California Department of Rehabilitation’s Post

The arts enrich our lives. Get to know three arts and culture focused nonprofits that are creating beauty in various fields as they promote inclusion and access for those with disabilities in this article from Let's Get Moving Journal: https://bit.ly/4afcvPj

Get to know the dedicated individuals serving on the Board of Directors for the Ohio Provider Resource Association! Meet Tim Menke, Chief Executive Officer of Lott and District 4 OPRA Board Member.   How many years have you served people with disabilities? 12 years   How long have you been an OPRA member? 4 years   How long has your tenure been on the OPRA Board? 3 years   What is one reason that inspired you to serve on the OPRA Board? To be engaged and more informed about our industry, and to help serve people at Lott to the best of my ability.   How did you get started in our field of work? God’s direction and I obeyed.   What's your dream for Ohioans with disabilities? To be able to enjoy their lives without all the restrictions, guidelines, and rules that regulate their daily lives.   What's one thing you'd like the OPRA Community to know about you? I love serving people in this industry and would love to see them freed from over-regulation. 

There's No Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion without #Disability Thank you to the Inevitable Foundation for this important paradigm-shifting campaign. One of my frustrations over the past several years has been sitting at #DEI tables and being the only entity interested in #inclusion of persons with #disabilities as well as #olderadults. In this country, people who have characteristics of either or both categories are siloed, excluded, marginalized. Few know that the status quo of programs, products, and places (and the policies that govern them) are contributing to this as they are dis-abling and discriminatory. But they don't have to be. We create for a perceived norm, thinking we are meeting the needs of the average and everyone else can adapt. But if you understand person:environment fit you know that we actually create for a small subset of the population, requiring everyone else to adapt. The farther a person is from the norm, the more they struggle to adapt. This not only costs them in dignity, independence, and money, but negatively impacts employers and society economically and through the loss of meaningful contributions of very diverse populations. It doesn't have to be this way--we can enable people to THRIVE! by design. In addition to the important work of the Inevitable Foundation, check out the important work of John Robinson of Our Ability, Inc. as well as Bret Lieberman of #YesICan to see how it's being done...and learn more about enabling people to thrive by design at https://lnkd.in/gbKvM9RT #abilitynotdisability #silverexodus #silverbraindrain #neurodiversity #sensoryfriendly

💯💯💯 Are you an organization looking to enhance your current DEI programming with a more disability inclusive lens? Reach out to me here or via my website www.kfreyconsulting.com to learn about how I can help. #disabilityinclusion #disabilityadvocate #disabilityawareness

Get to know the dedicated individuals serving on the Board of Directors for the Ohio Provider Resource Association! Meet Tim Menke, CEO of Lott Industries, Inc. and District OPRA Board Member, District 4.   How many years have you served people with disabilities? 12 years   How long have you been an OPRA member? 4 years   How long has your tenure been on the OPRA Board? 3 years   What is one reason that inspired you to serve on the OPRA Board? To be engaged and more informed about our industry, and to help serve people at Lott to the best of my ability.   How did you get started in our field of work? God’s direction and I obeyed.   What's your dream for Ohioans with disabilities? To be able to enjoy their lives without all the restrictions, guidelines, and rules that regulate their daily lives.   What's one thing you'd like the OPRA Community to know about you? I love serving people in this industry and would love to see them freed from over-regulation. 

I'm late to the party here, but I wanted to make sure folks in my network knew about the Ramp Your Voice! free virtual conference on this Friday, June 7th. The line up is incredible! From the site: "Illuminating the richness of Black disabled people - our joys and truths This conference will intentionally center Black disabled perspectives and create spaces to candidly discuss the topics that matter to us, as well as learn about the talented individuals who are a part of our dynamic community. At the Ramp Your Voice! Conference, we will make the unseen seen and form new connections across fields and endeavors, to lift up and support the intellectual, creative, and joyful talent that runs right through our powerful community. This will go beyond the typical conference - we want to spotlight what WE do. There will be two focal points for the conference: Ramp Your Talent - Showcase Black disabled people’s gifts & abilities to spotlight who we are creatively. This is where the artistry for the conference comes into play. Ramp Your Passion - Display what it looks like to turn your passions into careers or even just expanding your self care and personal knowledge. This houses a more niched, but vital, focus. The idea behind both Ramp Your Talent and Ramp Your Passion is simple - the desire to have a conference that isn’t just intellectually-heavy with facts and data. The intention to display a full holistic charm of the community is the goal. “Solely centering Black disabled voices is an intentional, unapologetic action, one that is long overdue to occur and is strongly needed for us to truly be seen and heard without concerning the gazes of others.” - Vilissa Thompson, LMSW, Founder of Ramp Your Voice!" Live Captioning and ASL interpretation will be provided. https://lnkd.in/gvp_5GXv #Disability #Learning #Diversity #DEI #Access

Close the disability representation gap in film and TV. So important to attend to both hiring practices and mentoring. I think other organizations can be learning from the intentional focused work of the Inevitable Foundation . I also really like their statement “there is no diversity, equity and inclusion without disability” (Inevitable Foundation). How are the organizations that I am and you are connected to doing at disability at hiring practices, representation, retention, and leadership opportunities? Invite those conversations where you live and/work.

"I don't want me living my life to be something that takes people aback." In SILCGA’s new documentary, Parker Glick discusses how he wants to be seen. This documentary shows the impact of the Americans with Disabilities Act on the lives of people with disabilities everywhere — and the amount of work left to create a truly accessible world. Watch the full documentary here: https://lnkd.in/ebZqWbBa

Learn Jordan Hall's story. She's a mobility coordinator who had a hard time getting into the workforce after graduating from college. Before the Americans with Disabilities Act was passed in 1990, there were few protections for people with disabilities. ⁠Learn more about the Disabilities Act and how it has aided the disabled by watching our documentary here: https://lnkd.in/ebZqWbBa

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion begins with helping those in most need of thy mercy. Let us always find ways to empower people with disabilities so they can have a safe and fulfilling life. So, reflect on the teachings of Saint Mother Teresa who inspired hope and offered a renewed focus on living a life of love, service, and faith. A few of her quotes are as follows:: “Peace begins with a smile.” “If you judge people, you have no time to love them.” “If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.” “Never worry about numbers. Help one person at a time and always start with the person nearest you.” My purpose in life is to offer faith and hope to others, as well as create a village where people with disabilities can live together in unity. My hope is to foster partnerships so we can develop a living village for the intellectually disabled. Please help an organization which has a focus of helping the disabled. Research is great but individual support makes an immediate difference in the lives of others. It only takes faith and action to make a difference! Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year!