Written By: Menachem Rephun, Creative Spirit Communication Manager In the history of the disability rights movement, few individuals are more renowned and celebrated than Helen Keller (June 27, 1880 – June 1, 1968), and for good reason. A lecturer, political activist, and author of more than 14 books and hundreds of essays and speeches, Keller...

Written By: Menachem Rephun, Creative Spirit Communication Manager We are heartbroken to share with our Creative Spirit community that our beloved vice chair and friend Karen Eisenbach has passed away. A board member since Creative Spirit’s founding in 2017, Karen was a passionate, dedicated champion of inclusion and representation for all people with disabilities. She...

Roughly 6% of the U.S. population will experience Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) at some point in their lives, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Developing as a result of war-related combat stress, physical or sexual assault, natural disasters, or other traumatic experiences, PTSD is a relatively recent diagnosis, entering the DSM-III in...

Written By: Menachem Rephun, Creative Spirit Communication Manager For over a century, the disability rights movement has seen its share of outstanding individuals who have been “movers and shakers” in the truest sense, working to protect fundamental civil liberties and ensure inclusion and representation for the roughly 61 million Americans with disabilities. Groundbreaking legislation such...

By: Menachem Rephun, Creative Spirit Communication Manager April is National Autism Awareness Month. Vector illustration. Holiday poster. Source: Getty Images The Current Employment Reality for the Autism Community Approximately 1% of the global population (over 75,000,000 people) live with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), a broad group of conditions whose symptoms include challenges with social skills...

By Menachem Rephun, Creative Spirit Communication Manager A Disability Pride Parade in New York City, from disabilitypridenyc.org. Since its beginnings in the early 19th century with efforts to provide formal education for deaf and deaf-blind individuals, the disability rights movement has worked to achieve inclusion and societal acceptance, shatter stigmas, and expand recognition that individuals with...

By Menachem Rephun, Creative Spirit Communication Manager We’re very saddened to share that Judy Heumann, the renowned disability rights activist who co-organized the historic “504 Sit-In” in 1977 and helped pave the way for the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA), the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), and the Rehabilitation Act, has passed away at...

By: Menachem Rephun, Creative Spirit Communication Manager February is Black History Month, which celebrates black heroes contributions, triumphs, and achievements throughout U.S. history. One aspect of Black History Month that has been less explored is the significant, historical contribution made by African-Americans to the disability rights movement, which promotes equity and inclusion for the millions...

In 2023, the 61 million Americans with disabilities, including the 15 - 20% of the population who are neurodivergent, are still facing record unemployment. Within the disabilities community, another group still has not received adequate representation: individuals with chronic conditions (i.e. rare diseases).

Creative Spirit strongly and unequivocally condemns the statement made this week by Rep. Sean Tarwater (R), chairman of the House Commerce, Labor, and Economic Development Committee, that people with disabilities will, in his words, “rot at home” without sheltered workshops, and that people with disabilities “really can’t do anything.” This perspective denies the basic dignity...