National Disability Institute

#DisabilityPride Month is almost here! NDI has great resources to help you celebrate and invest in your financial future. July kicks off NDI’s celebration of Disability Pride Month and the 34th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Stay tuned next month as we highlight and honor the disability community's rich history, achievements and experiences. Image description: Square teal graphic with white text reading: Disability Pride. The NDI logo is in the top right corner. In the background is an illustration of a group of people with visible and invisible disabilities wearing brightly colored clothing and smiling together.

Meet Kirstin! Kirstin Beard is the Integrity & Growth Manager for the American Dream Employment Network (ADEN), a division of National Disability Institute (NDI). Kirstin is tasked with assuring quality performance and project growth to build a better financial future for people with disabilities. Prior to joining NDI, she spent eight years with the State of Georgia Government, serving in different capacities, most recently as the Employment Services Coordinator. Kirstin has over 14 years of experience orchestrating and delivering vital social services to individuals and families for state- and federally-funded initiatives. Kirstin earned her bachelor’s degree from North Carolina A&T State University and her Certified Work Incentives Practitioner certification from Cornell University. Outside of NDI, Kirstin enjoys spending time with her family, crafting and cooking. Image description: Square teal graphic with white text reading: Meet the Team. Hello, I’m Kirstin! Meet NDI ADEN Integrity & Growth Manager Kirstin Beard. kbeard@ndi-inc.org.  https://lnkd.in/eJSHBJGq. There is a photo of Kirstin smiling in a black blouse and glasses with a Polaroid frame. Above the photo is the NDI logo.

AI is transforming accessibility for people like Matthew Sherwood, who has been blind for over 15 years. New AI advancements and tools like Be My Eyes are removing barriers and promoting independence. Check out the full article on CNN to discover how AI is revolutionizing assistive technology. rebrand.ly/ydfjl5u Image description: Square teal graphic with white text reading: ‘We don’t want to leave people behind’: AI is helping disabled people in surprising new ways. In the background is an image of a person with a prosthetic arm typing on a laptop. The NDI logo is in the top right corner. #Accessibility #AIforGood #AssistiveTech

Get to know these four trailblazers in the Disability Rights Movement! NDI Director of Public Policy Lydia X. Z. Brown, J.D. shares their thoughts on these activists in this article via the University of New Hampshire: “It’s important to remember that activism is born from a desire for change or a need to improve one’s situation and that need will always exist.” Check out the full article at https://lnkd.in/eC-SysgQ. Image description: Five square teal slides with white text. Slide one: Four Faces of Disability Rights to celebrate this Disability Pride and ADA Anniversary Month. The NDI logo is in the top right corner. Slide two: Justin Dart (1930-2002). Known as the Godfather of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Justin Dart visited each of the 50 states at least five times to advocate for the historic civil rights law that protects disabled citizens from discrimination. He co-founded the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD). There is a cutout photo of Justin in the bottom right corner of the graphic smiling and wearing a cowboy hat with a pin of an American flag with the wheelchair symbol. Slide three: Judy Heumann (1947-2023). Judy Heumann will forever be remembered as the “Mother of the disability rights movement.” She is most famous for the historic 1977 Section 504 sit-in that she organized. Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act protected individuals with disabilities from being denied benefits and services from any program that receives federal funds. There is a photo of Judy smiling warmly wearing a blue shirt embroidered with colorful flowers and holding two books she authored: Being Heumann and Rolling Warrior. Slide four: Bob Williams. Bob Williams had a distinguished four-decade career in federal and state government. He helped advocate for the passing of the ADA, and is currently the Policy Director at Communication FIRST and has advanced the rights of people with significant disabilities. Slide five: Ed Roberts (1939-1995). Ed was the first person with a significant disability to graduate from UC Berkley. In 1976, Governor Jerry Brown appointed him as Director of the California Department of Vocational Rehabilitation. He kept that job with the same agency that had once labeled him too severely disabled to work until 1983. Ed Roberts also participated in the historic Section 504 sit-in with Judy Heumann. #DisabilityPride #DisabilityRights #Activists #ADA34

Check out these savings tips and discover more financial wellness resources at https://lnkd.in/gFq4VnZr. VD: Six video slides with overlayed white text with a teal background. Slide one: How to Start a Savings Plan in Four Simple Steps. There is a book with pages open and a cup of coffee and leaves sitting on top of the book. The NDI logo is in the top right corner. Slide two: Step One: Pick a reason for saving and write down your goal, such as “to start an emergency fund.” There is a video of an at-home office with plants surrounding the desk. Slide three: Step Two: Figure out how much money you’ll need to save for your goal and determine how many weeks you have to save. A woman sits on the floor in front of her bed, her dog laying on the edge of the bed. She’s holding a cup of coffee and petting her dog. Slide four: Step Three: Divide the amount of money you want to save the number of weeks you have to save it. This is your weekly savings target. A person’s hand is writing something down in a notebook, then grabs a sticky note. Slide five: Step Four: Brainstorm ways to decrease spending or increase income to meet your weekly target. A woman wearing a bright yellow shirt softly smiles white watering her house plants. Slide six: Watch your savings grow! Build financial confidence and move closer to reaching your goals. Discover more financial wellness tips at https://lnkd.in/eJSHBJGq. There is a woman in a yellow dress walking on the beach. #Savings #FinancialWellness #DisabilityInclusion #FinancialTips

Please join us in congratulating NDI Director of Public Policy Lydia X. Z. Brown, J.D.!

Meet Shannon! Shannon Edam is the Research Associate at National Disability Institute. Shannon has experience analyzing and presenting data on disability projects related to employment and financial empowerment. She has worked on employment initiatives related to WIOA including the Workforce Innovation Technical Assistance Center (WINTAC), the Vocational Rehabilitation Technical Assistance Center for Quality Management (VRTAC-QM) and National Center on Leadership for the Employment and Economic Advancement of People with Disabilities (LEAD). She currently conducts annual reviews of policies and legislation related to disability employment in 50 states, DC and five U.S. territories. Shannon earned a master’s degree in human rights and social justice from American University’s School of International Service (SIS) in 2014 and a master’s degree in Education from Lesley University in 2016. She studied abroad in Ghana, Cuba and Belgium, speaks several languages and is committed to diversity, equity and inclusion. Shannon is a person with a disability and brings her lived experience to her advocacy. Image description: Square teal graphic with white text reading: Meet the Team. Hello, I’m Shannon! Meet NDI Research Associate Shannon Edam. sedam@ndi-inc.org. https://lnkd.in/eJSHBJGq. There is a photo of Shannon smiling in a black blouse and grey blazer with a Polaroid frame. Above the photo is the NDI logo.

Let’s bust some common myths about the #ADA! Image description: Four light teal square graphics with white text reading: Slide one: Let’s bust some common myths about the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Slide two: Myth: The ADA applies to the federal government. Fact: The ADA applies to state and local governments but not to the federal government. The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 governs the federal government. This act prohibits disability-based discrimination in programs conducted by federal agencies, in programs receiving federal financial assistance, in federal employment, and in the employment practices of federal contractors. Slide three: Myth: A service animal protected by the ADA is any animal that provides assistance to a person with a disability. Fact: As defined by the ADA, a service animal is an animal that is trained to perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual or other disability. Therapy or emotional support animals, even if used as part of a prescribed medical treatment, are not considered as service animals under the ADA. Slide four: Myth: The ADA doesn’t apply to people who are pregnant. Fact: Your pregnancy may be protected under the ADA, the Family and Medical Leave Act and the Pregnancy Discrimination Act. Under these laws, if an employee is temporarily unable to perform their job due to pregnancy, the employer must treat them the same as any other employee with a  temporary disability employee and provide reasonable accommodations. #ADA34 #Disability #DisabilityRights #MythBusters

Check out these fantastic resources at your local library or wherever you get your books this #DisabilityPride month. What books would you add to this list? Image description: Four light teal square graphics with white text reading: Slide one: Books to check out this Disability Pride Month. The NDI logo is in the top right corner. Slide two: Disability Visibility by Alice Wong. There is a photo of the book cover, which is white with a colorful geometric pattern in the background. Slide three: Demystifying Disability by Emily Ladau. There is a photo of the book cover, which is seafoam green and features icons of people with disabilities in rows in the background. Slide four: Sitting Pretty by Rebekah Taussig. There is a photo of the book cover, which is light red and features a hybrid photo illustration of the author, a wheelchair user, wearing a yellow shirt and black shorts. 

Pop quiz! What year was the ADA signed into law? Let us know in the comments! Image description: Square light teal graphic with white text reading: What year was the Americans with Disabilities Act signed into law? A) 1983 B) 1987 C) 1990 D) 1993 #ADA #PopQuiz #Trivia