Dear reader,
Thanks for sticking with us.
All these changes are intended to make things easier and more understandable. Our new name says exactly what we do. We’re just thrilled with the new website, and we hope you check it out.
On that note, let’s get this newsletter started!
Every August, the board installs new board directors to keep the organization growing and moving forward.
This year, we are proud to introduce three new board directors for the 2026 to 2029 term.
Organization for Accessible Journalism earned a feather in its cap as it transition from Equal Access Public Media.
Editor and Publisher magazine, one of the most well-respected journalism industry publications, featured us in July in its organization profile section. The in-depth profile about OAJ talks about the history of the organization and the name change.
Board chair Stephen Sarkar is calling on volunteers with enthusiasm, ideas, or experience in raising money to join a fundraising committee.
The first meet-up with be by Zoom in fall 2026. If you are interested in joining the fundraising committee, please fill out the fundraising committee interest form.
We celebrated Disability Pride Month in July by working hard to move the needle on accessibility in the journalism industry.
It was a time for us to remember the challenges the disability community has overcome, and how far we have to go. It was a time for us to reflect as an organization. And, we finalized our move from Equal Access Public Media to Organization for Accessible Journalism, making clear where our priorities stand.
Meanwhile, the U.S. government finalized a Medicaid rule on July 31 that will likely knock many medically frail and disabled people who qualify for Medicaid rolls despite their qualifications. And in the middle of the month, the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division said it would no longer defend previous understandings or DOJ memos of the case “Olmstead v. L.C.,” in which the majority opinion determined that it is discriminatory to institutionalize disabled people rather than allow them to live in community housing.
We must continue to fight back. In the U.S., disability rights and accessibility continue to take hits from both the government and from private funding. We urge you to help us in this fight by becoming a monthly donor at $5 or more.
Your donation:
Thank you so much for your continued support!
If you are feeling the strain on disability and accessibility and want to in-person take action, our friends over at Disability Community for Democracy are organizing a day of action on Aug. 25 at local congressional offices.
The day of action will include visiting district offices in groups of up to 10 people to call for codifying the majority opinion in “Olmstead v. L.C.” into Section 2 of the Americans with Disabilities Act and laws explicit around digital accessibility into Section 3 of the ADA.
To sign up to join in their visits to local congressional offices, use the Disability Community for Democracy’s sign-up form.
Thank you for your support and for staying in touch with us. We’ll see you next month with another update. Sign up to get the newsletter direct to your inbox a day early with special perks, such as discounts to the OAJ store.