Welcome to NYWIFT Talks, a weekly series to bring updated news and vital information about the impact of COVID-19 on the media and entertainment industry. Industry professionals will be in conversation discussing what you need to know about theatrical releases, digital advances, virtual tools, festival opportunities, production updates and more.

NYWIFT Talks are free for all to attend.

On this week’s NYWIFT Talks with ReelAbilities Director and Co-Founder Isaac Zablocki and Michele Spitz of Woman of Her Word, we discuss the changes that ReelAbilities has instituted for the Disabled Community and what progress still needs to be made. We explore the ways movie theaters need to re-structure to accommodate ADA laws, how filmmakers are paving their way to Hollywood with their original stories, and what ReelAbilities offers for disabled filmmakers.

This conversation will be moderated by Executive Director at the Cerebral Palsy Foundation, Rachel Byrne.

Founded in 2007 by the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan, ReelAbilities Film Festival: New York is the largest festival in the country dedicated to promoting awareness and appreciation of the lives, stories and artistic expressions of people with disabilities. The weeklong festival is renowned for its wide-ranging international film selection, riveting conversations, and performances, presented annually in dozens of venues across the New York metropolitan area. Learn more.

Woman of Her Word was the first to initiate and fund British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) scholarships for graduate film students with disabilities, originate and fund annual finishing film accessibility grants for NYWIFT and WIF LA as well as fund assistive audience technology. She most recently produced and narrated the audio description for the 41st Media Access Awards ceremony making the virtual event platform equally accessible to visually impaired audiences. Michele’s forthcoming endeavors will include designing media accessibility impact campaign fellowships.