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Category: News

Access:Ability July 2024 Newsletter

The July 2024 edition of the Ability Central monthly e-newsletter, Access:Ability.

2025 Grant Cycle Applications Open July 9th

A senior Black woman with a visual disability sits at a hospital. She wears a teal blouse and glasses. Her Black husband sits beside her and shakes the hand of a white doctor with a grey beard who has his arm around the woman.

Ability Central Announces 2025 Funding Cycle

In our 13th year of grantmaking, we at Ability Central are proud to announce our 2025 funding year, focused on empowering California nonprofits serving people who are Deaf, disabled, and neurodivergent. 

A total of $1 million in new funding is available, with grant awards ranging from $10,000 to $100,000. Grant applications are live and will be accepted through September 13th, 2024.

This year, we’ve announced two funding priorities for our annual Communication …

Ability Central Announces 2025 Funding Cycle

$1M+ in funding available to nonprofits serving people with disabilities in California


Concord, California – July 9, 2024 – Ability Central, now in its 13th year of grantmaking, announced its 2025 funding year, focused on empowering California nonprofits to implement programs that expand access to communication and information for people who are Deaf, disabled, and neurodivergent.

Ability Central revealed two funding priorities for its 2025 annual Communication Access Grants:

  1. Developing and training healthcare professionals in strategies and tools that improve access to care for people with communication disabilities.
  2. Career and leadership development projects for people with communication disabilities.

A total …

Access:Ability June 2024 Newsletter

The June 2024 edition of the Ability Central monthly e-newsletter, Access:Ability.

June Holidays, Observances, and More

Campers at a summer camp for teenagers with disabilities, all wearing bright green shirts, go on a nature walk. A white female counselor holds hands with one of the campers, pointing at something in the trees.

Raise Awareness, Celebrate Pride, and Look to the Future This June

June is jam-packed with observances, celebrations, and opportunities to find community. No matter where you find yourself this month, we hope you find time to honor your loved ones and create new connections.

In June, we acknowledge:

Access:Ability May 2024 Newsletter

The May 2024 edition of the Ability Central monthly e-newsletter, Access:Ability.

American Stroke Month

A concerned female pharmacist with short white hair recognizes early stroke symptoms when she holds a young woman in an orange sweater to keep her from falling

American Stroke Month: Stroke Prevention and Recovery Resources

Did you know stroke is the number two cause of death worldwide? Stroke is also a leading cause of disability, with far-reaching physical and cognitive consequences that create a long road to recovery. 

Since the first-ever American Stroke Month in 1989, May has been a time for people in the United States to learn more about stroke symptoms, prevention, and recovery. 

The American Heart Association (AHA) has lobbied for greater national awareness about the danger of strokes since …

Ability Central Launches Disability Resource Kit for Media Professionals

Nonprofit celebrating Global Accessibility Awareness Day by offering free resources for journalists and media outlets to improve digital content accessibility

A visually impaired Black man with close-cropped black hair controls his computer via the keyboard while talking to a Black woman in a pink shirt sitting beside him

Oakland, California – May 14, 2024 – Ability Central, a US-based foundation expanding communication and information access for people with disabilities, is unveiling a new set of free online resources to mark Global Accessibility Awareness Day on May 16th. The Journalist’s Guide to Disability in Media: An Overview of Disability Inclusion, Accessibility, and Representation is designed to help media professionals navigate the latest developments in digital accessibility and disability representation.

“This guide is a helpful reminder that as …

Access:Ability April 2024 Newsletter

The April 2024 edition of the Ability Central monthly e-newsletter, Access:Ability.

2024 Grantee Gathering

Alyah Thomas, a biracial woman with long dark hair and a red turtleneck, presents to a seated crowd of Ability Central grantees in a modern event space

Celebrating Success at Ability Central’s 2024 Grantee Gathering

On Tuesday, March 26th, representatives from Ability Central’s 2023 and 2024 grantees gathered in Oakland to share success stories, key learnings, and plans for the future. 

This year’s grantee gathering was a time for celebration, connection, and collaboration. Representatives from 20+ organizations joined Ability Central board members, staff, and advisory group members to look back on 2023 and set goals for 2024. For a full list of attendees, check out our recap of the event

“I came …

Ability Central Releases 2023 Impact Report

California Nonprofit Showcases Free Disability and Accessibility Resources, Critical Support for Nonprofits, and $1 Million in Grants

Oakland, California – March 22, 2024 – California nonprofit Ability Central announced their annual Impact Report for 2023, sharing statistics and successes from another year of grantmaking, digital access, and nonprofit support. Ability Central offers funding and support for people with communication disabilities, their families and caregivers, and the organizations that serve them.

In 2023, the nonprofit’s 12 grantees reached 33,851 people with disabilities in California and around the world. More than $1,000,000 in funding from Ability Central enabled these organizations to create …

Access:Ability March 2024 Newsletter

The March 2024 edition of the Ability Central monthly e-newsletter, Access:Ability.

National Deaf History Month

A diverse group of adults communicates in sign language as they sit outside and laugh. A Black woman in the center wears an assistive hearing device

Celebrating Deaf History Month: Resources from Ability Central

National Deaf History Month begins tomorrow! Read on to discover the history of this month of remembrance, its impact, and ways to get involved. 

From March 13th to April 15th each year, people around the country honor the accomplishments of leaders in the Deaf and hard-of-hearing community. National Deaf History Month is a time to remember major moments in the growing Deaf community and celebrate how far we’ve come.

When did National Deaf History Month start?

National …

Access:Ability February 2024 Newsletter

The February 2024 edition of the Ability Central monthly e-newsletter, Access:Ability.

Ability Central Portal

Senior Latino man with glasses and thick dark hair sits outside at a park. He squints, straining to see something in the distance.

Macular Degeneration and Low Vision Awareness Month: Resources from Ability Central

Did you know? February is Age-Related Macular Degeneration Month and Low Vision Awareness Month. Today, let’s get you some information on the early signs of vision loss.

According to the World Health Organization, more than 2 billion people around the world have vision impairments. Almost 20 million adults in the US alone have symptoms of age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

AMD is a progressive eye disease that reduces or fully destroys central vision. Mostly commonly …

Watch our short film “Everyone Can Communicate”

One in six Americans has or will have a communication disability in their lifetime. So why don’t we know more about these disabilities and hear more about them?

Everyone Can Communicate, a short film from Ability Central Philanthropy, is a conversation with people with communication disabilities. As the only funder working exclusively to address all communications disabilities, Ability Central highlights the fundamental rights to access that are often violated, and the work being done to create awareness and action.

Everyone Can Communicate premiered at Exponent Philanthropy’s Outsized Impact Film Festival in October of 2022.…