FISA Foundation

People with disabilities are not well represented in film and media. Members of Pittsburgh’s autistic and filmmaking communities, in partnership with Evolve Coaching, set out to make a movie of their own that accurately showed what living with autism is like. The final product is Parallels, a short film created almost entirely by Pittsburghers with disabilities that digs into the relationship between a high school student with autism and his neurotypical brother. This is the link to an article in the Post Gazette, including a photo of the two stars of the film, portraying two brothers. You can watch the film for free at: https://vimeo.com/showcase/8233630

Did you know: * Students with disabilities are referred to juvenile justice at rates 5 times higher than students without disabilities. * Pennsylvania has the 2nd highest arrest rate in the country for Black students. * 45% of Black boys and 26% of Black girls that Pittsburgh Public School Police refer to juvenile justice have disabilities.... Learn more at this free upcoming webinar. ASL, CART and Audio description will be provided. (image description: Dismantling the school-to-prison pipeline for students of color and students with disabilities; webinar on June 8, 2021, 2-3:30pm; part of the Race + Disability Webinar Series; also includes image of yellow school bus.)

Many people with disabilities need services and supports for daily living. Currently the default is to provide services in nursing homes and institutions, but most people would choose to live in the community if they could. It turns out that supporting people to live full lives in the community is better for most AND more cost effective. Policy change would make a huge difference!

Please join us for the next webinar in our Race + Disability series. "Inside-out work: Embedding racial equity in organizational culture" will occur on May 26, 2-3:30. Many nonprofits felt called to make statements of solidarity, affirming that Black Lives Matter. But translating values into real culture change takes work. Please join us for a dynamic conversation between Michelle McMurray, Vice President of Program and Community Engagement at The Pittsburgh Foundation, a...nd Tricia Gadson, CEO of Macedonia FACE about what it takes to embed racial equity into organizational culture. ASL, CART and Audio Description are provided. No cost. Register at the link below. (Image description: Inside-out work: Embedding racial equity in organizational culture; May 26, 2021; 2-3:30ET; part of the Race + Disability Webinar Series. Includes image of a white door opening to show a blue sky and puffy white clouds.) See more

FISA is so excited that our board member, Josie Badger, is featured in a new state campaign on employment, called We Can Work!

This is an important summary report: Disability Employment Challenges & Opportunities Resulting from COVID-19. The shift to remote work has created new opportunities and challenges for people with disabilities seeking employment. https://us.mitsubishielectric.com//210301-a_local_en_us.pdf

Equity at the Intersection of Race, Ethnicity and Disability

FISA invites you to join us for this FREE webinar on March 3, 2020, Race + Disability: Understanding Intersectional Oppression. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/race-disability-understanding- (image includes text: RACE + DISABILITY: Understanding Intersectional Oppression and a historical photo of a protest led by people using wheelchairs and holding a banner that reads Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere - Martin Luther King, Jr.)

Please join us for a powerful two-hour experience in February, in honor of Black History Month. The Racial Wealth Gap Learning Simulation explores the structural nature of racism, as a first step in creating a more inclusive community.

FISA Foundation invites our grantees and partners to join us for this free, interactive online program to learn more about how profound economic inequality came to be, and to better understand an aspect of structural racism. Honor Black History Month by registering for the Racial Wealth Gap Simulation in February.

New grants, new conversations, new opportunity to apply for funding!

Congratulations to Jennifer Szweda-Jordan! It's great to see you recognized for your leadership in creating Unabridged Press and starting All Abilities Media! We loved this quote: "I suppose I advocate for people’s unfettered voices. I saw that what many call the world’s largest minority is often spoken for by agencies, families and not often enough in their our own words. I’m sure my own history of mental illness has also played a part in all this.

COVID is scary for people with underlying health issues, but not just for the obvious reasons. Joe Shapiro produced this powerful portrait for NPR or Sarah, a young woman with cerebral palsy and other disabilities who was admitted to the hospital for aspiration pneumonia. The piece explored the ways that health professionals view of the quality of Sarah's life was profoundly different from Sarah's perception of the quality of her own life. The doctors thought she should be DNR, which is not what Sarah wanted. https://www.npr.org//as-hospitals-fear-being-overwhelmed-b

Many people were deeply moved by Amanda Gorman‘s poem at the inauguration. This article discusses Amanda’s disabilities, and how learning to live with those disabilities became a source of strength.

As the Nation reckons with the high profile killings of Black Americans at the hands of police officers and growing calls for policy changes to prevent future violence, U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) is launching the Law Enforcement Education and Accountability for People with Disabilities (LEAD) Initiative, to help bring about racial justice and address the high incidence rate of police violence involving people with disabilities. The LEAD Initiative is comprised of two bills... the Safe Interactions Act and the Human-services Emergency Logistic Program (HELP) Act which would reduce calls to 9-1-1 call systems regarding non-criminal emergencies and provide robust training to law enforcement on interacting with people with disabilities, including those experiencing a mental health crisis. https://www.casey.senate.gov//casey-to-introduce-police-ov See more

The coronavirus has impacted nearly everyone, but people with developmental disabilities feel the impact very keenly. This is a peek into one family’s decision to not physically gather for Christmas this year, meaning that Monica will be spending this holiday at her group home and not with her siblings.

FISA Foundation is grateful to all veterans, particularly those who acquired disabilities as a result of their service to our country. #VeteransDay2020

FISA Foundation continues its longstanding commitment to promoting equity and justice for women, girls and people with disabilities by awarding nearly $450,000 to 14 organizations working to advance the rights and address the needs of these populations. Our grantee partners are working boldly and creatively to address longstanding inequities that have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. We applaud their efforts and are proud to invest in their work to create a fairer, more equitable community. explained Kristy Trautmann, FISA’s executive director. https://fisafoundation.org//fisa-foundation-announces-gra/

Tickets for 8th Annual ReelAbilities Film Festival are now on sale! This disability-themed film festival is virtual this year and is a track within Film Pittsburgh’s Fall Festival (November 11-22). Check out the incredible ReelAbilities lineup and purchase tickets on Film Pittsburgh’s website. https://filmpittsburgh.org/fp-fall-festival/schedule

The Office of Mayor Peduto and United WE’s Appointments Project will host two virtual civic engagement overviews as part of its initiative to engage more women in civic leadership and increase the diversity of civic boards and commissions. These free workshops on December 7, 2020 and January 13, 2021 will guide participants through the process of applying for civic leadership positions and provide ongoing support for your application. Sign up: http://united-we.org/events

Bender Consulting provides disability employment expertise, including recruiting, on behalf of a broad range of companies. See current job openings from companies who are actively seeking to hire people with disabilities. http://www.benderconsult.com/careers/job-openings

Many people with disabilities have encountered barriers to voting - in this election and in previous cycles. The best protection is to know what your rights are!

This is a TERRIFIC panel discussion: Leon Ford, Imani Barbarin and Maysoon Zayid discuss the experiences and obstacles that people with disabilities, particularly people of color with disabilities, still face 30 years after the Americans with Disabilities Act was passed. Stay tuned for a lively, funny and engaged hour! https://youtu.be/LstihpPN_5k