An interactive conversation on living with, talking about, and advocating around disability, in celebration of the 35th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Join Emily Ladau, activist and author of Demystifying Disability, for a fireside chat in honor of Disability Pride Month. After speaking in conversation with Jack Lovett, co-chair of the Newton Commission on Disability, Emily will take questions in a discussion with attendees. The conversation will focus on how to communicate well about disability, from advocating for needs to listening and learning about how to create a culture of accessibility and inclusion. Whether you engage with issues of disability regularly or aren't always comfortable talking about disability and want to learn more, you're invited to be part of this disability dialogue.

About the speaker: Emily Ladau is a passionate disability rights activist, writer, and communications and cultural access consultant. Her career began at the age of 10, when she appeared on multiple episodes of Sesame Street to educate about her life with a physical disability. Emily’s writing has been published in outlets including The New York Times, CNN, Vice, and HuffPost and her first book, Demystifying Disability, was published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of Penguin Random House. She has spoken before numerous audiences, from the U.S. Department of Education to the United Nations. Central to all of Emily’s work is her belief that by sharing our stories and making the disability experience accessible to the world, we will reach a world that is accessible to the disability community.

About the conversation partner: Jack Lovett has lived in Newton since 2006, attending Bowen Elementary School, Oak Hill Middle School, and Newton South High School. Jack has Asperger’s Syndrome and chronic Tinnitus (ear ringing), and also has a brother with severe Autism. He currently serves as Co-Chair of the Newton Commission on Disability (COD) and serves on the Newton Public Schools’ Disability Advisory Group (DAG). Jack also works for the City of Newton full-time. In what remains of his free time, Jack enjoys reading about American history.

This program is presented in partnership by the Newton Commission on Disability, Understanding Our Differences, and the Newton Free Library.

Copies of Demystifying Disability will be available for purchase and signing courtesy of Wellesley Books.

This event will take place in Druker Auditorium at the Newton Free Library. The location is wheelchair accessible, and the program will include ASL interpretation and CART transcription. Assistive listening devices are available and can be requested from staff at the event. Doors will open at 6:30pm. Click here for more detailed information about the location and program.

This will be a hybrid program, so you can attend in person or virtually via Zoom. No registration needed to attend in person. Click here to register for the Zoom session.