May is Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month.

There are more than 18 million Asian Americans in America today. More than 1.3 million of them experience some form of disability.

There are also 612,857 native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders living in the United States; almost 65,000 of them experience disabilities.

Ollie Cantos is a Filipino-American attorney who has been blind since birth. He successfully upheld anti-discrimination laws such as the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Fair Housing Act, the Help America Vote Act, and the Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act. At one point, he was the highest-ranking person with a disability in the federal government.

Ollie reminds us that these battles are still being fought every day, saying, "As a society, yet again, we are at a critical crossroads. By coming together to amplify our voices, in the spirit of the great Mahatma Gandhi, we each get to BE the change we want to see."

​What change do YOU want to be?
  

• Learn more about several prominent Asian-Americas who experience disabilities here. Profiles include a contestant from Bachelor Season 25, two US Senators, and more.
• Read some interesting statistics here.
• Learn more about Ollie Cantos here and here.

April is Autism Acceptance Month. ​In honor of this month, UCP Oregon would like to share a piece written by Andrew Haynes.

​Andrew is the Brokerage Administrative Assistant for UCP Connections, and is a person with Asperger’s. Andrew would like to thank Silas Bird (Operations Coordinator for UCP Connections) for assistance in creating this piece.

​By Andrew Haynes, Brokerage Administrative Assistant, with assistance from Silas Bird, Operations Coordinator

Autism Acceptance Month is a time to celebrate and embrace the unique qualities of individuals on the autism spectrum. It's no longer enough to simply raise awareness about autism; we must shift our focus towards acceptance and inclusion.
 
We must advocate for policies that prioritize inclusion, education, employment opportunities, healthcare access, and social support for autistic individuals.

It’s April, which means it’s “Autism Awareness Month.” It’s also “Autism Acceptance Month.”
 
As Autism Parenting Magazine writes, “Autistic people aren’t a monolith—everyone has their own preference for what terminology he/she/they finds empowering. Still, many support the shift from ‘awareness’ to ‘acceptance.’”
 
Self-advocate and blogger Lyric Holmans says, “Autism Awareness—knowing autistic people exist. Autistic Acceptance—accepting autistic people as they are, strengths and weaknesses. Autistic Pride—autistic people feeling safe & confident enough to have pride in their authentic neurodivergent selves.”

Self-advocate Kassiane S says, “Awareness is easy. Acceptance requires actual work.”
 
The Autistic Self Advocacy Network agrees, saying, “Acceptance is an action. This means that autism acceptance is an active process that requires both a shift in thinking and in action.”

Many other groups have also moved from “acceptance” to “awareness.” They include the Autism Society of America, the Association of University Centers on Disabilities, the Autistic Women and Non-Binary Network, and the National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities.
 
Whichever name you choose to use, we hope you’ll join us this month—and always!—by embracing neurodiversity.
 

Did you know that March 25th is National Cerebral Palsy Awareness Day?
 
The nationally recognized holiday was created in 2006 by a non-profit parent advocacy group called “Reaching for the Stars.”
 
One way to make a difference on this day is to help spread awareness with your community.
​Here are some facts you might like to share:

• Cerebral palsy is the most widespread physical disability in the world.
• In America, approximately 764,000 children and adults currently have CP.
• Each year, 10,000 newborns (and 1,200-1,500 school-aged children) are diagnosed with CP.
• Medical costs are approximately 10-26 times higher for children with CP.
• The total lifetime care costs to take care of a child with CP exceeds $1 million.

PS: Want even more CP facts? Check out this link.

March is Women's History Month, a time to celebrate the contributions and achievements of women throughout history.
 
It is also a time to recognize the unique challenges faced by women, including those with disabilities.
 
This week, we learned of the sad passing of Judith Heumann, one of the world’s most recognized disability advocates.
 
At the age of two, Judith contracted Polio and lost the ability to walk. When Judith attempted to start kindergarten, the principal physically blocked the family from entering the school, calling Heumann a “fire hazard.” Luckily, Judith’s mother fought for her daughter’s right to an education. Judith went on to graduate with a BA in 1969.
 
In the 1970’s, after battling the New York Board of Education, Judith became the first teacher in the state to use a wheelchair. Later in her career, she helped establish the Independent Living movement.
 
Judith also worked for the Clinton Administration and served as Assistant Secretary of Education under President Barack Obama. She worked for the World Bank and the State Department.

As she said, 

​Judith also played a important role in the development of the Americans with Disabilities Act. 

​In 2020, Judith was the star of a documentary, “Crip Camp” and also published a memoir, Being Heumann: An Unrepentant Memoir of a Disability Rights Activist.

Judith passed away on March 4, 2023. Armando A. Contreras (the President and CEO of the United Cerebral Palsy National organization) writes,

Hey! Did you know that March is Women’s History Month?

As journalist Melissa Young says, “Women have been making history for centuries; for some, this was the only choice they had.”

Women with disabilities make history, too.

Melissa reminds us that,  for many women who experienced disabilities “it was either live the way others expected them to or fight for the lives they knew they (and all people with disabilities) deserved.”

Famous women who experience/experienced disabilities include:

• Agatha Christie
• Billie Eilish
• Carrie Underwood
• Caryl Simon
• Cher
• Ella Fitzgerald
• Erin Brockovich
• Fannie Lou Hamer
• Frida Kahlo
• Gwen Stefani
• Halle Berry
• Harriet Tubman
• Joan Rivers
• Keira Knightley
• Liv Tyler
• Marilyn Monroe
• Maya Angelou
• Millie Bobby Brown
• Missy Elliott
• Senator Tammy Duckworth
• Simone Biles
• Sojourner Truth
• Solange Knowles
• Zooey Deschanel​

 
LEARN MORE:

• ​6 Women With Disabilities Who Made History
• Famous People with Disabilities

 

We are excited to share UCP Oregon’s newest Annual Report, which covers the 2020-2021 fiscal year.

The theme of this report is “Change.” 
 
As our Executive Director, Ann Coffey, states in the report, “There has been so much change... But, through it all, the UCP community stood strong and resilient. We stood together. We sought new ways to complete our work. We found new ways to connect. We discovered new ways to find balance and purpose.”
 
A gigantic thank you to everyone who contributed, as a writer, photographer, and/or editor!

February is Black History Month. It’s a time to hold space for Black Americans, to recognize and celebrate and grieve parts of American history that may feel all too invisible.
 
For UCP Oregon, it’s also a time to celebrate the contributions and struggles of Black people who experience disabilities.
 
Currently, 5.5 million Black Americans are living with a disability. But, as Ola Ojewumi says, “to be Black and disabled in America is to be invisible.”
 
Ola Ojewumi is both Black and disabled. She’s an activist, journalist, and a community organizer. She contributes to the Huffington Post, and founded two nonprofits.
 
Ola says, “According to the version of American history I was taught in the public education system, it's as though people with disabilities didn’t make any significant contributions to our society. The same was largely true for African Americans... Yet when you look at Black history, there is an undeniable link to disability; some of our greatest Black heroes and heroines have been disabled.”
 
She adds, “Since our society fails to do enough to acknowledge both communities' significant contributions, it is up to us to amplify Black disabled voices and both groups’ histories."
 
That’s why Ola created the #DisabledBlackHistory campaign. It's a social media initiative that celebrates the milestones of disabled black Americans.

Read more about Ola Ojewumi and #DisabledBlackHistory here.

Today is Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Last year, we shared a list of powerful MLK quotes that was curated by Karen Wang. Karen is the mom of several children, including a son with disabilities.
 
As Karen writes, “As I plan for my children’s future, I find myself returning to [MLK’s] lessons for guidance. Human rights are for everyone, and we still have a long way to go on our journey.”

These quotes are so good that we're sharing them again.
​

• “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”
• “It is not possible to be in favor of justice for some people and not be in favor of justice for all people.”
• “If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.”
• “If I cannot do great things, I can do small things in a great way.”
• “Everybody can be great…because anybody can serve… You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.”
• “It really boils down to this: that all life is interrelated. We are all caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied into a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one destiny, affects all indirectly.” 

 
What are you doing to honor Martin Luther King Jr. Day?
 
PS: You can read Karen's article here.