JenTen Productions

Compelling Storytelling

Events

UCEDDs and Other Academic Partners

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We’re constantly amazed by the different types of academic partners who find our programming valuable. This month we worked with American University on a Hearts of Glass event that engaged stakeholders in the Department of Health Studies and those in the Master’s Program in Special Education.

“Creates a terrific environment for an interdisciplinary discussion on disability inclusion, health, and community wellbeing.”
—Dr. Stacey Snelling, Department Chair
Health Studies
American University

Since we started doing our events, University Centers of Excellence in Developmental Disabilities of UCEDDs have been enthusiastic about using our programming to educate and engage current and new stakeholders. Some UCEDDs have in-house filmmakers as part of their team. We received some kind words from one of them.

“As a fellow filmmaker who produces content for our UCEDD, I appreciated the quality of the film and how it encourages integrated competitive employment for people with disabilities.”
—John Schaffer, Academic Program Coordinator
Disability Studies Minor
Institute for Human Development, Northern Arizona University

Portland Maine Premiere!

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We had our Maine premiere at the Press Hotel in Portland. The screening, presented by Vertical Harvest and the Press Hotel, was followed by a moderated panel discussion with audience Q&A featuring the co-founder of Vertical Harvest Farms, Caroline Croft-Estay; Vertical Harvest employee, Sean Stone; filmmaker, Jennifer Tennican; and Maine Medical Center’s Employee Relations Specialist, Chris Hynes. Vertical Harvest Westbrook (a suburb of Portland) is slated to open in late 2023. For updates, visit verticalharvestfarms.com.

DD Awareness Month 2022

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We have a tremendous amount of respect for the National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities (NACDD). The organization has been a champion of Hearts of Glass and its outreach campaign.

Each March, the NACDD and their partners participate in a Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month (DDAM) Campaign.

The campaign seeks to raise awareness about the inclusion of people with developmental disabilities in all facets of community life, as well as awareness of the barriers that people with disabilities still sometimes face in connecting to the communities in which they live.

We took the energy of DDAM into virtual and hybrid events with:

Stay tuned for more exciting announcements about our work with PayPal.

A Year of Impact & Engagement

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20 STATES | 30 EVENTS

100 ATTENDEE AVERAGE / EVENT

Our Hearts of Glass virtual events are maximizing our impact with a lighter footprint and greater accessibility than in-person events.

The cherry on top? Our Vertical Harvest speakers don’t have to miss days of work to participate on panels.

Three cupcakes each with a cherry on top.

A November to Remember

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It’s rewarding working with community colleges. They play a critical role in workforce development across the nation. McHenry County College, located in the Chicago area, provides academic programming and skills training to prepare students for jobs or to transfer to four-year colleges and universities. Their Hearts of Glass event, coordinated by the Center for Agrarian Learning and Access and Disability Services, featured an in-person screening.

We have also been doing more programs in the corporate world with employee resource groups or ERGs. Crystal Baker, Lead Accessibility Solutions Engineer and President of AT&T’s Ability Resource Group, noted that our programming encourages people not to treat disabilities and accessibility as an afterthought.

NDEAM Event-Apalooza!

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“The theme for National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) 2021, ‘America’s Recovery: Powered by Inclusion’ reflects the importance of ensuring that people with disabilities have full access to employment and community involvement during the national recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.” – Office of Disability Employment Policy

We averaged two Hearts of Glass events a week throughout October. We worked with small liberal arts colleges, big state universities, nonprofits and state agencies to catalyze conversations about inclusion inside and outside of the workplace. Twelve different Vertical Harvest employees participated in panel discussions with a few speaking at multiple virtual events. They all shared valuable insights about challenges and opportunities during the pandemic.