FISA Foundation

08/20/2025

Film Pittsburgh’s 13th annual ReelAbilities Pittsburgh Film Festival returns this September 4-11 in person and virtually! Don’t miss out on these great films and the opportunity to connect with other disability advocates in the community!

Check out the full lineup and grab tickets at FilmPittsburgh.org!

08/19/2025

Gwen's Girls and the Black Equity Alliance are hosting their 10th Annual She Matters Summit & Awards Celebration from September 4th to 6th! For the past decade, the She Matters Summit has been an amazing event promoting advocacy, education, and action to advance equity for Black girls. FISA is honored to be a sponsor of this event.

Register today at: https://bgeapgh.org/

Special thanks to this year’s sponsors for the 10th Annual She Matters Equity Summit & Awards Celebration‼️

We appreciate your continued support 💜
The Heinz Endowments
UPMC & UPMC Health Plan
FISA Foundation
Rivers Casino Pittsburgh
Citizens
Duolingo
Duquesne University
The Hear Foundation

08/18/2025

FISA is so proud to support Disability Lead in bringing its unique leadership model to the SWPA region!

If you are an individual with a disability in SWPA, check out Disability Lead’s 2026 Institute! The Institute is the only leadership program in the nation specifically for emerging leaders with disabilities. Participants explore and develop their leadership skills, disability identity, and professional and civic leadership goals.

Apply here: https://www.disabilitylead.org/apply/apply-to-the-institute by September 5th, 2025

08/15/2025

Applications are still open for Jewish Healthcare Foundation’s Salk Health Activist Fellowship! This interdisciplinary fellowship brings together emerging leaders and content experts to examine how Medicaid shapes access and quality of care. This fellowship is designed for graduate students or early-stage professionals in health-related fields who are passionate about health equity and social change.

Application Deadline is August 18
Apply at: https://jhf.org/fellowships/salk-health-activistj

The Jewish Healthcare Foundation's Salk Health Activist Fellowship helps emerging health activists learn how to grab the public’s attention on a major health and social issue and spur action.

08/14/2025

FISA Foundation is excited to announce nearly $175,000 in grants have been awarded to 9 organizations as part of our Access to Healthcare Initiative! These organizations are working to improve accessible healthcare for people with disabilities in southwestern Pennsylvania.

These grants are focused on developing training for healthcare professionals, improving accessibility in health services, providing training to people with disabilities on their rights in healthcare, and advocating for the preservation of Medicaid.

Read the full list of grants awarded here: https://fisafoundation.org/fisa-announces-grants-to-improve-accessible-healthcare/

InVision Human Services, The Primary Health Network, The Friendship Circle of Pittsburgh, University of Pittsburgh- Office of Institutional Engagement and Wellbeing, Adagio Health, Allegheny Health Network- West Penn Health System, Disability Rights Pennsylvania, University of Pittsburgh- Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Pennsylvania Health Access Network

[image description: three images featuring disability advocates in blue photo frames and logos of FISA’s Access to Healthcare grantees]

08/13/2025

Disability Culture Lab is now accepting applications for its Disability Rising Fellowship!

This fellowship is for disabled leaders who are active in disability justice, social justice, or community organizing and want to grow their public platform and media presence. Learn more about the fellowship at: https://www.disabilityculturelab.org/disabilityrising

Applications Close: August 22, 2025

Disability Rising Fellowship A fellowship for disabled leaders shifting narratives and building power through media. Apply Now About the Fellowship The Disability Rising Fellowship is a year-long program that supports rising multi-marginalized disabled leaders who are ready to build their public voi...

08/11/2025

FISA is excited to share that 94% of surveyed attendees reported feeling more equipped to implement a Reasonable Accommodation policy after attending FISA’s webinar on Creating Inclusive Workplaces through Reasonable Accommodation Policies! On the webinar, Anupa Geevarghese of Welcoming Workplaces shared practical insights into the legal context and requirements for reasonable accommodation policies, identified specific considerations for what makes a good policy, reviewed the new toolkit and answered commonly asked questions about reasonable accommodations. You can now check out the webinar recording and toolkit on FISA’s website: https://fisafoundation.org/fisa_impact/reasonable-accommodations-policy-toolkit/

[image description: Screenshot from webinar showing slide featuring the title of the webinar and the first page of the Access for All Toolkit. On the right side of the screen, Anupa is in one bottom box in a white shirt with books in the background and above her is the ASL interpreter wearing a black shirt with a blue background.]

08/06/2025

Join the Pittsburgh Pirates on August 8th for Disability Pride Night at PNC Park! Each ticket includes a fidget spinner!

Join the Pittsburgh Pirates for Disability Pride Night at PNC Park.

08/05/2025

📢Make sure your voice is heard!

The City of Pittsburgh is seeking input from Pittsburgh’s Disability Community and allies as it develops an Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Transition Plan to improve accessibility for people with disabilities.

We seek to with Pittsburgh's Disability Community and its allies to guide policymaking and the creation of a roadmap to a more inclusive Pittsburgh.

08/04/2025

Shannon Parris, a local business owner and friend of FISA, wrote an incredible first-person essay for PublicSource. Shannon’s essay includes the powerful line, “When I gave myself permission to accommodate myself instead of fighting my very nature, I set myself free.” Thank you, Shannon, for sharing your story!

In the U.S., 1.8 million people exist at the intersection of disability and entrepreneurship. Beyond employment support programs, the disability community can lead.

08/01/2025

In Case You Missed it!

Access Mob Pittsburgh recently hosted a virtual event on the Current Threats to Healthcare in PA: Medicaid and the Silent Repeal of the ACA. The event covered current policy proposals and timelines that are important to self-advocates with disabilities, families and caregivers. You can view the recording on YouTube:

---Speaker: Erin GabrielAs legislators at both the federal and state level grapple with budgetary decisions, it is more critical than ever for self-advocates...

07/31/2025

Our grantee partner 412 Justice shared an informative post about the amazing Disability Activist, Judy Heumann, in honor of Disability Pride Month. Her legacy lives on through her incredibly impactful work and advocacy that was critical in passing disability civil rights legislation, including Section 504, the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) and IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act).

🌟 Honoring 🌟

Today, we celebrate Judy Heumann - the “Mother of the Disability Rights Movement” whose fierce advocacy changed history! From the Section 504 sit-ins to the ADA, Judy’s legacy reminds us: “Disability rights are human rights.”

Judy Heumann is seen here featured as part of our Justice Ancestor stickers, we keep her legacy alive, learning from her and continuing the fight for equity! 💜🦽
”MOTHER OF THE DISABILITY RIGHTS MOVEMENT” LED NATIONAL DISABILITY RIGHTS SIT-IN
SUED THE NYC BOARD OF ED. & BECAME
1ST WHEELCHAIR USING TEACHER”
[Image: Judy Heumann sticker with bold text & vibrant colors]