FISA Foundation and The Heinz Endowments convened nearly 250 nonprofit and foundation leaders on November 21 to launch Disability Inclusion & Access: Moving Forward. About 1 in 4 American adults has limited mobility, difficulty hearing or seeing, learning differences, mental health conditions, autism, or other disabilities that affect a major part of life. In fact, people with disabilities are the largest minority group in the US. People with disabilities are part of every community, but research conducted by RespectAbility shows that far too often nonprofits and foundations don’t recognize this. Many aren’t intentional about including people with disabilities in their definitions of diversity and may perpetuate barriers that keep people out. For instance, they may host events at locations that aren’t accessible, or fail to ask participants if they need accommodations like ASL interpreters. This initiative aims to encourage foundations and nonprofit organizations to commit to basic accessibility improvements that would make programs and services more welcoming.
Join us:
- Participate in our free webinar series, of “how to” topics to promote accessibility and inclusion.
- Be inspired by watching the videos from the launch event.
- View videos of local disability leaders, and review some basic statistics.
- Consult our directory of free, easy-to-use online resources.
- Apply for funding to help your organization be more welcoming, accessible and inclusive of people with disabilities.
Go to www.DisabilityInclusionPgh.org for more information.