On this website, there are organizations, historical references as well as terminology that may be unfamiliar to you.
On this page you will find definitions and helpful links to deepen your understanding of the context of my work and history of the fight for accesibility.
Glossary
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Ableism
Disability activist Leah Smith defines ableism as “a set of beliefs or practices that devalue and discriminate against people with physical, intellectual, or psychiatric disabilities and often rests on the assumption that disabled people need to be ‘fixed’ in one form or the other. Ableism is intertwined in our culture, due to many limiting beliefs about what disability does or does not mean, how able-bodied people learn to treat people with disabilities and how we are often not included at the table for key decisions.”
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Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) became law in 1990. The ADA is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in all areas of public life, including jobs, schools, transportation, and all public and private places that are open to the general public. The purpose of the law is to make sure that people with disabilities have the same rights and opportunities as everyone else […] It guarantees equal opportunity for individuals with disabilities in public accommodations, employment, transportation, state and local government services, and telecommunications.
Via the ADA Network
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Curb Cuts
“Curb cuts first became implemented in the United States after World War II, when disabled veterans returned home to find that their sidewalks, streets, and street corners were not easily accessible. Indeed, prior to the invention of curb cuts, wheelchair users had to find the nearest driveway, cross the road while contending with oncoming traffic, and find the next available driveway in order to get to the other side of the street. Thanks to the lobbying of disabled veterans, especially Jack Fisher, a Navy veteran and lawyer, the nation’s first curb cuts were installed in Kalamazoo, Michigan, in 1945.”
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Health Equity
“Health equity is achieved when everyone has the opportunity to be as healthy as possible. Health inequities are reflected in differences in length of life; quality of life; rates of disease, disability, and death; severity of disease; and access to treatment.”
Via the CDC
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DEIA
By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including sections 1104, 3301, and 3302 of title 5, United States Code, and in order to strengthen the Federal workforce by promoting diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility…
Articles
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Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Disability by Health Condition
In 2021, the U.S. Census Bureau’s Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) reintroduced questions on health conditions related to disability that can help us better understand the conditions that contribute to disability and how they vary by sex, race, ethnicity and education.
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#BlackLivesMatter in Research Too
Dr. Jonathan Jackson, Director of the Massachusetts General Hospital, CARE Research Center presents his talk discussing racism and the history of racism in research.
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Health Disparities and People with Disabilities
"Unless you pay attention to people with disabilities from the outset in rethinking solutions, you're going to perpetuate the long-standing disparities among people with disabilities, including those who are racial and ethnic minorities.”
-Barbara (Bobbi) Linn disability activist.
You should know about…
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The Kennedy Center
At the Office of Accessibility and VSA, we're passionate about access to the arts for people with disabilities. To ensure the arts are accessible to all—from children to older adults—we make Kennedy Center performances and facilities accessible to all audiences, and provide resources, programs, and opportunities for educators, cultural administrators, emerging and professional artists and performers with disabilities.
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The Art of Mass Gatherings
A touring experiential symposium that uses festivals as classrooms to build community resilience and climate change preparedness. Participants meet one another and share knowledge and practices that increase the safety, accessibility, sustainability, and community engagement of large gatherings of people.
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Story Tapestries
With a respect for the needs of those supporting and collaborating with the organization, Story Tapestries strives to bring fiscally responsible, innovative, culturally-sensitive programming to all generations.
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People's heART
The Peoples’ heART (Health Equity x Art) is dedicated to exploring and remedying health equity through art. While the project is based at Massachusetts General Hospital, the work goes beyond our walls.
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Maybe She Dies
Maybe She Dies is a Little Mermaid for adults, reimagined from the 1837 original: a quite grim tale where a mermaid is obsessed with a boy, makes a rash choice, acquires a disabled body, then dies. Challenge narratives where disabled characters are cured or killed. Be swept away by the music and soundscape. You’ll have to see which branching storyline you’ll experience of 192 possible plays.
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Open Circle Theatre
Open Circle Theatre is a place where artists with and without disabilities can be mentored, receive training, and have the opportunity to reach their professional potential.
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The Grieving Project
TGP is a…
Spoken Word Musical About Finding Your Voice
A Moving Journey Through 14 Stages of Grieving & Thriving
A Road Map to Our Hearts...
An invitation for you to grieve your loss, your change, your unexpected and unwanted transformation, and the inspiration and encouragement you need to awaken, express, rejuvenate, activate, connect, shine and truly thrive!
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The Body is Not an Apology
The Body Is Not An Apology is an international movement committed to cultivating global radical self-love and bodily empowerment. We believe that discrimination, social inequality, and injustice are manifestations of our inability to make peace with the body, our own and others.
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Chidiebere Ibe
Chidiebere Ibe is a Nigerian Medical Illustrator and aspiring Pediatric Neurosurgeon. He is known for the famous illustration of a black pregnant woman with a black fetus and is acknowledged as one of the few globally recognized medical illustrators from Africa.
Workshops and Classes
Jessica has designed a variety of workshops around The Body is Good for youth, adults, and corporate groups.
Maybe She Dies
Video filmed, edited, and produced by Jessica Wallach
Maybe She Dies is written by Amy Claussen
Video description: 1. Introduction. Exterior and interior shots of The Kennedy Center's Reach building and its grand atrium and sloped walls. The team, with and without disabilities, are journeying through the halls in their wheelchairs, with their service dog, a blind actor walking arm-in-arm with another actor, someone dancing with their hands, snippets of rehearsal at music stands, and someone jumping high and doing a little musical theatre kick. Joy. 2. Interviews. Amy and Laley are in a rehearsal room with high ceilings and lots of natural light. Interspersed are clips from a staged reading and rehearsal footage in the same room. 3. Credits. A nautical-themed illustration that says Maybe She Dies. Then, credits scroll across the screen. End.