Disability Unite

24/07/2026

Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal and Disability Unite invite you to celebrate community through advocacy. Join the livestream event!

Celebrate Disability Pride Month At Our Accessible Education Roundtable

Tuesday, July 28
9:30 AM - 11:30 AM
Tune in DisabilityUnite.Org/live-stream-center/

As we mark Disability Pride Month and the 36th Anniversary of the American’s with Disabilities Act, we recognize the change still needed, and renew our promise to creating an accessible future.

Our discussion will center on existing programs within the accessible education landscape and fostering a cross-pollination of ideas that strengthen educational systems for students with disabilities.

Register For The Virtual Livestream at tinyurl.com/ManhattanDisabilityPride2026

This event offers captioning and ASL interpretation. Contact [email protected] to request additional accommodations.

16/07/2026

On behalf of Staten Island Borough President Vito Fossella and Disability Unite, we invite you to celebrate Disability Pride Month, "A More Accessible Union" in Staten Island!

When: Monday, July 27th, 2026 from 9:30 AM to 2:00 PM
Where: College of Staten Island, Performing Arts Center - building 1P (2800 Victory Blvd, Staten Island, NY)

Join to hear from Borough President Vito Fossella and community leaders, party with amazing performers from across the island, and meet incredible organizations and agencies at the resource fair! Refreshments will be served.

RSVP to attend at tinyurl.com/SIdisabilitypride2026

15/07/2026

Thank you for being part of the 2026 Disability Unite Festival, and a big thank you to our event partners NYC Commission on Human Rights and NYC Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities!

Disability Unite Festival was just last weekend, but we already can't wait to gather again next year. You helped make the day so special! Whether you enjoyed a performance, connected with a table, or just soaked up the atmosphere, being with every one of you brought energy and warmth that made the event what it was. We hope you had a wonderful time. If you’d like to share any memories or photos, we’d love to see them! Post on social media and tag us on Facebook and Instagram, or on Twitter/X.

Thank you again for being part of our community. Missed the festival? You can still catch it on our website at the Live Stream Center on disabilityunite.org

Did you love Disability Unite Festival? Tell us about your experience!

Fill out our survey so we can continue to make the Disability Unite experience better each year, powered by your suggestions and ideas! YOU are the most important part of what makes our events "For The Community, By The Community".

Visit the survey: https://tinyurl.com/DUFestSurvey



Image description: This is a carousel of 7 pictures. The first one is Four people smile for a picture who some may recognize include Austin Halls, Kaylee Bays, and Latavia Sturdivant. A man in a wheelchair next to a table with four people posing. Third picture is from left to right the second-row shows: the performers Bridges and Ryan The Son on stage next to a 6-foot-tall flower sculpture. Fourth picture is from left to right the first-row shows: a person stands next to two others seated in wheelchairs and hangs artwork alongside many other art pieces on a clothesline. Fifth picture is the performer Precious Perez onstage in red flowing dress with drummer. The sixth picture is two people seated in wheelchairs pose an arm around each other. The last picture is a group of people standing and sitting in wheelchairs in front of the Bandshell stage.

14/07/2026

Don't miss Queen's SECOND amazing event!

Disability Unite in partnership with Queens Borough President Donovan Richards and the Queens Public Library at Flushing invites you to the Queens Disability Pride Resource Fair.

Wednesday, July 15, 3 PM - 6 PM
Queens Public Library Resource Fair - Rooms A & B, lower level
(41-17 Main St, Flushing)

Celebrate Disability Pride Month at Queens Public Library, and meet the city agencies and organizations that provide crucial services to our community.

Register: tinyurl.com/QPLdisabilitypride

12/07/2026

We are still live! Join the Virtual Exclusive show featuring our Disability Unite Got Talent Artists and community messages from our partners emceed by Jenna Bainbridge on disabilityunite.org

Don’t miss out on incredible performances, insightful conversations, and much more. Join us!

Register for DU festival: https://tinyurl.com/DUFestival2026

We have an amazing lineup of artists headlining our Festival! Don’t miss out on these performances Sunday, July 12th in Central Park Bandshell or online at DisabilityUnite.org .

Register to attend here: https://tinyurl.com/DUFestival2026

Event Schedule
11 AM - Disability Inclusion Training (in-person)
12 PM - In-Person + Virtual Performances Begin
12:15 PM - BRIDGES
1:00 PM - Austin Halls
1:45 PM - Precious Perez
2:30 PM - 4 Wheel City Disability Hip Hop Jam
4 PM - Exclusive Virtual Perfomances

Virtual Performance Lineup
Ai Hiraoka
BETTA FLASH
DefStar
Megumi Meepeso
Mira Gaitanis
Rika Azuma
River Onyx
Samantha Elisofon
Sierra McCarthy
Zazel O'Garra

In addition to our incredible hybrid and virtual lineup, enjoy tabling, interactive and arts activities, a collaborative art installation, and virtual panels celebrating disabled artists and community advocates.

ASL, Captioning, Audio Description and Plain Language Interpretation provided. Additional ASL interpreters, a calm space, and way-finding guides available onsite.

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Image Description: A blue and red image displays a list of Hybrid Headliners and Disability Unite Got Talent Lineup, above event information. The lineups and information on the image are shared in this post.

11/07/2026

Join us tomorrow at Disability Unite Festival in Central Park for The Body Is Good: A More Accessible Union, this year’s collaborative art installation led by artist Jessica Wallach of Story Tapestries.

We are especially excited to invite you into the installation’s history conversation with New York City's own disability historian Warren Shaw. Together, Jessica and Warren invite festival-goers to reflect on access and the ongoing work of building a more accessible union.

Together, we’ll ask:

Who has access and who does not through time?
Who gets to enter, stay, participate?
Who gets believed and supported?
Who is expected to adapt quietly?

Come join the conversation, add to the living timeline, and help shape the installation throughout the day.

Register for Disability Unite Festival: https://tinyurl.com/DUFestival2026

Image Descriptions

Image 1: A white sign with an orange border and The Body Is Good logo at the top. A warm orange textured profile silhouette fills the left side. Large text reads, “We the People. In order to create a more accessible union, we make this artwork together.” Story Tapestries and Disability Unite logos appear at the bottom.

Image 2: A white sign with an orange border and The Body Is Good logo at the top. A warm orange textured profile silhouette fills the left side. Large text reads, “A More Accessible Union.” Below it reads, “Bodies move through history. Bodies move through public space. Bodies move through systems, stories, barriers, care, and community.” Story Tapestries and Disability Unite logos appear at the bottom.

Image 3: A white sign with an orange border and The Body Is Good logo at the top. Text reads, “Join the conversation! The history of access in New York City and United States with Warren Shaw and Jessica Wallach at the Art Installation from 12 to 4.” On the lower right is a graphic figure using a wheelchair filled with red, white, and blue imagery. Story Tapestries and Disability Unite logos appear at the bottom.

11/07/2026

Panel: Artist Chats

Meet the artists behind the work. Join our Artist Q&A as featured artists share their creative processes, inspirations, and perspectives on the role of the arts in promoting inclusion, visibility, and opportunity for people with disabilities. Discover how the arts foster expression, connection, and well-being while celebrating the power of disability culture and creativity.

We are always honored to be in conversation with these artists, whose past work with the festival and ongoing contributions to the community continue to shape its legacy; we are deeply grateful for the time they take to share their insights, which will undoubtedly inspire and guide generations of artists to come.

Thank You to Our Panelists: Blessing Offor and Gaelynn Lea

Disability Unite Panels:
- Chronic Illness & Invisible Disabilities: The Unseen Journey
- Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities: Valuing Diverse Minds
- History As Part Of Identity
- Artist Chats Q&A

Register for DU Festival: https://tinyurl.com/DUFestival2026

11/07/2026

Panel: History As Part Of Identity

In this panel, we'll explore how the disability rights movement has evolved, why representation matters, and how education can help build greater understanding and inclusion. We’ll examine how our shared history continues to shape disability identity, advocacy, and community today.

Thank you to disability historian Warren Shaw, and honored guests for their dedication to preserving and sharing our community’s history, illuminating how far we have come and helping us imagine a more accessible and inclusive future for all.

Thank You to Our Panelists: Warren Shaw, Chris Rosa, Elisabeth Axel, Mike Schwiensburg, and Jenna Bainbridge

Register for DU Festival: https://tinyurl.com/DUFestival2026

10/07/2026

To ensure easy directions into central park we highly suggest you coming to the Bandshell from the East side, rather than the West. It is more direct, and will have folks there to assist you.

Explore the festival grounds ahead of time with the DU Festival Map! You can check where your favorite booths will be located, where to find the main stage, and see where the activities will be held! Join us Sunday, July 12th in Central Park or online at DisabilityUnite.org!

For more information & transportation questions please check out our FAQ page: https://tinyurl.com/DUFestivalFAQ
For Tablers Placements visit: https://tinyurl.com/DUTables2026
Register to attend: https://tinyurl.com/DUFestival2026

Image description: Full Disability Unite Festival map. Visit the full description https://tinyurl.com/DUMapInfo

10/07/2026

Meet our MC for the Disability Unite Festival virtual experience: ⭐️Jenna Bainbridge!⭐️

Not only will Jenna be hosting the show, but she’ll also be one of our featured panelists! We can’t wait!

Jenna Bainbridge is a New York City based actor, singer, and disability rights advocate that has been performing since she was 12 years old. She has been seen on Television, Broadway, and in Commercials, and has been heard on numerous AudioBooks and Podcasts.

In 2024 she was the first wheelchair user to originate a role in a new musical on Broadway. She then went on to be the first authentically disabled person to play Nessarose in Wicked on Broadway. Some favorite roles include Belle in Beauty and the Beast, Richard III in Bring Down the House, and Mary Magdalene in Jesus Christ Superstar.

Check out her work on:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bainbridgejenna/?hl=en
Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/
Website: https://www.jennabainbridge.com/bio

Register for the festival here: https://tinyurl.com/DUFestival2026

Photo Credit: Aurora Fox 2015

Image description: Jenna bridge standing on the right in a dim light stage with a painting in the back. She is playing Beth in Little Women play.