Disability Justice Project

Celebrate week 3 of #DisabilityPrideMonth with us by watching this short message from Disability Justice Media Network member Alexander Ogheneruemu. Alex is a blogger, team member at Voice for the Deaf Foundation, and an educator. He is based between Lagos and Oyo in Nigeria. [Video description: The DJP logo animation briefly pops up in the space above Alex's head. Alex, a Deaf Nigerian man with closely shaved hair, is sitting in front of a yellow wall. Alex speaks to camera: "Hello, folks. Welcome to Disability Pride Month. Disability pride, to me, is about merging my unique strengths with my disability. To what? To create a unique and impactful brand. Thank you." A black background slides rightward across the screen. Yellow text on the ending screen reads, "Disability Pride Month." Below it, white text reads, "July 2024." Below the text is the DJP logo animation.]

It's week 2 of #DisabilityPrideMonth! This week, learn what disability pride means to Kinanty Andini. Kinanty Andini is a filmmaker, freelance digital artist, and psychosocial disability activist. She works as a disability perspective trainer for the Indonesian Association of Women with Disabilities (HWDI). During her DJP fellowship, Andini made documentaries on issues like the lack of mental health care in Indonesia and the lack of employment for people with psychosocial disabilities. Andini wants to channel her digital art skills to voice disability issues. [Video description: The DJP logo animation briefly pops up. Kinanty Andini, an Indonesian woman wearing a pink hijab, speaks to camera: "Many people have mental problems, but they don't admit it because they are afraid of being stigmatized. Well, in the past, I was also one of them. But after I learned to accept myself as a person with psychosocial disability, my life become better because I can control my relapse stage better, I met wonderful people who accept me, and then I can prove to people that I have the same capacity as any other person. So to me, disability pride is when you can accept yourself as a person with disability, do your best, and breaking the stigma by proving to people that you have the same capacity like any other person." A black background slides rightward across the screen. Yellow text on the ending screen reads, "Disability Pride Month." Below it, white text reads, "July 2024." Below the text is the DJP logo animation.]

Happy #DisabilityPrideMonth! Worldwide, every July, the history and achievements of persons with disabilities are celebrated and their voices are uplifted. Each week this month, a DJP member will share what disability pride means to them. Meet Sita Sah, a 2023 Fellow and disability rights activist from Nepal. She has over five years of professional experience spanning various sectors and NGOs. After completing her 10th grade in Nepal, she moved to New Delhi, India, for her education, where she completed a B.A. from Delhi University and a medical transcription course from Sarthak Educational Trust. Alongside her professional pursuits, Sah is deeply passionate about creative writing, particularly short stories and poems. She finds solace in sad songs and enjoys reading novels in her leisure time. [Video description: Sita Sah, a visually impaired woman with white vitiligo patches on her dark-brown skin and black hair, is wearing sunglasses, a pink jacket, and black pants. She is standing in an open field with a large building behind her. The DJP logo animation briefly pops up below Sita's hands as she begins to speak. Sita speaks to camera: "Namaste, everyone. This is Sita here from Nepal. And disability pride means, for me, independency, which even though I'm blind, even though I'm a woman with visually impaired, I'm having some kind of disability, but I have crossed my barriers and today I'm able to do whatever I want to do. That is disability pride for me." A black background slides right across the screen. Yellow text on the ending screen reads, "Disability Pride Month." Below it, white text reads, "July 2024." Below the text is the DJP logo animation.]

We're rounding out #DeafBlindAwarenessWeek with a spotlight on "A New Challenge," a film produced in 2022 by DJP Fellow Duster Lucius. Meet Chrissy Matumba, who became the first DeafBlind student admitted to a prestigious public high school in Blantyre, Malawi. Duster speaks with Chrissy about the many barriers she overcame in her education, and underscores the need for greater resources and support for the hundreds of school-age DeafBlind children in Malawi. Watch the full film here: https://disabilityjusticeproject.org/film/a-new-challenge/ [Video description: Chrissy Matumba, a high school-age Malawian girl who is DeafBlind, walks up to a desk and sits down to use a green Braille machine. Duster Lucius, a young, dark-skinned Malawian man with DeafBlindness (partial hearing, completely blind), speaks to camera: "Welcome. Today I'm joined by a girl who has just been selected to continue with her education at a high school. She is DeafBlind and she is going to introduce herself and we are going to know more about her. First, what's your name, and where do you come from, and how did you acquire DeafBlindness?" Chrissy walks into a classroom, makes her way around a chair in the center of the room and walks over to the desk. Chrissy speaks to camera: "I am Chrissy Matumba and I come from Zomba. I acquired these disabilities because of disease such as tuberculosis and retinoblastoma cancer." Chrissy loads paper into the Braille machine. White text reads, "At age 17, Chrissy Matumba was accepted to complete her final year of high school at Blantyre Secondary School, a prestigious public school in Malawi." A zoomed-in view of Chrissy loading the paper. White text reads, "She became the first DeafBlind student to attend the school." Duster speaks to camera: "And how— what were some of the challenges that you faced when going through the education previously?" Chrissy speaks to camera: "There was a lack of assistive devices, and fellow students dejected me when I have

In Nepal, a significant gap exists between the equality promised to individuals with disabilities under the Constitution and the reality of the Vehicles and Traffic Management Act, which prohibits people from driving if they are unable to hear basic auditory signals. In "Driving Change," DJP filmmaker and National Federation of the Deaf Nepal - NDFN communications officer Bishwamitra Bhitrakoti documents Raghav Bir Joshi's advocacy for Deaf Nepali drivers. Watch the full film here: https://disabilityjusticeproject.org/film/driving-change/ [Video ID: A black-and-white image of Raghav. Raghav speaks over voiceover: "Namaste, I am Raghav Bir Joshi." An image of a street in Nepal. Raghav speaks over voiceover: "My residence is in Kathmandu, Nepal." An image of a school bus in front of a school. Raghav speaks over voiceover: "During my childhood, I attended Naxal Central Deaf School." Raghav steers a car. Raghav speaks over voiceover: "Initially, I had to walk to school, but I eventually got a motorbike and learned to ride it with the help of my colleagues." A black-and-white image of young Raghav sitting on a motorbike. Raghav speaks over voiceover: "One day, when my father left for work, I grabbed his bike and began riding it without him knowing." A black-and-white image of young Raghav speaking with a Nepali woman. Raghav speaks over voiceover: "My father didn't listen to me when I told him that I can ride a bike and that I can get a driving license." Raghav walks up a staircase. Raghav speaks over voiceover: "We have been consistently pushing and pressuring the government to enforce the rights guaranteed by the Constitution." Raghav sits, working on a computer. An image of police stopping motorcyclists at night. Raghav speaks over voiceover: "In Nepal, some [Deaf] people ride motorcycles without a license, causing issues during nighttime traffic checks by the police." An image of a magazine. Raghav speaks over voiceover: "While some [Deaf] foreigners can ride wi

May is #MentalHealthAwarenessMonth, a time to break the stigma around mental health challenges. Esther Suubi, a Disability Justice Project Fellow and a peer educator in Uganda, shares her experience as a person with a psychosocial disability and how she grows through supporting others. At the DJP, we are dedicated to building a global community of disability rights advocates, ensuring a supportive environment for mental health awareness and activism. [Video description: Text reads, "Celebrating Mental Health Awareness Month with DJP fellow Esther Suubi." Esther speaks to camera: "Hi, I am Esther Suubi Deborah from Uganda and I am a young lady with psychosocial disability. So, I'm always asked, 'Esther, how do you get back on your feet? What keeps you moving, you know, after experiencing such an episode or such a crisis?' And I usually tell them that, you know, 'What works for me may not work for you.' So what I usually do is interact with various people that have had similar experiences, get to learn from them, get to know what has helped them, and try to also implement them in my life. And on top of that, you know, supporting somebody else as well who is going through such an experience, mentoring them, taking them through a step-by-step process. Now, when they get back on their feet and you see them thriving, that alone makes me feel accomplished. I always feel like, 'Ok, I'm really doing something,' and that is what keeps me moving, to see that I support other people as well and they are not left behind. Thank you."]

On #GlobalAccessibilityAwarenessDay, we recognize the power of the iPhone in making digital activism accessible for persons with disabilities. Let's keep expanding access to filmmaking and improving digital accessibility not just today but every day. #gaad #iPhone #apple #a11y [Video ID: Text says, "Celebrating Global Accessibility Awareness Day." A Samoan man places the iPhone kit on a tripod. An iPhone kit on a tripod comes into focus, recording an interview with a woman. Ari Tommy Hazelman, the Samoa Blind Persons Association disability inclusive officer, speaks to camera: "If you think about it, it doesn't make sense for a blind person to use a camera. Like if you think about it in the real world, you know, people will say, 'Oh, how can a blind person use a camera?' The iPhone has its features where it talks about the right edge, left edge, the voiceover actually says that, and you move your hand together with the kit to tilt, so you sort of understand how it works." An iPhone kit on a tripod comes into focus, framing a photo of a man. Ari does a sound check wearing wired headphones. A DJP fellow holds up the iPhone kit to test it. Faaolo Utumapu-Utailesolo, the Disability Rights Fund program officer for Pacific island countries, speaks to the camera: "It's great. It's amazing, like, to be able to know that you can do that, like, it actually gives you your independence, you know, that independence because I'm one that really likes to do my own– I like my own independence, especially in doing my work. So having access to that feature of the iPhone is great because it gives me a little bit more control over what I can do. I've said, you know, there's a lot of stories from this side of the world that no one has heard about on disability rights so it's great to have access to it." Two women untangle a microphone cord. Two women help a DJP fellow orient the tripod on which an iPhone is mounted. Ari speaks to camera: "It's really important and I'm hoping that the

World Press Freedom Day

On #WorldPressFreedomDay, we honor the courage and determination of our fellows from around the world. In an era where journalists face grave threats, our fellows are changing the narrative in Uganda, Indonesia, Nepal, and many other countries and forging a more inclusive world. This year’s theme, “Journalism in the Face of the Environmental Crisis,” underscores our reporting on flooding in Rwanda and rising seas in Kiribati, emphasizing how these climate crises disproportionately affect persons with disabilities. Our work continues to spotlight the urgent need for inclusive storytelling in environmental journalism. Let's ensure that every story of resilience and every call for justice is heard. #LeaveNoOneBehind [ ID: Text says, "Celebrating #WorldPressFreedomDay." DJP Fellow Isoa Nabainivalu signs to camera. "The nothing about us without us mantra for persons with disabilities, this is extremely important." Text says, "Today, on World Press Freedom Day, UNESCO honors the importance of journalism and freedom of information. This year's theme is 'Journalism in the Face of the Environmental Crisis.'" Jay Nasilasila of Fiji Disabled Peoples Federation speaks to camera: "When I go out to the community, I tend to hear the reality of what persons with disabilities are going through. When we talk about climate change, those that live in the rural, remote areas, or in the coastal, they have noticed coastal erosion happening, increasing sea levels, and that has also affected their livelihoods. You know, disaster exacerbates the level of vulnerabilities of people with disabilities, so the investment in preparedness is really important." Freda Willie of Vanuatu Disability Promotion and Advocacy Association speaks: "Vanuatua, even though we ratified the Convention on the Rights of [Persons] with Disabilities, there's still some implementing part we have to see fulfilled." Village elder Kaltatak Kalokis speaks to camera: "We don't have a proper evacuation center to accom

More important grassroots storytelling from the DJP's Nepali cohort. In his latest project, DJP Fellow Sanjaya Raj Neupane of Koshish Nepal highlights one Nepali woman's journey towards resilience through mental health self-advocacy. Faced with mental health challenges after the death of her husband, Santoshi found community through KOSHISH, a grassroots organization dedicated to well-being and advocacy for Nepalis with psychosocial disabilities. 📣 "Let us all break the stigma and open the door for inclusion." Watch "Breaking Chains" here: https://bit.ly/4aFPNk2 [Video Description: Santoshi BK, a Nepali woman in a headscarf, speaks about her experiences of mental health struggles and domestic violence, and the support she received from KOSHISH. The clip corresponds with footage of Santoshi crouching outside as she washes pans and cooks over a fire.] #InclusiveStorytelling #PsychosocialDisability #EndStigma #MentalHealthMatters #DisabilityRights #Nepal

This #InternationalWomensDay, we're proud to release “Crossroads,” a documentary by DJP Fellow Sita Sah. The film explores the lives of blind women in Nepal who face significant barriers to marriage and increased risks of abandonment and abuse post-union. Sah highlights the lives of two mothers who, after being left by their husbands, have found ways to thrive and support their children. She also talks with a renowned singer who chose solitude over the prospect of marriage-induced violence or dependency. “Crossroads” also celebrates the drive for change by activists fighting for a better, more inclusive world. Let’s stand together for equality and empowerment today and every day. Watch “Crossroads” and support the journey toward a world where every woman can flourish. Full film & transcript: https://bit.ly/4a1wf9u [Video ID] Video opens with dramatic music. A young Nepali woman is smiling and laughing. A statistic comes on screen: 35 percent of women with disabilities experience violence in Nepal. About 80 percent suffer psychological violence, often from their own parents and neighbors. Another woman looks out a window and wipes away tears. She hugs her two children and then walks up a set of stairs, carrying her baby and using a cane to guide her. Another statistic comes on screen: A 2018 study by the Nepal Disabled Women’s Association (NDWA) revealed that 67 percent of disabled women in Nepal remain unmarried without prospective partners. Nepali women are shown engaging in various activities like playing music, gardening, preparing food, and sewing. Words appear on screen: Marriage is a journey, but for those with disabilities, unique challenges emerge post-union. Watch Crossroads, a video by DJP Fellow Sita Sah. #Intersectionality #DisabilityRights #DiversityInMedia #Nepal #IWD2024

Gender justice must be intersectional. The theme of International Women’s Day this week is “Invest in women: Accelerate progress." To accelerate equity, we must amplify the voices of Global South women with disabilities who are at the forefront of feminist change. In the film by 2022 DJP Fellow Mahretta Maha, Indonesian disability rights activist Rina Prasarani shares her message for women with disabilities. "Don't give up. Keep fighting." ✨📹 Let's support and celebrate disabled women's global leadership as activists and storytellers! Watch and share 'We Are Born Perfect.' Full film and transcript: https://bit.ly/3FY7cYi [Video Description: Clip of Rina Prasarani, a blind disability rights activist from Jakarta, speaking to the camera about the power of women with disabilities. The clip corresponds with footage of Indonesian women gathering, tying their hair, and walking barefoot across the soil.] #InternationalWomensDay #GenderJustice #Intersectionality #NothingAboutUsWithoutUs #DisabilityJustice #DiversityInMedia #Indonesia #IWD2024

Tsering Palmu Lama Clip

From rural disability inclusion to Indigenous leadership, check out the stories from the frontlines of #DisabilityRights in Nepal as we continue to celebrate our latest DJP cohort. DJP Fellow Chhitup Lama interviewed Tsering Palmu Lama of Head Nepal about the inaccessibility people with disabilities encounter in the Himalayan region of Nepal and community-led efforts to address those challenges. "The main goal is to raise a voice for all rights. If we want to change our community, our society, then we will change from ourselves." 📣 Read the full Q&A: https://bit.ly/3Hvqjt7 Video Description: Clip of HEAD Nepal's Project Coordinator Tsering Palmu Lama speaking to the camera about HEAD Nepal's disability advocacy. #NothingAboutUsWithoutUs #DisabilityJustice #AccessForAll #GrassrootsMovement #IndigenousVoices #Nepal

We’re celebrating International Day of Persons with Disabilities with the release of our new video about disabled activists in the Pacific using the accessible #iPhone to create a documentary series on climate change and disability. 🌏 Focusing on SDG 13: Climate Action, we are centering the voices of those most impacted as we combat climate change. Through storytelling and filmmaking that harnesses the power of accessible technology, the DJP fellows are speaking out, showcasing the intersectionality of disability rights and environmental justice. Let's honor the leadership of the disability community in championing climate action and creating a more sustainable world for all. United in action, we are committed to a world where #NoOneIsLeftBehind in climate change response plans. 📹 Watch our video and amplify the work of our fellows this #IDPD and beyond as we harness Apple's iPhone technology for disability-inclusive climate action. Find multiple versions of the film to meet your access needs, including audio descriptions and Fijian and American sign languages: https://bit.ly/3R0WIfn Transcript: https://bit.ly/47SUkOH Shoutout to our 2023 DJP Fellows! Ari Hazelman of Samoa Blind Persons Association - SBPA. Isoa Nabainivalu of Disability Pride Hub, an affiliate of Rainbow Pride Foundation 4 LGBTQ Rights and Equality in Fiji, Terubeimoa Nabetari of Te Toa Matoa, Sa Utailesolo of Nuanua O Le Alofa, Disability Advocacy Organisation in Samoa, and Melvina Voua of People with Disability Solomon Islands. Also to Faaolo T Masunu of Disability Rights Fund! [Video Description: A series of clips of the DJP's Pacific fellows traveling to shoot locations and adjusting microphones, tripods, and iPhones to conduct interviews. Clips of what the fellows have shot, with an overlay of the iPhone's grid and red record button. Scenes from their documentary, including Deaf women weaving fine mats in Samoa and a Samoan man smiling inside his home with his family. The clips

From Turtle Island to Nepal, the leadership of Indigenous women with disabilities is key. National Indigenous Disabled Women Association Nepal (NIDWAN) is leading the movement for #intersectional rights at the grassroots level. For her latest project for our 2023 workshop on documentary storytelling, DJP Fellow Bhawana Majhi spoke with NIDWAN President Pratima Gurung about the organization's advocacy at the intersection of disability, Indigeneity, and gender justice. As we resist the ongoing oppression of Indigenous communities this week in the US and beyond, we honor grassroots #IndigenousRights activism across the globe 📣🌏 [Video Description: Pratima Gurung, president of National Indigenous Women Association Nepal, sits at a desk in front of a wooden bookshelf, speaking to camera. She is wearing a red and gold patterned shirt and a necklace of bright orange and blue stones. The video closes with the DJP logo on a black background and the sound of a mechanical whir.] #IntersectionalFeminism #GenderJustice #DisabilityJustice #DisabilityRights #Intersectionality #Thanksgiving #FirstNations #Indigenous #Nepal

In the leadup to the kickoff of the 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference, we will be sharing excerpts from our upcoming documentary series on climate change and disability in the Pacific. In this segment, Jay Nasilasila, the disaster risk reduction coordinator at the Fiji Disabled Peoples Federation, explains the importance of the federation’s inclusive disaster preparedness programs for Fijians with disabilities. [Video Description: Jay Nasilasila, the disaster risk reduction coordinator at Fiji Disabled Peoples Federation, wearing a blue polo shirt and sitting in a conference room, speaks to camera. A child walks toward one-story metal-sided houses. A woman walks toward a clothesline blowing in the wind outside of a house. Waves crash against large rocks under an overcast sky. Metal fencing holds back rocks on the shore. A close up of small waves on a beach. A man tills soil in a clearing surrounded by palm trees. The same man waters plants using a large watering can. Root vegetables from a backyard garden. A shot of the front door of the Fiji Disabled Peoples Federation office in Suva, Fiji. A whiteboard in the office details plans for Disability Inclusive Awareness Training. Jay sits at a desk, wearing headphones and typing on a laptop computer. Jay stands outside the office, speaking with a man using a wheelchair. The video closes with the DJP logo on a black background and the sound of a mechanical whir.] #COP28 #Fiji #ClimateJustice #DisabilityInclusion #DisasterRiskReduction

In the leadup to the kickoff of the 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference, we will be sharing excerpts from our upcoming documentary series on climate change and disability in the Pacific. In this segment, Freda Willie, the disability inclusive officer for Vanuatu Disability Promotion and Advocacy Association in Port Vila, explains the importance of accessible evacuation centers in Vanuatu. [Video Description: Video of strong winds blowing palm trees along the coast of Vanuatu. The branches of a tall banyan tree sway in the wind. Fishermen wade through shallow water just yards away from the breaking waves. Freda Willie, the disability inclusive officer at Vanuatu Disability Promotion and Advocacy Association, speaks to camera. She is a ni-Vanuatu woman wearing a pink sweatshirt and an orange bandana in her hair. She uses a wheelchair. An outdoor sign giving details of a Tsunami Evacuation Plan. The foundation of a house damaged by a cyclone. Kaltatak Kalokis, an elder chairman of Erakor village in Port Vila, Vanuatu, speaks to camera. He is a Vanuatan man wearing a blue t-shirt and eyeglasses on a cord around his neck. Video of palm branches blowing in the wind in front of rough waves. A green one-story house with a thatched roof destroyed by a cyclone. A close-up of a beam of the destroyed roof. Green tarps covering the thatched roofs of buildings damaged by a storm. Kalokis pushes Willie in her wheelchair across grass alongside a road. Willie sits at a table, speaking with a woman sitting in a wheelchair across the table from her. Willie reaches for a mug on the table. The video closes with the DJP logo on a black background and the sound of a mechanical whir.] #COP28 #Vanuatu #ClimateJustice #DisabilityJustice #IntersectionalEnvironmentalism #AccessForAll

Mere Settlement Clip

In the lead-up to the kickoff of the 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference, we will be sharing excerpts from our upcoming documentary series on climate change and disability in the Pacific. In this segment, Mere Roden, a longtime resident of the informal Veidogo settlement in Fiji, describes the ways climate change has already begun to affect her community. Since 1993, sea levels in Fiji have risen by an average of 6mm each year, nearly double the global average of 3.4mm. Informal settlements, often developed in areas of Fiji not deemed safe for building, are highly susceptible to damage from sea level rise and extreme weather events. According to the 2017 Fiji Climate Vulnerability Assessment, persons with disabilities are disproportionately impacted by these effects of climate change. At the intersection of these risk factors, the disabled residents of informal settlements more acutely bear the consequences of climate change. [Video Description: Houses in the Veidogo informal settlement in Suva, Fiji. Mere Roden, a resident of the Veidogo settlement, speaks to camera. Roden, using a wheelchair, approaches the settlement. A young girl greets her and begins pushing her along a rough cement path through the settlement. Text on screen reads, “Informal settlements in Fiji are often built on land considered not fit for housing, and are particularly vulnerable to floods, storms and other effects of climate change, according to Resilience and Social Cohesion in Fiji’s Climate-Affected Informal Settlements, CDA Collaborative Learning Projects, 2023.” A man pushes Roden further along the path, alongside a canal filled with trash and debris. Shots of a small body of standing water along the edge of the settlement. Shots of the ground of the settlement covered with puddles of water, and small crabs in the wet soil. A resident of the settlement points to the level of water a recent flood reached on the stilts beneath her house. Children stand in the mud behin

Celebrating the UN's 2023 Global Survey - SBPA

A critical UN survey released this month found that disasters disproportionately impact persons with disabilities in the Global South. So how do we center #DisabilityJustice in disaster risk reduction? Disabled leadership and accessible info are key. In this excerpt from our upcoming series on climate change and disability in the Pacific, we feature the Samoa Blind Persons Association - SBPA. The SBPA is working towards #AccessForAll during climate disasters by releasing a Braille version of Samoa's Disaster Risk Management booklet. Stay tuned for more excerpts from our series in November. Check out the full UN survey: https://bit.ly/3QkPF26. [Video description: Hallway of the Braille unit office. A machine sits on a desk. Text on screen reads, "The Samoa Blind Person Association (SBPA) Braille Unit.” Hillier Pouesi, program manager of the SBPA, a Samoan woman wearing a pink t-shirt, operates a printer. SBPA Vice President Tiaena Herbert Bell, a Samoan man who is blind, sits in front of a poster, speaking to camera. A hand holds a computer mouse. A computer desktop screen shows an informational document about tropical cyclones. Pouesi feeds paper into a Braille printer. A staff person in a patterned dress cuts paper and binds a booklet. Bell speaks to the camera. A Braille document is passed to Ari Hazelman, and he begins to read it. Faaolo Utumapu-Utailesolo, a Samoan disability rights activist, sits outside and speaks to camera. She wears a patterned top and an orange flower in her hair. Hazelman reads the document aloud in the office. He wears headphones and a black and orange patterned shirt. The video closes with the DJP logo on a black background and the sound of a mechanical whir.] #ClimateJustice #DisabilityJustice #DisasterRiskReduction #DisabilityAdvocate #IntersectionalEnvironmentalism #Samoa #Pacific

World Mental Health Day - DJP Fellow Esther Suubi

This #WorldMentalHealthDay let’s make sure that those with psychosocial disabilities are leading the conversation. We're revisiting this powerful message from DJP Fellow Esther Suubi of Triumph Uganda. Share to center the lived experiences of psychosocial advocates! #NothingAboutUsWithoutUs Looking for more ways to celebrate mental health advocacy today? Check out these powerful stories on mental health from our Global South disability network: ✅ Esther Suubi's latest film 'Life is Possible' on two Ugandan women with psychosocial disabilities who speak out about access and equity for those who are struggling: https://bit.ly/3Np1140 ✅ DJP Fellow Rose Umutesi's film "Finding the Light" on advocates working towards psychosocial inclusion in Rwanda after the genocide: https://bit.ly/3to7lkt ✅ DJP Fellow Kinanty Andini's latest film 'I Feel Like an Outsider' on an Indonesian man with schizophrenia who finds refuge in a mosque: https://bit.ly/3NLmBjm [ID: Esther Suubi, a Ugandan woman in a multicolored shirt, speaks to the camera against the background of a dark wooden door. Soft piano music plays while Suubi speaks. The video closes with the DJP logo on a black background and the sound of a mechanical whir.] #MentalHealth #PsychosocialDisability #MentalHealthAdvocate #WorldMentalHealth #WorldMentalHealthDay2023

Nelly Caleb - International Sign Language Day

As climate change continues, tsunamis and other extreme weather events are projected to become increasingly common in Vanuatu and across the Pacific. In response, activists are pushing for more inclusive emergency response plans so that persons with disabilities aren’t left behind. For #InternationalSignLanguageDay, we are sharing an excerpt from our upcoming documentary series on climate change and disability in the Pacific. Nelly Caleb, an internationally recognized activist from Vanuatu, discusses her country’s efforts to develop a national sign language to inform Deaf Vanuatuans of incoming extreme weather events. Join us in honoring this year's theme for International Sign Language Day - “A World Where Deaf People Everywhere Can Sign Anywhere!” [Video Description: Waves crash on a beach in Vanuatu. A large weathered sign displays a Tsunami Evacuation Plan. Palm trees and plants whirl around in heavy wind and rain. Nelly Caleb, National Coordinator of the Vanuatu Disability Promotion and Advocacy Association, a Vanuatuan woman with dark skin and short brown hair, sits on a dock overlooking the ocean, speaking to the camera. She is wearing large brown sunglasses and a red, white, black, and yellow patterned shirt. Screenshots of news articles about the development of a National Sign Language in Vanuatu. Caleb sits in the backseat of a car driving through Vanuatu. She embraces a Vanuatuan man wearing a blue t-shirt and blue hat. Caleb smiles as a Vanuatuan woman wearing a blue dress shakes the hand of a woman who uses a wheelchair. Screenshots of news articles about extreme weather events in Vanuatu. The video closes with the DJP logo on a black background and the sound of a mechanical whir.] #NoOneLeftBehind #SignLanguage #DeafInclusion #ClimateJustice #IntersectionalEnvironmentalism #InternationalWeekOfTheDeaf