JenTen Productions

Compelling Storytelling

disability inclusion

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

Endings & Beginnings

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It was an honor to close out 2022 by providing programming for the newest employee resource group (ERG) at Stripe — Adapt.

“Adapt supports the well-being, professional development, and leadership potential of Stripes who experience, or are caretakers of those who manage mental health, neurodiversity, chronic illness or physical challenges through education, mentorship, allyship, collaboration and discussion.”

In January of 2023, we were thrilled to be part of the Partners in Policymaking Alabama (PIPA) Conference. PIPA and the Alabama Developmental Disabilities Network made the film and panel discussion available to the current PIPA cohort and alums. JoJo Denmark and Lucas Freeze, who both joined Vertical Harvest in 2022, were part of the panel. They had great insights about accommodations and working in an inclusive environment.

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.

 

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 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.