By Joseph Conciatori, Creative Spirit Alumni, Marketing Content Writer at Navitend Following an opening week full of engaging discussions, YOUNGA 2022 presented by BridgingTheGap Ventures continued last week with even more opportunities for youth delegates from around the world to collaborate with each other, learn from global leaders, and share thoughts about how to spark...

By Joseph Conciatori, Creative Spirit Alumni, Marketing Content Writer at Navitend The 2022 kick off YOUNGA by BridgingTheGap Ventures on Wednesday, September 28, bringing together youth delegates from around the globe for two inspiring virtual discussions. In “Inclusion for All – Technology for All”, sixty delegates – including yours truly – participated in a master...

By Menachem Rephun, Self-advocate + Creative Spirit Staff Phil Viardo and Christopher Knight’s documentary Truelove: The Film begins with a simple yet powerful statement: “I just go through life one day at a time. I don’t know what’s going to happen, we’re not promised tomorrow. I’m just thankful to be able to wake up and...

By Joanna McElnea &Menachem Rephun, Self-advocates + Creative Spirit Staff An Open Letter To Americans on the 32nd Anniversary Of The Americans With Disabilities Act Overview Of ADAFor Creative Spirit, the July 26 anniversary of the #AmericansWithDisabilitiesAct (ADA) is our annual opportunity to reflect on the global conversations on equity and inclusion, to see where...

By Menachem Raphun, Communications Manager, Creative Spirit July’s #BIPOCMentalHealthMonth celebrates the diversity of #BIPOC communities and promotes a vital message: that representation, equity, and inclusion for BIPOC people with disabilities need to be substantially improved, along with the quality of mental health care. As noted by Mental Health America, more than 7 million African-American individuals...

The Great Resignation is the term applied to the Covid-19 era trend in which a near-record 47.4 million employees left their jobs in favor of better opportunities, leading to a severe imbalance between worker supply and employer demand. For millions of people with disabilities, who were especially hard hit by the pandemic, getting rehired was...

By Menachem Rephun, Communications Manager Creative Spirit and Self Advocate, and Joanna McElnea, Community Manager Creative Spirit and Self Advocate “Disclosing a disability to an employer enables a person to live one’s life authentically and be able to bring one’s whole self to work. Hiding a disability takes… energy that could be better spent elsewhere,...

By Menachem Rephun, Communications Manager Creative Spirit and Self Advocate It’s no secret that living with a disability isn’t always easy. From managing physical and emotional exhaustion, to loneliness, challenges with self-esteem, and anxiety about disclosure, having a disability can entail significant levels of stress. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), a 2018...

By Menachem Rephun, Communications Manager Creative Spirit and Self Advocate Since the start of the new Millenium, the internet has taken on an ever-more important role in everyday life. Millions of people worldwide utilize the internet on a daily basis for work, entertainment, social interaction, and access to important information. For the disabilities community, the...

By Menachem Rephun, Communications Manager Creative Spirit and Self Advocate Lisa Eason-Adil 1. What would you like employers to know about candidates with disabilities?Lisa Eason-Adil: I would like employers to know, that candidates with disabilities can increase productivity too.  We are the candidates that sometimes work even harder to achieve our goals.  Our work ethic...