Author: Glen Jennings
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Speaking Through Felt: Katie Peña-Van Zile’s Autistic Voice on Stage
Katie Peña-Van Zile remembers the job that inspired her play, Felt, well. “I was diagnosed with autism in 2021, much closer to my thirties than not, while working at an educational puppetry nonprofit. It was truly one of the weirdest jobs I could have ever stumbled into. I learned a lot about myself—and the ugly…
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How an Autistic Advocate Turned Personal Loss into Lifesaving Work
Caleb Rader was 13 when his cousin died by suicide. He remembers the funeral vividly—and the decision it sparked in him. “There was wailing, people were fainting,” he said. “That sort of sparked something in me of ‘I don’t want this kind of thing to happen to other people.’ As I learned more about suicide…
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Global Accessibility Awareness Day 2025
On Nov. 27, 2011, Joe Devon, a web developer out of Los Angeles, wrote an article about the need for accessibility in web design. “Much effort is going into the semantics of HTML5 for the purpose of accessibility. I’ve been toying with this idea for a couple years, but now the time has come to ask for your…
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HDI and OVR collaborate to host Summer Leadership Experience
For almost 10 years, the Human Development Institute has operated a summer camp to help high school students with disabilities figure out next steps post high school that lead to a career. The Summer Leadership Experience Camp, which will be held this year from July 6 to July 10, invites students with disabilities from around…
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Let’s talk about sex and Disability: JD Otsuka’s ‘Pillow Talk’ opens the conversation
People are often uncomfortable talking about sexuality, especially in how it relates to disability. JD Otsuka’s play “Pillow Talk” challenges that discomfort directly. Pillow Talk was one of four plays selected for a staged reading at the Disabled Playwrights Workshop. The play is a single scene between a couple preparing for their first time having…
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Written by Us: The Disabled Playwrights Workshop Reclaims the Narrative
Bailey Patterson has a background in almost every side of theater. That means she’s seen firsthand how disability is often excluded from those spaces. “I’ve been witness to a lot of the exclusion of disabled artists and disabled narratives in the greater theater canon,” Patterson said. “Furthermore, when a disability is a subject that I’ve…
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Wishing Dr. Wright well at Gonzaga University
During his time at HDI, Director of Underserved Populations Dr. Nicholas Wright has enjoyed the opportunity to help bring underrepresented viewpoints to the forefront. Now, he will bringing the same philosophy that made his mission so successful here to a new level. “I will make the exciting transition into the role of Assistant Vice President…
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HDI Interpreters Serve at the Southeast Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf
Anyone closely involved with the Deaf community in the region will likely be at the Southeast Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf conference. As Alisha Salyers, a member of HDI’s ASL Interpretation Team explained it, everyone who’s anyone in the Deaf community is there, from interpreters from all over the country, Vocational Rehab professionals to…
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From Dungeons & Dragons to Romance: Writing, Identity, and the Power of Representation in Disability and Mental Health
“I think the first stuff I ever really wrote were backgrounds for my D&D character when I was in high school,” Jaz Brown said. As a fellow pen and paper role-playing game (RPG) enthusiast who likewise enjoys a detailed backstory, I can understand that. I came to writing through a different pathway, but still ended…
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Mental Health ASL Interpretation in Kentucky
There is only one other person in the state of Kentucky who is certified to do what Lisa Amstutz does the way she does it. Amstutz is a Qualified Mental Health Interpreter (QMHI), which means that she is certified to provide ASL interpretation services in mental health related settings. “Being a mental health ASL Interpreter…