The July 2023 edition of the Ability Central monthly e-newsletter, Access:Ability.
Disability Pride Month 2023
Celebrating Disability Pride Month 2023
This July, Ability Central celebrates Disability Pride Month, in recognition of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in 1990. This landmark legislation prohibits discrimination and guarantees full and equitable participation in all aspects of society for people with disabilities.
2023 marks the 33rd anniversary of the ADA being signed into law, and while many advancements in inclusion have been made, people with disabilities continue to face exclusion and disadvantage in the United States and around the world. There are still significant barriers to communication for the more than 25% of American adults who have a disability. Ability Central is on a mission to empower people who are Deaf, disabled, and neurodivergent to realize their right to access information and express themselves.
This Disability Pride Month, we’re proud to be a convener and resource for organizations that serve people with disabilities and to highlight voices and perspectives from our community. Revisit our 2022 short film, Everyone Can Communicate, to hear from members of our board and advisory group. As people who have communication disabilities, they share unique insights into their experience of communicating in a system that is built to exclude them, addressing their fundamental rights to access that are often violated.
Ability Central Philanthropy
Funding Opportunity: Second Year of Rapid Response Grants
Up to $5,000 available to enhance accessibility for individuals with communication disabilities.
Ability Central is offering Rapid Response Access Improvement Grants, available on a rolling basis from July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2024, aiming to support California-based organizations and projects focused on serving people with communication disabilities.
Our mini grants, first offered in 2022, range from $1,000 to $5,000, and provide short-term funding with an expedited turnaround of approximately one month from application receipt. Access Improvement Grants from Ability Central aim to expand the capacity of smaller nonprofits (particularly those with a budget of less than $1 million) to enhance the participation of people with disabilities in their events and programs.
Expenses eligible for funding through the Access Improvement Grants include staff accessibility training, audio description of materials, ASL interpreters, DeafBlind co-navigators, captioning, sensory or tactile experience rooms for socio-emotional learning, and more.
To learn more about a Rapid Response Access Improvement Grant from Ability Central. visit our website.
Resource Round-up
What Does It Mean to Be Deaf? 8 Quick Facts
Learn what deafness is, how it differs from hearing loss, how common both are, and the life stages in which these disabilities most commonly occur.
Understanding a Hearing Loss or Deafness Diagnosis
Ability Central explains the diagnostic process for hearing loss and deafness, treatment options available, and what to expect at each stage.