I have never before had the ability to speak with so many disabled people working on so many important issues, and the experience has reinforced my interest in finding a career that will allow me to work alongside other people with disabilities." - Elian Sorensen During his internship with the Administration for Community Living (ACL), Elian saw how lived experiences shape advocacy and witnessed disabled individuals contribute their unique perspectives to improve the lives of others. His AAPD internship cohort further highlighted the diversity within the disability community. Learning about their journeys, struggles for access, and fight for inclusion was a testament to the strength and resilience that exists. Perhaps most importantly, it fostered a sense of belonging. Prior to this, isolation often accompanied his disability. Spending time with other young disabled activists offered a sense of camaraderie and the importance of building connections within the community. #AAPDIntern #InternLife #YoungProfessional #FutureLeader #CareerGoals #DisabilityRights #DisabilityAwareness #InclusiveWorkplace #DisabilityAdvocate #DisabilityInclusion #Spoonie #AAPD

In 1938, the Fair Labor Standards Act was trying to increase disability employment when it allowed employers to pay disabled workers less (for doing the same work), and also segregate their disabled employees from their other employees. Today these old, 1930s ideas of subminimum wage and sheltered workshops are still in place, perpetuating disability discrimination in employment. Disabled people have more economic independence and community integration than ever before, but for many, that reality is not reflected at work when they are segregated and underpaid. Everyone should be paid fairly for their work, period. Congress is considering The Transformation to Competitive Integrated Employment Act (TCIEA), legislation which would end this unfair practice for good. Seventeen states have already passed legislation eliminating subminimum wage, and it's time to enact it nationwide. Join us in calling for Congress to #EndSubminimumWage. Learn more and contact your member of Congress at EndSubminimumWage.org #DisabilityRights #EndSubminimumWage #14c #EqualPay #MinimumWage #ShortChanged #DisabilityAwareness #DisabilityAdvocate #DisabilityInclusion #TheBarriersWeFace #HandsOffMyADA #DisabilityJustice #DisabledPower #WeTheDisabled #DisabilityPolicy #DisabilityAgenda #AAPD

Save the date for AAPD's annual ADA Celebration on July 25, 2024 from 5:30-7:30pm ET to recognize the 34th Anniversary of the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)! We hope you'll join us to reflect on the accomplishments of our community and look towards a future where the goals of the ADA are fully realized. Special guests and more information to come soon! In the meantime, get your tickets today: https://bit.ly/4cmQBvq Join us in-person at the Salamander Hotel in Washington, DC, or livestream the event to join us virtually. In-Person Accommodations: ASL and CART will be provided. AAPD strives to make all of its in-person events fragrance-free. We ask that you arrive as scent and fragrance-free as possible in order to accommodate all guests. Virtual Accommodations: ASL, CART, and audio described event link. Need help or other accommodations? Please contact development@aapd.com.

Today, we celebrate Chella Man, a deaf, transgender, Jewish and Chinese model, painter, performer, producer and sculptor. Chella is an activist and speaker, sharing their insight on the intersection of disability, race, gender, and queerness across many public forums including TEDx, DC Public Library’s Celebrating Pride, the Tamron Hall Show, and the keynote address at Penn State’s Pride Month celebration. Across a multidisciplinary practice, Man emphasizes joy as a tool of activism, a defense against harmful discourses and exploitative practices imposed on disabled and trans communities. Rather than centering struggle or trauma, they foreground pleasure, abundance, curiosity, and care as a radical path forward. Much of Man’s work is shared through publicly accessible social-media channels, allowing them to circumvent the typical tradeoffs and buy-ins of mass media to reach a broad audience. Man populates the media landscape with abundant depictions of an empowered self, proudly fluid and deeply rooted in resilient communities. #DisabilityRights #Pride #LGBTQHistory

AAPD and more than 90 disability and allied organizations sent a memo to CNN calling on them to ensure that tonight's Presidential Debate is accessible to all disabled voters, and includes questions about the policies that shape our lives. CNN has failed to respond, ignoring the access needs and policy questions of the more than 38 million voters with disabilities in the United States. Democracy doesn't work unless it's accessible and inclusive. Read our memo and letter, and share it with your networks on social media to tell CNN (be sure to tag them!) that you want CNN to #CripTheDebate. The 19th covered our debate memo to CNN, and while CNN did not respond to AAPD, they did respond to the 19th reporter’s questions. CNN said their debate broadcast was accessible because they provide closed captions. Captions are not the same as ASL, nor do captions address all of the accessibility issues named in our memo. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/gz5NVEqC Full letter: https://lnkd.in/engpzWpW