2023 Souper Douper Fundraiser
Watch IDignity’s Annual Souper Douper Fundraiser and hear Karelyn’s story of determination, hope, and identity. With your help IDignity is able to help thousands more like Karelyn, and bring awareness to the barrier that is the lack of legal identification. A barrier that leaves many with no way to obtain employment, proper healthcare, food, access to their bank account, and much more.
To donate click HERE! Help us reach our goal of $100,000, the equivalent of 4,000 Florida State ID cards. Share this with your friends, family, and colleagues! Together, we can restore dignity and hope by providing identification.
Disability Pride Month 2023!
This month is Disability Pride Month. According to the Pew Research Center, there are 42.5 million Americans with disabilities, and in July, we celebrate all those who live with disability and take pride in their strength and determination.
As communications coordinator of IDignity, I frequently interact with clients. In these interactions, I have the honor to see the positivity of so many individuals who are down on their luck but continue to move forward, including those who live with a disability, and come to IDignity for services. I see the positivity and strength of people like Karelyn who, with underlying medical conditions, was unable to work during COVID, or Glen who is blind in one eye, or Juliano who, after suffering two strokes and being told he would never walk again, relies heavily on a wheelchair. Each one of these individuals has had their lives changed because of their disability, but each can feel proud of the steps they have taken to better their life by utilizing IDignity’s services. When I speak with clients I try to remind them of one important thing – that they took the step to come to us. That they are the ones who are working to change their life, and they should take pride in that. Similarly, in having a disability, it is important we push aside the fear and shame we may have learned over our lives, and take pride in the steps we have taken. No one said it better than Laura Hershey, in a passage from her poem “You Get Proud By Practicing.“
“Remember, you weren’t the one
who made you ashamed,
but you are the one
who can make you proud.”
No matter if a disability is invisible or easily spotted, it does not change our common ground – we are all human. So, let’s treat each other as such.
If you look at the picture of me, Olivia, you likely would think that I am a healthy and able-bodied Gen-Zer. You would be correct. I AM healthy. But I am also disabled. I have narcolepsy, a sleeping disorder that causes extreme bouts of fatigue and even hallucinations. This disability alters my life greatly. I have felt shame from it, this disability that is completely out of my control. But I have learned to live with it, I have learned to live with it with PRIDE. I am lucky in this aspect because while July is Disability Pride Month, it does not mean every person with a disability has found their disability pride. But we can help them get there. So I ask, as a disabled individual, as an IDignity team member, as a HUMAN, that this month we remember to treat everyone with the respect and compassion with which we wish to be treated.
Oh, and Happy Disability Pride Month!
Yours,
Olivia Ebersole
Communications Coordinator
IDignity
Here are some awesome articles that give more background on Disability Pride Month:
3 Things Disabled People Need Most to Build Disability Pride
Do You Remember Getting Your License?
Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month 2023
May is Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month!
And while it may be the end of the month, we know that the celebration of AAPI doesn’t have to end just because May is ending.
To celebrate and pay tribute to this month IDignity wants to share some facts and fun about APPI month!
- “Asian/Pacific encompasses all of the Asian continent and the Pacific islands of Melanesia (New Guinea, New Caledonia, Vanuatu, Fiji and the Solomon Islands), Micronesia (Marianas, Guam, Wake Island, Palau, Marshall Islands, Kiribati, Nauru and the Federated States of Micronesia) and Polynesia (New Zealand, Hawaiian Islands, Rotuma, Midway Islands, Samoa, American Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu, Cook Islands, French Polynesia and Easter Island).” — asianpacificheritage.gov
- AAPI have become more visible in the film industry. For example, in 2021 Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings was released, debuting Marvel’s first Asian superhero. — history.com
- Check out these 4 Must Try Orlando Restaurants for AAPI Heritage Month 2023!
- AsianPacificHeritage.gov has great recommendations for media you can consume to learn more about the AAPI who are instrumental to America’s history and beyond.
While this barely scratches the surface of what there is to celebrate during AAPI Heritage Month, it is a great place to start. To help celebrate (whether it’s in May or not) be sure to share the stories of AAPI and challenge yourself to learn more!
Happy Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month!
Olivia Ebersole
Communications Coordinator, IDignity
Volunteer Appreciation Week 2023
Enjoy the following photos from IDignity’s Volunteer Appreciation and Awareness Raiser Event from April of 2023!
Women’s History Month!
Happy Women’s History Month! IDignity is happy to have witnessed the lives of so many women change for the better when they receive their identification. We have had women from all walks of life come to us, ready to take control of their lives. IDignity would like to celebrate by sharing two stories from our clients below.
Lastly, IDignity’s team created a slideshow video to increase knowledge surrounding the history of Women’s History Month along with educational information on notable historical women over the years. Click HERE to watch! You can also check out this amazing article on 12 Women Who Shaped Orlando by clicking HERE!