1. From Washington To Hollywood And Beyond
Welcome! 1

2. Hon. Steve Bartlett The Honorable Steve Bartlett is the Chair
of RespectAbility’s Boards of Directors and
Advisors. As a member of Congress from
, Bartlett was the principal author
of 18 major pieces of legislation including
many legislative initiatives on advancing the
cause of independence for people with disabilities.
In addition to being a principal Republican author of the Americans with Disabilities Act, legislation included Medicaid eligibility, Section 1619 for Medicare eligibility, supported employment, assistive technology, creation of Towards Independence, the President’s Council on Handicapped 1984 report, and mainstreaming reforms for IDEA. 2

3. Debbie Fink
Debbie Fink is the Director of Community Outreach and Impact for RespectAbility, and was responsible for its Women’s Disability Leadership, Inclusion & Advocacy Series. An author, educator and performer, her books and curricula have been distributed worldwide, as she ‘edu-tained’ on global tours with the USO. Fink has a lifetime commitment to enabling people with disabilities to have a better future and is passionate about the constructive impact volunteers can make in the world. 3

4. Adam Fishbein
Adam Fishbein is a Jewish Inclusion and Volunteer Recruitment Fellow at RespectAbility. Fishbein recently graduated as a Politics, Policy and Law Scholar from American University, earning in just three years his Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies: Communications, Law, Economics and Government. 4

5. National Anthem
O say can you see, by the dawn's early light, What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming, Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight, O'er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming? And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air, Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there; O say does that star-spangled banner yet wave O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

6. Jennifer Laszlo Mizrahi
Jennifer Laszlo Mizrahi is the President of RespectAbility. She works with disability organizations, national, state and local
policy leaders, workforce development professionals, media, employers,
philanthropists, celebrities and faith-based organizations in order to expand opportunities for people with disabilities. She has submitted testimony on employment for people with disabilities in all fifty states and at the Federal level. Dyslexic herself, she also knows what it means to parent a child with multiple disabilities. 6

7. Our Mission
To fight stigmas and advance opportunities so that people with disabilities can fully participate in all aspects of community. 7

8. Prepare Talent Pipeline of leaders with disabilities
Theory of Change
To fight stigmas and advance opportunities so that people with disabilities can fully participate in all aspects of community.
Mission:
Advocate for Best Practices with education and including people with disabilities in the workforce
Prepare Talent Pipeline of leaders with disabilities
Fight Implicit Bias by promoting positive portrayals of people with disabilities in media 3 2 1 8

9. Positive Narrative Change in Hollywood
1) Fight Implicit Bias
Positive Narrative Change in Hollywood
Accurate Representation of People with Disabilities in News Facts, Studies, & Social Media
People with disabilities are viewed as capable contributing members of society 9

10. 2) Advocate for Best Practices
Solution Center for Best Practices
Task Force of 120+ Disability Groups
People with disabilities are hired, listened to and part of the solution. 10

11. 3) Prepare Leadership Pipeline
National Leadership Program
Inclusive Philanthropy Project Moses
Women’s Disability Leadership
Diverse people with disabilities drive innovation & solutions. 11

12. Disclaimer
Please note that any views expressed by today’s speakers are solely in a personal capacity and are not intended to represent the views of their companies, organizations or RespectAbility; or to be taken as legal or medical counsel. 12

13. Proven Strategies for Creating Large and
Keynote 1
Proven Strategies for Creating Large and
Influential Networks
Introduction
Calvin Harris
Keynote
Ollie Cantos 13

14. Calvin Harris
Calvin Harris is Chair Emeritus at RespectAbility. Harris became involved in the disability space as a teenager. Because of his mother’s work in the neuromuscular lab at the Washington University School of Medicine, Harris met many kids with a disability. This experience inspired him to volunteer as a camp counselor at the Muscular Dystrophy Association Camp for Kids, where he spent several summers during high school and college. 14

15. Ollie Cantos
Ollie Cantos has been active in the civil rights arena since He is Special Assistant to the Acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Education and Member of the President’s Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities (PCPID), and serves on RespectAbility’s Board of Advisors. Ollie is most grateful for his adoption of three blind triplet boys – Leo, Nick, and Steven. Ollie is speaking in his personal capacity, not on behalf of any agency. 15

16. Public Policy and Jobs for People with Disabilities
Panel 1
Public Policy and Jobs for People with Disabilities
Moderator
Philip Kahn Pauli
Panelists
Mary Lazare
Michael Reardon
Rachel Stephens 16

17. Moderator: Philip Kahn-Pauli
Philip Kahn-Pauli is the Policy and Practices Director of RespectAbility. He educates leaders at the federal and state level about best practices to expand opportunities for people with disabilities. Kahn-Pauli coordinated the development and distribution of both the Disability Employment First Planning Toolkit and Disability and Criminal Justice Reform: Keys to Success report. 17

18. Mary Lazare Mary Lazare was sworn into office as the
Principal Deputy Administrator for the
Administration for Community Living (ACL)
at the U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services on June 19, 2017.
Ms. Lazare comes to ACL from St. Louis,
Missouri, where she served from 2004 to 2006 as Vice President for Home and Community-Based Services for Lutheran Senior Services. As Vice-President, Ms. Lazare reorganized and developed a structure to streamline the operations of home health, hospice, and private duty services. 18

19. Michael Reardon Michael Reardon is a Supervisory Policy
Advisor for the Office of Disability
Employment Policy (ODEP) at the U.S.
Department of Labor. He directs ODEP’s
Employment Supports Policy Team, which
addresses a wide range of issues affecting
the employment of people with disabilities, including transportation, housing, accessible technology, and health care. He is a 2013 Federal 100 award winner and 2014 Secretary of Labor Innovation Award Honoree. He previously served as the Disability Program Manager for the Department of Transportation’s Office of Civil Rights and as a Policy Advisor for the Presidential Task Force on Employment of Adults with Disabilities. 19

20. Rachel Stephens Rachael Stephens serves as a program
director with NGA Economic Opportunity
of the National Governors Association
Center for Best Practices. At NGA, Rachael
provides technical assistance to governors’
staff and state policymakers on workforce
and economic development issues including work-based learning, occupational licensing reform, and effective workforce system governance. Before joining NGA, Rachael was the economic policy fellow at Third Way, where her research and policy work with Congress focused on workforce development, infrastructure, automation, and the future of work. 20

21. Q&A Q&A 1 Have a question for the panel?
Write it on an index card and give it to your table host! 21

22. Networking Break 22

23. Disability, Creativity
Keynote 2
Disability, Creativity
and Purpose
Introduction
Vivian Bass
Keynote
Vincenzo Piscopo 23

24. Vivian Bass Vivian G. Bass serves on the Executive
Committee of RespectAbility. Bass was elected
as Chair of the Board of Trustees of Jewish
Women International in July She
became the CEO Emeritus of The Jewish
Foundation for Group Homes in June 2016 
subsequent to serving for 30 years at the helm of the agency, which ultimately grew to 77 residential locations via a wide variety of models, two innovative transition youth programs, a staff of 260, and having $28 million in total assets. Bass has dedicated her career to improving the quality of life, independence and community inclusion and dignity of persons with disabilities throughout the Washington, D.C., area, nationally and internationally. 24

25. Vincenzo Piscopo Vincenzo Piscopo works as Community
and Stakeholder relations director for
The Coca-Cola Company where he manages
the relationships with disability, veterans
and Hispanic organizations as well as
United Way and Hands-On Atlanta. He has
worked for The Coca-Cola Company for the last 22 years in different areas of the organization: Finance, IT, Marketing and Innovation. He is the president and founder member of the This-ABILITY BRG for The Coca-Cola Company and the president and founder of the “Wheels of Happiness Foundation.” 25

26. Unlabelled - Anthem

27. Unlabelled - Keri

28. Ending the School to Prison Pipeline for Students with Disabilities
Panel 2
Ending the School to Prison Pipeline for Students with Disabilities
Moderator
Janie Jeffers
Panelists
Janet LaBreck
Robert Stephens
Diane Smith Howard 28

29. Moderator: Janie Jeffers
Janie Jeffers has had a distinguished career
in public policy, education, executive
management, public relations, planning
and criminal justice at the federal and local
levels. President Clinton appointed Jeffers
as a Commissioner to the United States
Parole Commission in In April 1997, she served as Executive Deputy Director for the Federal DC Interagency Task Force at the White House Office of Management and Budget, where she coordinated technical assistance to the District of Columbia government on economic development and public/private partnerships. 29

30. Janet LaBreck In February of 2013, President Barack
Obama announced some key
administration posts, including his intent to
nominate Janet L. LaBreck, known as a
national thought leader and key note
presenter as the Commissioner of the
Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA), within the United States Department of Education. In August of 2013, LaBreck was confirmed by the United States Senate as the Commissioner of RSA. Under her leadership, LaBreck was responsible for promulgating the most substantive regulation changes to the Vocational Rehabilitation program in over 15 years. 30

31. Diane Smith Howard Diane Smith Howard is Managing Attorney
at National Disability Rights Network
(NDRN). A litigator with 24 years of
experience in juvenile and education law,
Diane Smith Howard’s work at NDRN
focuses on conditions for children, youth
and adults with disabilities in institutional systems. Specifically, youth in the juvenile justice, child welfare, education, and refugee resettlement systems, and adults with disabilities in the criminal justice and mental health systems. Diane provides training and technical assistance to the P&As on these issues. 31

32. Robert T. Stephens Robert T. Stephens is Director of
Government Relations at the National
Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD).
Prior to joining NCLD, Robert T. Stephens
was a staffer for Congressman John Lewis.
He has dedicated his career to closing the
opportunity gap for students. He spent two years teaching special education in Charlotte, NC. After teaching, he moved to Washington, DC to pursue a Master of Public Policy degree from George Mason University. After graduating, he joined the staff of Teach For America and served as the Manager of Community Partnerships and the Director of Alumni Teacher Leadership. 32

33. Q&A Q&A 2 Have a question for the panel?
Write it on an index card and give it to your table host! 33

34. Bon Appetit! Lunch Options
ROASTED TURKEY & CRANBERRY ON WHOLE-GRAIN BREAD - Roasted Turkey; Provolone; Sprouts; Sun-Dried Cranberry Spread On Whole-Grain Bread
TRADITIONAL TUNA SALAD SANDWICH ON KAISER ROLL - Tuna Fish With Chopped Celery And Onion On A Whole-Grain Kaiser Roll
CAPRESE SANDWICH ON CIABATTA - Mozzarella; Sun-Dried Tomato With Fresh Basil And Olive Oil On A Ciabatta (Vegetarian)
GRILLED CHICKEN CAESAR WRAP - Romaine Lettuce; Pecorino Romano; Caesar Dressing; In A Spinach Wrap (Gluten Free)
LAYERED PORTOBELLO HUMMUS - Grilled Portobello Mushroom Caps; Arugula; And Shredded Carrots (Vegan and Gluten Free)
Bon Appetit! 34

35. Rep. Brad Sherman (D) Congressman Brad Sherman, from
Sherman Oaks, was born and raised in
southern California and represents
California’s San Fernando Valley. He has
been in the U.S. House of Representatives
since 1997, serving his tenth term in
Congress. Congressman Sherman is a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and serves as the Ranking Member of Subcommittee on Asia and the former Chairman of the Subcommittee on International Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade.  He is also a senior member of the Financial Services Committee. 35

36. RespectAbility Award
Jonathan Murray 36

37. Changing the Face of Disability in Media
Panel 3
Changing the Face of Disability in Media
Moderator
Jonathan Murray
Panelists
Teresa Hammond
Candace Cable
Nasreen Alkhateeb
Michael Schwartz and Tyler Nilson (via video) 37

38. Moderator: Jonathan Murray
Widely credited with helping to usher in
the modern reality television genre with his
late partner Mary-Ellis Bunim, Jonathan
Murray continues to inspire, influence and
entertain television audiences worldwide.
Since the launch of The Real World on MTV
in 1992 through Bunim/Murray Productions (BMP), Murray has created and executive produced some of the industry’s most innovative, unscripted, entertainment television programs including Born This Way (A&E), which documents the lives of young adults with Down Syndrome and their families. 38

39. Teresa Hammond
Teresa Hammond is the Chief Marketing & Communications Officer for GoNoodle, a
leading movement and mindfulness
platform that gets over 14 million kids
active each month. Prior to joining
GoNoodle, Teresa was the CMO of 4moms,
an innovative baby gear brand, where she established the marketing function and built a highly differentiated premium brand. She spent over 10 years in CPG brand marketing and worked across consumer healthcare and food categories on iconic brands like Children’s Tylenol, TUMS, and Ore-Ida. 39

40. GoNoodle

41. Yes! You Got This!

42. A new Champ for GoNoodle

43. Candace Cable
Candace Cable is the California Workforce Program Manager at RespectAbility. Cable’s involvement in sports after a spinal cord injury in 1975 at the age of 21 gave her renewed health, the ability to socially re-engage and a purpose in life. After her 27-year Paralympic athletic career, she uses this platform to effect positive global cohesive change for people with disabilities through her disability education training, consulting, writing, volunteering and speaking. 43

44. Drunk History (Video)

45. Nasreen Alkhateeb
Nasreen Alkhateeb is an award-winning Director, whose original content has broadcast internationally for over a
decade. By illuminated unrepresented voices, Nasreen thrives as a leader on diverse storytelling projects that include broadcast, digital, and film. As a multi-cultural woman of color, who is differently-abled, Nasreen’s ability to connect with people relies on commonalities that surpass identifiers like race, gender, religion, culture, and physical ability. 45

46. RespectAbility Lab Promo (Video)

47. Real World Mexico (Video)

48. The Peanut Butter Falcon (Video)

49. Q&A Q&A 3 Have a question for the panel?
Write it on an index card and give it to your table host! 49

50. Success Stories of Authentic Advocacy
Panel 4
Success Stories of Authentic Advocacy
Moderator
Nicole LeBlanc
Panelists
Ila Eckhoff
Evelyn Kelley
Ali Stroker (via video)
Laka Negassa
Matan Koch 50

51. Moderator: Nicole LeBlanc
Nicole LeBlanc was a Policy Fellow with
RespectAbility. She is currently working at
HSRI as the coordinator of the Person-
Centered Advisory and Leadership
Group (PAL-Group) in the National Center
on Advancing Person Centered Practices.
While she was at RespectAbility, she represented our organization at multiple DC-area events, conferences and meetings. She also conducted data entry for a variety of outreach projects and contributed to the selection process of the class of summer 2017 Fellows. 51

52. Ila Eckhoff Ila Eckhoff, CPA, Managing Director, is a
member of BlackRock’s Business Operations
as part of Investment Operations –
Derivative Operations. She is responsible
for leading BlackRock’s Industry and
Counterparty Management strategy for
derivatives and collateral. She helped launch and led Blackrock’s Ability Network in 2017, which currently has over 400 members in the US, Europe and Asia. She is a member of the Board of Directors of the Cerebral Palsy Foundation and a member of the Autism and Special Needs Committee for UJA. She is the 2018 recipient of the Dr. Catherine White Achievement Award from Heartshare. 52

53. Evelyn Kelley
Evelyn Kelley, who has a severe hearing disability, is a self-advocate for people with disabilities. She graduated from Stanford University in 2012 with a degree in English and joined RespectAbility as one of its first Fellows. During her time at RespectAbility, Kelley helped establish the role of the Fellows by identifying specific projects that Fellows could assume responsibility for, and through her contributions as a skilled writer, she wrote grant proposals and drafted op-eds for publication. 53

54. Laka Mitiku Negassa Laka Mitiku Negassa is a Policy Fellow at
RespectAbility. A student of health policy,
Negassa just finished her first year in the
master’s program at George Washington
University’s Milken Institute School of
Public Health. She is interested in the ways
in which health policy affects the disability community in terms of access to health care and quality of that care. She has interned in Maryland’s Division of Rehabilitation Services office where she fine-tuned her communication skills and first experienced working on issues affecting the disability community. 54

55. Matan Koch A longtime national leader in disability advocacy
and a wheelchair user himself, Matan Koch is on
the front lines in RespectAbility’s work on disability
inclusion in philanthropy and nonprofits, Jewish
outreach and impact, leadership, legal affairs and
our Los Angeles work. Koch is a longtime leader in
disability advocacy, and was a Senate confirmed
Obama appointee to the National Council on Disability, for a term that ended in An inclusion expert, he has developed training and materials for many Jewish organizations, including Hillel International, the Union for Reform Judaism and Combined Jewish Philanthropies. He has also spoken and taught at law firms, and at Johnson & Johnson. 55

56. Q&A Q&A 4 Have a question for the panel?
Write it on an index card and give it to your table host! 56

57. Another Networking Break57

58. What can YOU do to make a difference?
Panel 5
What can YOU do to make a difference?
Moderator
Hon. Steve Bartlett
Panelists
Lauren Appelbaum
Philip Kahn-Pauli 58

59. Moderator: Hon. Steve Bartlett
The Honorable Steve Bartlett is the Chair
of RespectAbility’s Boards of Directors and
Advisors. As a member of Congress from
, Bartlett was the principal author
of 18 major pieces of legislation including
many legislative initiatives on advancing the
cause of independence for people with disabilities.
In addition to being a principal Republican author of the Americans with Disabilities Act, legislation included Medicaid eligibility, Section 1619 for Medicare eligibility, supported employment, assistive technology, creation of Towards Independence, the President’s Council on Handicapped 1984 report, and mainstreaming reforms for IDEA. 59

60. Lauren Appelbaum Lauren Appelbaum is the Vice President,
Communications, at RespectAbility. She
brings more than 15 years of experience in
strategic and crisis communications,
writing, video and web production, news
gathering and social media to the disability
agenda. Previously she was a digital researcher with the NBC News political unit. As an individual with an acquired invisible disability – Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy – she writes about the intersection of disability, employment, Hollywood and politics. Appelbaum currently oversees RespectAbility’s outreach to Hollywood. 60

61. Philip Kahn-Pauli
Philip Kahn-Pauli is the Policy and Practices Director of RespectAbility. He educates leaders at the federal and state level about best practices to expand opportunities for people with disabilities. Kahn-Pauli coordinated the development and distribution of both the Disability Employment First Planning Toolkit and Disability and Criminal Justice Reform: Keys to Success report. 61

62. Q&A Q&A 5 Have a question for the panel?
Write it on an index card and give it to your table host! 62

63. Bon Appetit! Each of you is a VIP! Make sure to network! VIP Reception63

64. We want you! www.respectability.org/volunteer Stay involved…
Ready to join our Volunteer Corps?
We want you!
11333 Woodglen Drive, Suite 102
Rockville, MD  20852
Office:  (202)
© RespectAbility 2019 64