August 7, 2026 • 22 mins
In our continuing look at organizations fighting for our rights in the US, we focus in on disability organizations, starting with the East coast.
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Speaker 1 (00:05):
Hey, this is Sanny and Samantha and welcome to stuff.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
Never told your prediction of iHeartRadio.
Speaker 3 (00:18):
And we are back with my very long probably the
rest of the year type of pending episodes of organizations
that you should follow or you should know. But we're
gonna make it Disability Pride, except I'm a little outside
of Disability Pride Month, which was in July. But you know,
(00:38):
we're all about the fact that you should not forget
to be an advocate for disability rights all year long.
Speaker 1 (00:45):
Yes, it's true. I just did a really big hind
gesture which reminds me of like a rainbow.
Speaker 3 (00:51):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (00:51):
The more you know kind of the more you know
was how welcome. Yeah, you know.
Speaker 3 (00:55):
So anyway, so with that, let's jump in and I
will tell you trying to pinpoint organizations that are that
serve specific areas was a little bit tougher, uh with this.
I think that's due to the fact that many of
these organizations are multi states and our state wide, meaning
like they're state funded organizations. And not to say that
(01:17):
they're not great. You know, that's not always the ones
that you want to support all the time, because sometimes
you know, they're still ablest because government agencies oftentimes do
it out of necessity or out of I guess checking
that box rather than with love, and they're typically not
let by disabled people in it self, and we've talked
(01:39):
about how they need to be at the table to
know what they need.
Speaker 1 (01:42):
Hello.
Speaker 3 (01:44):
But with that also, there are a lot of national
organizations that have different chapters throughout the state, and we've
talked about a few of them before. I've definitely done
organizations you should know previously with our Activists around the
World segment. But with that, we're going to try to
focus a little more on local areas and highlight a
(02:05):
few of the national ones because there's also states that
don't have many organizations inside there, but they do have chapters,
So I think that's important that we would remember that,
although you know, we do love independent individual organizations as well.
Speaker 1 (02:21):
That's why we focus on that. So we are starting.
Speaker 3 (02:23):
Off on the East coast because you know, I'm just
going to follow my little pattern that we did last
time for many of the different places geography. Anyway, if
you have a localized organization that you know about, you know,
we love suggestions. You've already sensed a lot for our
last part of the segment with the LGBTQIA plus community.
(02:43):
So if you have some for the disabled community as well,
let me know. Disability community, come challigan. If you have
it for the disability community, let me know. We love those,
we need them, right. So first we are going to
are with a nationwide organization, the ARC. They have chapters
all over the United States. So this is from their site,
(03:06):
THEARC dot org. The ARC of the United States is
the nation's leading nonprofit advocating for and supporting people with
intellectual and developmental disabilities IDD and their families. Since nineteen
fifty they have worked to promote and protect human and
civil rights to support full inclusion in community life. So
the ARC kept popping up on every different state that
(03:28):
I would look into. Obviously they had like different chapters,
but they were also getting partnership with local organizations a
lot to help them and to raise them up and
use their platform to lift them up to let people
know about their services. So I think that's the really
great marketer of a national organizations.
Speaker 1 (03:47):
So going with that.
Speaker 3 (03:48):
According to their site, they have over five hundred and
forty nine chapters around the country and have been around
since the nineteen fifties. Here's what they said on their
site about their history. There were virtually no per or
activities to support people with idd or their families, and
no laws to protect them against discrimination or exclusion. It
was common for doctors to tell parents that the best
(04:09):
place for their children where a disability was in an institution,
where they were often hidden away from society and denied
an education or proper care. But some families refused to
accept that. They wanted their loved ones to lead fulfilling
lives in the community, not be locked away in institutions. Though,
ARC was born from their determination to keep their children
at home and change what society believed was possible for
(04:30):
people with disabilities. So they do a lot of different
works that include advocacy work in policies and legislations, including
working for the civil rights for the disabled community, including
issues on legislation, funding, and access. And again, back to
their site, they say, for over seventy five years, the
ARC has been at the forefront of the fight for
the civil rights and inclusion of people with disabilities and
their families. We fought to close institutions and make life
(04:53):
in the community possible. We opened school doors for students
with disabilities, to be included in the classrooms.
Speaker 1 (04:59):
Along side peers.
Speaker 3 (05:01):
We advocated for affordable healthcare, access, employment, financial security, and more.
We are at the table for every major public policy
fight and advancement impacting the lives of people with disabilities.
We still have work to do, but we know we
can succeed with our federal policy experts working with activists
like you. So obviously, like I said, as a national organization,
they do work with local organizations in order to make
(05:23):
sure different policies and legislations within the state are being
passed or being blocked as they see our discriminatory, which
a lot of them are. And unfortunately, I think we're
taking a lot of steps back with the current administration,
so I'm sure they're working a lot harder at this point.
Speaker 2 (05:43):
Yeah, and I will say about the ARC, we have
referenced them several times on the show and recently when
we did kind of our check in Disability Pride Month episode.
They're a really good source for or if you want
more information for what is going on. They're like a
(06:04):
really informative place you can go and see what's happening.
And we're and also history, so right, shout out to
them for that as well, because I have readen them
as a.
Speaker 3 (06:15):
Source love that also as a reminder, five hundred and
forty six chapters, so you probably can probably can find
a local chapter that you can be a part of.
If you feel like that's what you want to do,
you should. You can check them out again at the
art dot org.
Speaker 1 (06:31):
Yes.
Speaker 3 (06:32):
Next, we have the Disabled in Action, an organization based
out of New York City. So from their site Disabled
in action dot org, we are a grassroots civil rights
organization committed to ending discrimination against people with disabilities, all disabilities.
We fight to eliminate the barriers that prevent us from
enjoying full equality in American society. So this is based
(06:53):
out of New York City and on their site they
write very plainly that they are a group about action
and they are one fears group who pushes to advocate
for equal and equitable rights for the disabled community. Like
I hope y'all can go check out their site because
it is like, this is what we did, this is
how we're doing it, and we're to keep doing it.
Like I loved everything about it, and when you hear
about their history, it's not hard to see why. So
(07:16):
back to their site, Disabled Inaction dot org. Disabled in
Action was organized in nineteen seventy by Judy Human, a
militant disabled woman, and other disabled activists at Long Island University,
Brooklyn campus. Misshuman sued the New York City Board of
Education when her application to obtain a teaching license was
rejected because of her disability. Although the suit was settled
(07:38):
out of court, the publicity it received served as the
impetus for founding DIA, which.
Speaker 1 (07:44):
Is the obviously acronym THEA. And I love that.
Speaker 3 (07:47):
I was like, yeah, yeah, when you see the pictures,
when you see their call of action, like it's very
obvious who they are and how they have come about. Obviously,
Judy Human became a teacher in so many ways and
she is an I being at the organization from the beginning,
so obviously this organization is amazing. And throughout the years
they've been fighting in course, through demonstrations and even in
(08:09):
song to seek out equitability. I love that they have
a whole thing called Disabled in Action in song, and
that's what they do is like they sing about any
of the discriminations or any of the hardships, or any
of the policies that are very discriminatory or that need
to be passed.
Speaker 1 (08:27):
In order to get equality. So it's very interesting. I
love that.
Speaker 3 (08:31):
Once more from their site, they write, we educate government officials,
community leaders, and administrators of established institutions, as well as
the general public. Among the methods employed are obtaining radio, TV,
press coverage and video coverage of our activities and issues.
Testifying at in person and video public hearings, Participating in
in person and video public forums, conferences, and advisory committees
(08:53):
to legislators, community groups, and governmental agency. We also write letters,
send emails, and we have a Facebook page. We work
closely with our disability rights groups too. If all else fails,
we have a rally or demonstration complete with signs. If
it does not work, we may do a lawsuit. Contrary
to public opinion, lawsuits usually take years to resolve, so
generally we try many other things first. And you're all, yeah,
(09:15):
they do. You have seen them. Whether or not you
have realized you've seen them, you have seen them because
they've made history in so many of these rallies and
demonstrations as well as their lawsuits. Today, they're still pushing
to see justice and equitability for the disabled community, including
accessibility issues with voting, transit, long term care, and more.
They have monthly meetings which you can find on their
(09:37):
website if you're in New York obviously, but I loved
reading about what they're doing and how they're doing it
and how they're living up to the name of what
Judy Human did in her life and how she taught
others and advocated for others.
Speaker 1 (09:50):
So ah, it's a beautiful thing.
Speaker 3 (10:04):
Next, we are talking about the Consortium for Constituents with
Disabilities or the CCD. The CCD has been around since
nineteen seventy three and is located in Washington, d C
so from their sitecd dot org. The Consortium for Constituents
with Disabilities, headquartered in Washington, DC, is the largest coalition
of national organizations working together to advocate for federal public
(10:27):
policy that ensures the self determination, independence, empowerment, integration, and
inclusion of children adults with disabilities in all aspects of society.
Since nineteen seventy three, CCD has advocated on behalf of
people of all ages with physical and mental disabilities and
their families. CCD has worked to achieve a federal legislations
and regulations that ensure that the millions of children adults
(10:50):
with disabilities are fully integrated into the mainstream of society.
So I really like what they do. They bring a
lot of organizations together. I will say their site was
a little harder for me to navigate because I couldn't
quite get all of the services as they do. They
have a lot which include that you can be a
part of them, so you could apply for membership, you
(11:11):
could work for them, you go ahead internships with them.
So if this is something that you think it would
be up your alley doing a disability justice within policies
and regulations, this might be the place for you to go.
So they go on to lists how they advocate for
disabled communities, saying quote, identifying and researching public policy issues,
developing testimony and policy recommendations, and encouraging innovative solutions to
(11:32):
public policy concerns. Educating members of Congress and effort to
improve public policies and programs that foster independence, productivity, integration,
and inclusion of people with disabilities, Encouraging people with disabilities
and their families to advocate for themselves, and coordinating grassroots
efforts to support these advocacy efforts. So it sounds like
essentially they are the boots on the ground at DC,
(11:54):
like they are getting all of the stuff that they
need out there. They're working with other organizations throughout the
country in order to get those needs out there to
talk about what is the needs. So they are doing
a lot of work for us at DC and for
the disabled community. So it's amazing to see obviously really
important things to do because without people like them and
(12:14):
organizations like them, we can't have change, and we have
to have policy and legislation change for something to actually happen.
Unfortunately or fortunately unfortunately, yeah, because the administration is not great.
So I'm not mumbling, moving on, grumbling when I'm trying
(12:38):
to control this frustration. Moving on, we jump to Maryland
to the Disability Belongs to organization. So from their site
Disability Belongs dot org, Disability Belongs drives cultural and policy
change to ensure our full representation and influence creating a
more accessible, equitable, and inclusive society. So Disability Belongs to
(13:00):
a disabled led organization that has been around since twenty thirteen.
So a little bit more about their history. So, founded
in twenty thirteen in Rockville, Maryland, Disability Belongs which was
formally Respectability, which I think there's another organization name that,
or maybe I just went to their old site, because
there's still a site that has that name. Specifically, it's
(13:20):
a good name, but anyway. Began as a disability led
organization dedicated to driving positive change for the disability community
through policy, advocacy, and inclusion efforts in the Jewish community.
As we grow, our focus shifted to systemic change into
investing in professional development and workforce opportunities for disabled individuals.
As our programs expand, we became a one stop shop
(13:42):
for training and consulting with corporate and government entities on
accessibility in both physical and virtual spaces, as well as
improving access to opportunity. In twenty twenty, we became a
fully remote organizations with employees across the United States, creating
a more accessible workforce for a predominantly disabled staff. In
twenty twenty four, after a thought full rebranding process, we
proudly adopted the name Disability Belongs, further embracing disability as
(14:05):
part of our identity.
Speaker 1 (14:07):
So they did trademark Disability Belong so just in case.
Speaker 3 (14:10):
Some of the services they offer include training to educate
and provide practical ways to be inclusive and in more
of accessible space for companies. They do consultations for organizations
who are seeking to have inclusion and accessibility for their
buildings and layouts as well as within the structure. They
also help to advocate for policy change and offer leadership
development programs which give quote comprehensive training, networking events, and
(14:34):
ongoing support for emerging and established disabled leaders across sectors.
And I don't think we talked about that enough. I
know several of these programs do offer leadership programs, and
I love that because we absolutely have to have these
types of programs in everything.
Speaker 1 (14:47):
We have it offered everywhere else.
Speaker 3 (14:48):
So this obviously is needed, especially if they want to
be at the forefront and making these changes, especially in
corporate worlds and organizations. We got to have more people
leading those who know what this is is about at
the table. Yep, that's the thing, you know, you know,
I feel like that's going to be one of our
big catchphrases that we have if we already have like
(15:11):
a big board of common sight sayings that we have.
Speaker 1 (15:16):
At the table. Yeah, you know what I'm talking about?
Uh huh?
Speaker 3 (15:19):
Any does I have a feeling of listeners like what
anyway an he knows what I'm talking about.
Speaker 1 (15:24):
That's right.
Speaker 3 (15:24):
Anyway, Moving on, then we have able SC, which is
coming from the state of South Carolina. They are a
disabled led organization trying to make transformative change. So here's
some information from their site able sc dot org. Since
nineteen ninety four, we've remained a consumer controlled, community based
cross disability nonprofit that seeks to make sure South Carolina
(15:48):
a national model of equity and inclusion for all people
with disabilities. We are the state's oldest and largest federally
recognized disability led organization. More than three fourths of our
staff are people with disability, as are over half of
our board of directors. We practice equity, disability, justice and representation,
and true inclusion through consumer driven independence and disability pride.
Speaker 1 (16:11):
So again, I love that.
Speaker 3 (16:13):
I love seeing South Carolina really trying to push forward,
being like we're going to be the most like forward
equitable organization in South Carolina, leading South Carolina to be
one of the most accessible areas.
Speaker 1 (16:26):
I would love to see that.
Speaker 3 (16:27):
They offer different services including advocacy, peer support, and mentoring.
They offer youth services as well as leadership programs, and
they also have independent living assistance so they help provide
and seek assistance and financial assistance in independent living programs,
which I think we've talked about how important that is
and making sure that people are given independence, how important
(16:48):
independence really is, and the growth to just our self
esteem and humanity, and so they are able to provide
access and assistance with that. So next is the Disability
Resource that is located in both Tennessee and Kentucky. So
from their site DRCTN dot org, Disability Resource Center is
a center for Independent Living cil with branches in Knoxville, Tennessee,
(17:12):
and Hazard, Kentucky. Our mission and services are grounded in
the independent living philosophy, which states that every person, regardless
of disability, has the potential and the right to exercise
individual self determination. I love that statement, and it's true,
like this is something that we have always talked about,
whether we're teenagers going into our adulthood or just trying
to find our own having that independence and self determination
(17:33):
is really, really, really important. So they seek to help
disabled individuals get true independence and have different services to
help garner this. They have services for employment, housing assistance,
independent living skills, and they provide social support as well
as advocacy work. For their clients so that you have
mentors as well to help you in this situation. And
I think that's also really important in anything and everything.
(17:54):
Mentorship is huge. And they have different events for their
clients as well, including how parties. I saw this spring
fleeen picnics and I was like, ah, different holiday parties
and even the tailgate party to kick off football season.
Speaker 1 (18:08):
You know, not big to me, but you know it's important.
Speaker 2 (18:12):
I think I don't watch football, but I like a
good tailgate.
Speaker 1 (18:16):
You like a good tail yate or you know, get
them wings.
Speaker 3 (18:20):
And they offer a thing called a Spirit of Ada
Awards Celebration, which I would assume is to celebrate the
passing and the signing of Ada, which happened in July
of nineteen ninety. So they have this in July, and
I'd love to see that. It doesn't give information exactly
what they do, but Award celebration seems pretty self explanatory.
I just love that they have these events ready to
go though. And last, but not least, for this segment,
(18:41):
we are talking about Louisiana and the organization is People
First of Louisiana. So from their site people FIRSTLA dot org,
People First of Louisiana is part of a national coalition
of organizations for people with disabilities. As a statewide organization,
it supports people with disabilities and empowering themselves to become
effective decision makers, gain independence, enjoy life as equal citizens,
(19:04):
and actively empower each other to participate in and contribute
to their local communities. And I really did love that
they have a lot of information and I need to
have more updated information on their Facebook which is People
First of Louisiana Foundation, So if you want to go
look and see their stuff, and they post this as
to who they are and what they do, they write
(19:25):
People First of Louisiana is a self advocacy group run
by people with disabilities for people with disabilities, where people
learn to speak up for themselves about decisions they make.
Members can connect with others in their community, across the
nation and around the world, and members learn about their
rights and responsibilities as citizens of the United States of America.
So again, they offer different events and resources, including having
(19:48):
a disability disaster preparedness workshops, and I think that's huge.
I like something about it I didn't even think about.
And obviously them being based in the Laton Rouge Louisiana.
It makes a lot of sense, but that is a
workshop they offer often, and I think it's so important
because we need prepare to scorce shops anyway, and then
we know that how Louisiana in the country handled Hurricane
(20:09):
Katrina really showed how ugly and how ablests a lot
of these agencies were, So it's very important that they
are able to do that, and I think that's such
an important work. They have group meetings and conferences to
bring awareness of current issues or policies they might want
to discuss or they want to have a forum on.
They have celebrations and they bring in keynote speakers to
(20:30):
talk about the next steps or celebrating who they are.
I love that They also collaborate with a lot of
local groups to advocate for the disabled community as well,
so other groups that's not necessarily disabled focus, but they
do work a lot with them.
Speaker 1 (20:45):
They also work with the ARC, as we mentioned before.
Speaker 3 (20:47):
I think most of these organizations do that I mentioned
that I had to search for.
Speaker 1 (20:52):
But yeah, these are just a few.
Speaker 3 (20:54):
Of course, I've been saying since our previous episodes about organizations.
These are just a few of theations that are out
there again, if you know of any please let us know,
because unfortunately they're not popping up as readily as the
national organizations are or any of the government organizations, and
we want to kind of highlight the nonprofits first. So
(21:15):
if you have any suggestions, or if you have any
places that you think are doing great work, please please
let us know.
Speaker 2 (21:22):
Yes, absolutely, and if you are involved, let us know
about that too. You can email us at Hello at
Stuffanevertold You dot com. You can find us on Blue
Sky at Momso podcast or on Instagram and TikTok at
the Stuff I Never Told You for us on YouTube.
We have some merchandise at com Bureau and we have
a book you can get wherever you get your books.
Thanks soy is to our super producer Rima and our
(21:44):
executive producer Maya. Thank you and thanks to you for
listening Stuff Andever Told You This production by Heart Radio.
For more podcasts from my Heart Radio, you can check
out the heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or where you
listen to your favorite shows.
Hey, this is Sanny and Samantha and welcome to stuff.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
Never told your prediction of iHeartRadio.
Speaker 3 (00:18):
And we are back with my very long probably the
rest of the year type of pending episodes of organizations
that you should follow or you should know. But we're
gonna make it Disability Pride, except I'm a little outside
of Disability Pride Month, which was in July. But you know,
(00:38):
we're all about the fact that you should not forget
to be an advocate for disability rights all year long.
Speaker 1 (00:45):
Yes, it's true. I just did a really big hind
gesture which reminds me of like a rainbow.
Speaker 3 (00:51):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (00:51):
The more you know kind of the more you know
was how welcome. Yeah, you know.
Speaker 3 (00:55):
So anyway, so with that, let's jump in and I
will tell you trying to pinpoint organizations that are that
serve specific areas was a little bit tougher, uh with this.
I think that's due to the fact that many of
these organizations are multi states and our state wide, meaning
like they're state funded organizations. And not to say that
(01:17):
they're not great. You know, that's not always the ones
that you want to support all the time, because sometimes
you know, they're still ablest because government agencies oftentimes do
it out of necessity or out of I guess checking
that box rather than with love, and they're typically not
let by disabled people in it self, and we've talked
(01:39):
about how they need to be at the table to
know what they need.
Speaker 1 (01:42):
Hello.
Speaker 3 (01:44):
But with that also, there are a lot of national
organizations that have different chapters throughout the state, and we've
talked about a few of them before. I've definitely done
organizations you should know previously with our Activists around the
World segment. But with that, we're going to try to
focus a little more on local areas and highlight a
(02:05):
few of the national ones because there's also states that
don't have many organizations inside there, but they do have chapters,
So I think that's important that we would remember that,
although you know, we do love independent individual organizations as well.
Speaker 1 (02:21):
That's why we focus on that. So we are starting.
Speaker 3 (02:23):
Off on the East coast because you know, I'm just
going to follow my little pattern that we did last
time for many of the different places geography. Anyway, if
you have a localized organization that you know about, you know,
we love suggestions. You've already sensed a lot for our
last part of the segment with the LGBTQIA plus community.
(02:43):
So if you have some for the disabled community as well,
let me know. Disability community, come challigan. If you have
it for the disability community, let me know. We love those,
we need them, right. So first we are going to
are with a nationwide organization, the ARC. They have chapters
all over the United States. So this is from their site,
(03:06):
THEARC dot org. The ARC of the United States is
the nation's leading nonprofit advocating for and supporting people with
intellectual and developmental disabilities IDD and their families. Since nineteen
fifty they have worked to promote and protect human and
civil rights to support full inclusion in community life. So
the ARC kept popping up on every different state that
(03:28):
I would look into. Obviously they had like different chapters,
but they were also getting partnership with local organizations a
lot to help them and to raise them up and
use their platform to lift them up to let people
know about their services. So I think that's the really
great marketer of a national organizations.
Speaker 1 (03:47):
So going with that.
Speaker 3 (03:48):
According to their site, they have over five hundred and
forty nine chapters around the country and have been around
since the nineteen fifties. Here's what they said on their
site about their history. There were virtually no per or
activities to support people with idd or their families, and
no laws to protect them against discrimination or exclusion. It
was common for doctors to tell parents that the best
(04:09):
place for their children where a disability was in an institution,
where they were often hidden away from society and denied
an education or proper care. But some families refused to
accept that. They wanted their loved ones to lead fulfilling
lives in the community, not be locked away in institutions. Though,
ARC was born from their determination to keep their children
at home and change what society believed was possible for
(04:30):
people with disabilities. So they do a lot of different
works that include advocacy work in policies and legislations, including
working for the civil rights for the disabled community, including
issues on legislation, funding, and access. And again, back to
their site, they say, for over seventy five years, the
ARC has been at the forefront of the fight for
the civil rights and inclusion of people with disabilities and
their families. We fought to close institutions and make life
(04:53):
in the community possible. We opened school doors for students
with disabilities, to be included in the classrooms.
Speaker 1 (04:59):
Along side peers.
Speaker 3 (05:01):
We advocated for affordable healthcare, access, employment, financial security, and more.
We are at the table for every major public policy
fight and advancement impacting the lives of people with disabilities.
We still have work to do, but we know we
can succeed with our federal policy experts working with activists
like you. So obviously, like I said, as a national organization,
they do work with local organizations in order to make
(05:23):
sure different policies and legislations within the state are being
passed or being blocked as they see our discriminatory, which
a lot of them are. And unfortunately, I think we're
taking a lot of steps back with the current administration,
so I'm sure they're working a lot harder at this point.
Speaker 2 (05:43):
Yeah, and I will say about the ARC, we have
referenced them several times on the show and recently when
we did kind of our check in Disability Pride Month episode.
They're a really good source for or if you want
more information for what is going on. They're like a
(06:04):
really informative place you can go and see what's happening.
And we're and also history, so right, shout out to
them for that as well, because I have readen them
as a.
Speaker 3 (06:15):
Source love that also as a reminder, five hundred and
forty six chapters, so you probably can probably can find
a local chapter that you can be a part of.
If you feel like that's what you want to do,
you should. You can check them out again at the
art dot org.
Speaker 1 (06:31):
Yes.
Speaker 3 (06:32):
Next, we have the Disabled in Action, an organization based
out of New York City. So from their site Disabled
in action dot org, we are a grassroots civil rights
organization committed to ending discrimination against people with disabilities, all disabilities.
We fight to eliminate the barriers that prevent us from
enjoying full equality in American society. So this is based
(06:53):
out of New York City and on their site they
write very plainly that they are a group about action
and they are one fears group who pushes to advocate
for equal and equitable rights for the disabled community. Like
I hope y'all can go check out their site because
it is like, this is what we did, this is
how we're doing it, and we're to keep doing it.
Like I loved everything about it, and when you hear
about their history, it's not hard to see why. So
(07:16):
back to their site, Disabled Inaction dot org. Disabled in
Action was organized in nineteen seventy by Judy Human, a
militant disabled woman, and other disabled activists at Long Island University,
Brooklyn campus. Misshuman sued the New York City Board of
Education when her application to obtain a teaching license was
rejected because of her disability. Although the suit was settled
(07:38):
out of court, the publicity it received served as the
impetus for founding DIA, which.
Speaker 1 (07:44):
Is the obviously acronym THEA. And I love that.
Speaker 3 (07:47):
I was like, yeah, yeah, when you see the pictures,
when you see their call of action, like it's very
obvious who they are and how they have come about. Obviously,
Judy Human became a teacher in so many ways and
she is an I being at the organization from the beginning,
so obviously this organization is amazing. And throughout the years
they've been fighting in course, through demonstrations and even in
(08:09):
song to seek out equitability. I love that they have
a whole thing called Disabled in Action in song, and
that's what they do is like they sing about any
of the discriminations or any of the hardships, or any
of the policies that are very discriminatory or that need
to be passed.
Speaker 1 (08:27):
In order to get equality. So it's very interesting. I
love that.
Speaker 3 (08:31):
Once more from their site, they write, we educate government officials,
community leaders, and administrators of established institutions, as well as
the general public. Among the methods employed are obtaining radio, TV,
press coverage and video coverage of our activities and issues.
Testifying at in person and video public hearings, Participating in
in person and video public forums, conferences, and advisory committees
(08:53):
to legislators, community groups, and governmental agency. We also write letters,
send emails, and we have a Facebook page. We work
closely with our disability rights groups too. If all else fails,
we have a rally or demonstration complete with signs. If
it does not work, we may do a lawsuit. Contrary
to public opinion, lawsuits usually take years to resolve, so
generally we try many other things first. And you're all, yeah,
(09:15):
they do. You have seen them. Whether or not you
have realized you've seen them, you have seen them because
they've made history in so many of these rallies and
demonstrations as well as their lawsuits. Today, they're still pushing
to see justice and equitability for the disabled community, including
accessibility issues with voting, transit, long term care, and more.
They have monthly meetings which you can find on their
(09:37):
website if you're in New York obviously, but I loved
reading about what they're doing and how they're doing it
and how they're living up to the name of what
Judy Human did in her life and how she taught
others and advocated for others.
Speaker 1 (09:50):
So ah, it's a beautiful thing.
Speaker 3 (10:04):
Next, we are talking about the Consortium for Constituents with
Disabilities or the CCD. The CCD has been around since
nineteen seventy three and is located in Washington, d C
so from their sitecd dot org. The Consortium for Constituents
with Disabilities, headquartered in Washington, DC, is the largest coalition
of national organizations working together to advocate for federal public
(10:27):
policy that ensures the self determination, independence, empowerment, integration, and
inclusion of children adults with disabilities in all aspects of society.
Since nineteen seventy three, CCD has advocated on behalf of
people of all ages with physical and mental disabilities and
their families. CCD has worked to achieve a federal legislations
and regulations that ensure that the millions of children adults
(10:50):
with disabilities are fully integrated into the mainstream of society.
So I really like what they do. They bring a
lot of organizations together. I will say their site was
a little harder for me to navigate because I couldn't
quite get all of the services as they do. They
have a lot which include that you can be a
part of them, so you could apply for membership, you
(11:11):
could work for them, you go ahead internships with them.
So if this is something that you think it would
be up your alley doing a disability justice within policies
and regulations, this might be the place for you to go.
So they go on to lists how they advocate for
disabled communities, saying quote, identifying and researching public policy issues,
developing testimony and policy recommendations, and encouraging innovative solutions to
(11:32):
public policy concerns. Educating members of Congress and effort to
improve public policies and programs that foster independence, productivity, integration,
and inclusion of people with disabilities, Encouraging people with disabilities
and their families to advocate for themselves, and coordinating grassroots
efforts to support these advocacy efforts. So it sounds like
essentially they are the boots on the ground at DC,
(11:54):
like they are getting all of the stuff that they
need out there. They're working with other organizations throughout the
country in order to get those needs out there to
talk about what is the needs. So they are doing
a lot of work for us at DC and for
the disabled community. So it's amazing to see obviously really
important things to do because without people like them and
(12:14):
organizations like them, we can't have change, and we have
to have policy and legislation change for something to actually happen.
Unfortunately or fortunately unfortunately, yeah, because the administration is not great.
So I'm not mumbling, moving on, grumbling when I'm trying
(12:38):
to control this frustration. Moving on, we jump to Maryland
to the Disability Belongs to organization. So from their site
Disability Belongs dot org, Disability Belongs drives cultural and policy
change to ensure our full representation and influence creating a
more accessible, equitable, and inclusive society. So Disability Belongs to
(13:00):
a disabled led organization that has been around since twenty thirteen.
So a little bit more about their history. So, founded
in twenty thirteen in Rockville, Maryland, Disability Belongs which was
formally Respectability, which I think there's another organization name that,
or maybe I just went to their old site, because
there's still a site that has that name. Specifically, it's
(13:20):
a good name, but anyway. Began as a disability led
organization dedicated to driving positive change for the disability community
through policy, advocacy, and inclusion efforts in the Jewish community.
As we grow, our focus shifted to systemic change into
investing in professional development and workforce opportunities for disabled individuals.
As our programs expand, we became a one stop shop
(13:42):
for training and consulting with corporate and government entities on
accessibility in both physical and virtual spaces, as well as
improving access to opportunity. In twenty twenty, we became a
fully remote organizations with employees across the United States, creating
a more accessible workforce for a predominantly disabled staff. In
twenty twenty four, after a thought full rebranding process, we
proudly adopted the name Disability Belongs, further embracing disability as
(14:05):
part of our identity.
Speaker 1 (14:07):
So they did trademark Disability Belong so just in case.
Speaker 3 (14:10):
Some of the services they offer include training to educate
and provide practical ways to be inclusive and in more
of accessible space for companies. They do consultations for organizations
who are seeking to have inclusion and accessibility for their
buildings and layouts as well as within the structure. They
also help to advocate for policy change and offer leadership
development programs which give quote comprehensive training, networking events, and
(14:34):
ongoing support for emerging and established disabled leaders across sectors.
And I don't think we talked about that enough. I
know several of these programs do offer leadership programs, and
I love that because we absolutely have to have these
types of programs in everything.
Speaker 1 (14:47):
We have it offered everywhere else.
Speaker 3 (14:48):
So this obviously is needed, especially if they want to
be at the forefront and making these changes, especially in
corporate worlds and organizations. We got to have more people
leading those who know what this is is about at
the table. Yep, that's the thing, you know, you know,
I feel like that's going to be one of our
big catchphrases that we have if we already have like
(15:11):
a big board of common sight sayings that we have.
Speaker 1 (15:16):
At the table. Yeah, you know what I'm talking about?
Uh huh?
Speaker 3 (15:19):
Any does I have a feeling of listeners like what
anyway an he knows what I'm talking about.
Speaker 1 (15:24):
That's right.
Speaker 3 (15:24):
Anyway, Moving on, then we have able SC, which is
coming from the state of South Carolina. They are a
disabled led organization trying to make transformative change. So here's
some information from their site able sc dot org. Since
nineteen ninety four, we've remained a consumer controlled, community based
cross disability nonprofit that seeks to make sure South Carolina
(15:48):
a national model of equity and inclusion for all people
with disabilities. We are the state's oldest and largest federally
recognized disability led organization. More than three fourths of our
staff are people with disability, as are over half of
our board of directors. We practice equity, disability, justice and representation,
and true inclusion through consumer driven independence and disability pride.
Speaker 1 (16:11):
So again, I love that.
Speaker 3 (16:13):
I love seeing South Carolina really trying to push forward,
being like we're going to be the most like forward
equitable organization in South Carolina, leading South Carolina to be
one of the most accessible areas.
Speaker 1 (16:26):
I would love to see that.
Speaker 3 (16:27):
They offer different services including advocacy, peer support, and mentoring.
They offer youth services as well as leadership programs, and
they also have independent living assistance so they help provide
and seek assistance and financial assistance in independent living programs,
which I think we've talked about how important that is
and making sure that people are given independence, how important
(16:48):
independence really is, and the growth to just our self
esteem and humanity, and so they are able to provide
access and assistance with that. So next is the Disability
Resource that is located in both Tennessee and Kentucky. So
from their site DRCTN dot org, Disability Resource Center is
a center for Independent Living cil with branches in Knoxville, Tennessee,
(17:12):
and Hazard, Kentucky. Our mission and services are grounded in
the independent living philosophy, which states that every person, regardless
of disability, has the potential and the right to exercise
individual self determination. I love that statement, and it's true,
like this is something that we have always talked about,
whether we're teenagers going into our adulthood or just trying
to find our own having that independence and self determination
(17:33):
is really, really, really important. So they seek to help
disabled individuals get true independence and have different services to
help garner this. They have services for employment, housing assistance,
independent living skills, and they provide social support as well
as advocacy work. For their clients so that you have
mentors as well to help you in this situation. And
I think that's also really important in anything and everything.
(17:54):
Mentorship is huge. And they have different events for their
clients as well, including how parties. I saw this spring
fleeen picnics and I was like, ah, different holiday parties
and even the tailgate party to kick off football season.
Speaker 1 (18:08):
You know, not big to me, but you know it's important.
Speaker 2 (18:12):
I think I don't watch football, but I like a
good tailgate.
Speaker 1 (18:16):
You like a good tail yate or you know, get
them wings.
Speaker 3 (18:20):
And they offer a thing called a Spirit of Ada
Awards Celebration, which I would assume is to celebrate the
passing and the signing of Ada, which happened in July
of nineteen ninety. So they have this in July, and
I'd love to see that. It doesn't give information exactly
what they do, but Award celebration seems pretty self explanatory.
I just love that they have these events ready to
go though. And last, but not least, for this segment,
(18:41):
we are talking about Louisiana and the organization is People
First of Louisiana. So from their site people FIRSTLA dot org,
People First of Louisiana is part of a national coalition
of organizations for people with disabilities. As a statewide organization,
it supports people with disabilities and empowering themselves to become
effective decision makers, gain independence, enjoy life as equal citizens,
(19:04):
and actively empower each other to participate in and contribute
to their local communities. And I really did love that
they have a lot of information and I need to
have more updated information on their Facebook which is People
First of Louisiana Foundation, So if you want to go
look and see their stuff, and they post this as
to who they are and what they do, they write
(19:25):
People First of Louisiana is a self advocacy group run
by people with disabilities for people with disabilities, where people
learn to speak up for themselves about decisions they make.
Members can connect with others in their community, across the
nation and around the world, and members learn about their
rights and responsibilities as citizens of the United States of America.
So again, they offer different events and resources, including having
(19:48):
a disability disaster preparedness workshops, and I think that's huge.
I like something about it I didn't even think about.
And obviously them being based in the Laton Rouge Louisiana.
It makes a lot of sense, but that is a
workshop they offer often, and I think it's so important
because we need prepare to scorce shops anyway, and then
we know that how Louisiana in the country handled Hurricane
(20:09):
Katrina really showed how ugly and how ablests a lot
of these agencies were, So it's very important that they
are able to do that, and I think that's such
an important work. They have group meetings and conferences to
bring awareness of current issues or policies they might want
to discuss or they want to have a forum on.
They have celebrations and they bring in keynote speakers to
(20:30):
talk about the next steps or celebrating who they are.
I love that They also collaborate with a lot of
local groups to advocate for the disabled community as well,
so other groups that's not necessarily disabled focus, but they
do work a lot with them.
Speaker 1 (20:45):
They also work with the ARC, as we mentioned before.
Speaker 3 (20:47):
I think most of these organizations do that I mentioned
that I had to search for.
Speaker 1 (20:52):
But yeah, these are just a few.
Speaker 3 (20:54):
Of course, I've been saying since our previous episodes about organizations.
These are just a few of theations that are out
there again, if you know of any please let us know,
because unfortunately they're not popping up as readily as the
national organizations are or any of the government organizations, and
we want to kind of highlight the nonprofits first. So
(21:15):
if you have any suggestions, or if you have any
places that you think are doing great work, please please
let us know.
Speaker 2 (21:22):
Yes, absolutely, and if you are involved, let us know
about that too. You can email us at Hello at
Stuffanevertold You dot com. You can find us on Blue
Sky at Momso podcast or on Instagram and TikTok at
the Stuff I Never Told You for us on YouTube.
We have some merchandise at com Bureau and we have
a book you can get wherever you get your books.
Thanks soy is to our super producer Rima and our
(21:44):
executive producer Maya. Thank you and thanks to you for
listening Stuff Andever Told You This production by Heart Radio.
For more podcasts from my Heart Radio, you can check
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