JenTen Productions

Compelling Storytelling

advocacy

Springing Into Action

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We’ve had an exciting couple of months. Here are some highlights during Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month and Autism and Neurodiversity Acceptance Month.

  • Awarded “Most Impactful Documentary” by the 2023 cohort of Partners in Policymaking Alabama
  • Kicked off programming for the inaugural Broadening Inclusion Grant at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign through an event with the Special Education Graduate Student Association (SEGSA)
  • Participated in Disability Pride Week at Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania
  • Collaborated with the Career and Life Studies Certificate (CLCS) Program at the University of Delaware

There is a terrific resource that has information on inclusive post-secondary programs like CLCS. It’s called Think College and it is dedicated to developing, expanding, and improving research and practice in inclusive higher education for students with intellectual disability.

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

NDEAM & ERGs

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National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) is always a busy time for us. This year, we noticed an uptick in our work with corporate partners. Our Hearts of Glass programming is proving to be a great fit for disability-focused employee resource groups (ERGs).

“Provided a wonderful opportunity to explore the impact of disability inclusion and highlight our ABLE ERG.”

—Nick Wagner, Learning Senior Manager
Fortune 500 Company

What are the benefits of ERGs? Here are a couple.

  • Creating a sense of belonging
  • Fostering engagement

Check out this interesting article from the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM): Employee Resource Groups Create a Sense of Belonging, Foster Engagement

Miss our NDEAM Instagram Reels?

Recognition & Rights!

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Both Direct Support Professional Recognition Week and Disability Voting Rights Week are the same week in September this year!

A “Direct Support Professional” or DSP works directly with people with intellectual or developmental disabilities to assist the people they work with to become independent and integrated into their community. In Hearts of Glass, you see several DSPs. People who, through their skills and dedication, make the world a more inclusive and wonderful place. ANCOR and Relias, two of our public television broadcast underwriters, are spearheading a campaign with events, media content and more. Check out ancor.org to learn more.

Part of full participation in society means voting. The American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) is the home of the REV UP Voting Campaign. The goal is to build the power of the Disability Vote. Register! Vote! Use your Power! For more information, resources and tools, visit AAPD.

 

Summer — Disability Pride, ADA Anniversary and More

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One of the highlights of the summer was filming employees sharing their thoughts about Disability Pride and the ADA Anniversary. Over 15 employees participated in our shoot! Check out the results on Hearts of Glass Instagram! We’ve been getting more and more into “reels.”

Here’s a little background on how July became Disability Pride Month:

Disability Pride initially started as a day of celebration in 1990—the year that the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed into law. That same year, Boston held the first Disability Pride Day. The first official celebration of Disability Pride Month occurred in July 2015, which also marked the 25th anniversary of the ADA. Since then, cities across the country have celebrated disability pride month with parades and other festivities.

Disability Pride Month celebrates disabled persons embracing their disabilities as integral parts of who they are, reclaiming visibility in public and interacting fully with their disabilities out in the open, and rejecting shame and internalized ableism. It is a time for the disability community to come together, uplift, and amplify one another’s voices and be heard. Disability pride has been described as “accepting and honoring each person’s uniqueness and seeing it as a natural and beautiful part of human diversity.”

Source: www.americanbar.org

Autism Awareness Month 2022

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Language matters – it evolves and reflects changes in thinking. This is particularly true in the disability space. A recent example is the decision by many advocacy groups to shift references from Autism Awareness Month to Autism Acceptance Month (April).

“Autism Acceptance Not Awareness: A Perspective Shift Is Needed,” Forbes
“April 2022: Autism Acceptance Month,” Association of University Centers on Disabilities
“Autism Acceptance Month is underway. Here’s why the name is important,” USA Today

Simply put, awareness is recognition, while acceptance is action. As Johnny, a Vertical Harvest employee and autistic person, puts it “Awareness isn’t enough. Everyone should have the right to be who they really are on the inside.”

While many organizations recently changed their terminology, the Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN) created Autism Acceptance Month (AAM) ten years ago. The following is a statement on the 10th anniversary of AAM:

“Acceptance is an Action,” ASAN

Let’s join together in moving from recognition to action!