Disability 101 for Youth Services Providers

Disability 101 for Youth Services Providers

May 21st, 2024 | 1:00 - 2:30 PM ET

The topic of youth with disabilities is often left out of conversations surrounding diversity, equity, inclusion, and cultural competency. This entry-level webinar provides an introduction to language used within the disability community, apparent versus non-apparent disabilities, understanding ableism, and ways that disability and ableism impact youth services. Rachel Litchman of our Youth Catalyst Team will also break down the difference between disability rights and disability justice, and why these frameworks are critical to serving youth experiencing homelessness in equitable and accessible ways.

Objectives

This webinar will include:

• An overview of language and frameworks used to discuss disability
  • Person-first vs. identity first language
  • Apparent, non-apparent, and dynamic disabilities
  • The social vs. medical models of defining disability
• An overview of ableism and how it shows up internally, interpersonally, and structurally
• An overview of disability rights vs. disability justice and an opportunity to discuss their relevance to youth-serving programs
• Intersections between youth homelessness, ableism, and disability
• Feedback for providing disability-inclusive and culturally competent services
• Opportunity for Q & A

Our Presenter

Rachel Litchman (she/her) is a Youth Catalyst Team consultant with Youth Collaboratory who has lived experience of homelessness and disability. In addition to working for three years in the youth services sector, she spent four years on the board of a grassroots disability non-profit in Madison, Wisconsin and was a member of the 2023 American Association of People with Disabilities summer internship cohort where she worked as a public policy fellow with the National Disability Rights Network. Rachel's writing and comics have appeared in The Washington Post, Rooted in Rights, Tone, The Nib, and Disability Visibility. Her work can be found online at racheldl.com and on Instagram at @racheldlart.