The ReelAbilities Film Festival: Growing by Inclusion

In 2016, Kenya's government instituted a broadcast programming code that required reporting programs to include sign language interpretation. Through this code, people with hearing impairment have access to news and information to be well-informed and civically engaged.

The Fort Collins Run Club began hosting adaptive running nights, devoted to engaging runners who use wheelchairs, are blind, deaf or have some other kind of challenge that may have prevented them from joining social running clubs or participating in races. Adaptive running offers a sense of community for runners with disabilities and even helps break down barriers by providing blind runners aids to help guide them through races. Currently, The Fort Collins Run Club has 1,000 members.

Using audio descriptions of a movie’s action, the XL Cinema app increases the accessibility of movies to a vision impaired audience. The free app has been used thousands of times and production studios are interested in working with XL Cinema to expand its offerings.

Love INC has built a free wheelchair ramp lending program to fill a gap left by insurance providers that typically don’t cover them. After securing grant funding and secondhand ramps at steep discounts, Love INC developed an application process, recruited volunteer installers, and now has three ramps in active circulation across the community.

Several churches in North Central Ohio are successfully removing barriers for families with disabilities through specialized ministry programs. Champions Club at Storyside Church serves children with trained volunteers in sensory-friendly spaces adapted to each child's needs. Pure Joy at Ashland Grace Church uses a buddy system to serve 17+ participants with varying needs. And Wonderful Works Ministry extends this impact globally by providing free online coaching to churches worldwide, having reached 200 pastors.

Disabled farmers in Kashmir are adapting agricultural practices through locally-fabricated tool modifications, adjusted work timing, and traditional soil/seed management techniques that reduce physical labor by 15-50% and enable them to continue farming despite increasing climate stress.

Soar Experiences, a New York-based nonprofit, provides free guided outdoor tours for people with limited mobility using Trackchairs, rugged, battery-powered all-terrain wheelchairs that can traverse hiking trails. The program has recently expanded to 15 public hikes across New York and Connecticut, helping people living with disabilities connect with both nature and each other.

Before DOGE cut the program’s funding, Charting My Path for Future Success was helping students with disabilities learn ways to successfully transition from high school to college or the working world with greater self-sufficiency. Before it was canceled, 1,600 high school juniors enrolled in the program, learning how to set goals, take care of themselves and build their confidence and self-determination skills.

Visual Vernacular helps make the art industry more inclusive and accessible for deaf artists in India with workshops and community events to help them improve their artistic skills and gain greater visibility in the mainstream art space.

Lionheart Ability Leaders International Foundation (LALIF) uses a comprehensive training program to empower parents, teachers and those living with vision and hearing impairment. Their programming teaches educators how to understand tactile sign language, and also empowers parents on how best to support their children living with disabilities.