Accessibility, Advocacy, Representation: How Philanthropy Can Step Up for the Disability Community
One in four U.S. adults has some form of disability. Not only are most disabilities non-visible—issues like mental health, chronic illness, dyslexia, and ADHD—but many people choose not to disclose their disability in order to avoid stigma. Given the size of the disability community and its essential contributions to society, why is access still such an afterthought? What factors contribute to discrimination and ableism? And how can philanthropy help?
In this episode, Jennifer Laszlo Mizrahi, Founder of RespectAbility, addresses these questions (and more).
Listen in to learn about:
- The true impetus of the disability rights movement
- How accessibility fosters employee retention
- Philanthropy’s representational crisis (only 8% of foundation staff includes a person with disabilities)
- Specific (proven) processes funders can use to improve accessibility
- Being a grantee and funder dedicated to the disability community
- How disability intersects with class, race, and gender
This episode is intense, inspiring, and essential listening for every organization truly dedicated to social justice and lasting impact. We hope it moves you to new insight and action.
Jennifer Laszlo Mizrahi is the Founder of RespectAbility, a nonprofit organization fighting stigmas and advancing opportunities so people with disabilities can fully participate in all aspects of community.
Mizrahi served as RespectAbility’s President and CEO from 2013 until 2022. She worked with disability organizations, national, state and local policy leaders, workforce development professionals, media, employers, philanthropists, celebrities and faith-based organizations in order to expand opportunities for people with disabilities. Mizrahi has submitted testimony on employment for people with disabilities in all fifty states and at the Federal level.
She has published dozens of op-eds and publications on disability issues, including in USA Today, The Hill and other publications. She has columns in The Huffington Post, Times of Israel and The Mighty. Mizrahi is a co-author of Disability & Criminal Justice Reform: Keys to Success, which brought critical attention to the school-to-prison pipeline for people with disabilities and was featured on the PBS NewsHour. She is involved in the Emmy-winning TV show Born This Way and advancing diversity in Hollywood. Dyslexic herself, she also knows what it means to parent a child with multiple disabilities.
Sam Caplan is the Vice President of Social Impact at Submittable, a platform that foundations, governments, nonprofits, and other changemakers use to launch, manage, and measure impactful granting and CSR programs. Inspired by the amazing work performed by practitioners of all stripes, Sam strives to help them achieve their missions through better, more effective software.
Sam formerly served as founder of New Spark Strategy, Chief Information Officer at the Walton Family Foundation, and head of technology at the Walmart Foundation. He consults, advises, and writes on social impact technology, strategy, and innovation.
Connect with or follow Sam on Linkedin, listen to his podcast Impact Audio, and subscribe to his bi-weekly newsletter The Review.
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