Easterseals Southern California: Building an Inclusive Future for People with Disabilities
For the past century, Easterseals has provided life-changing services for people with disabilities or other special needs, their families and communities throughout the nation.
We have connected people of all ages and abilities to the resources they need to live, learn, work, and play in their communities.
There’s the child with Autism who receives vital therapy that allows him to communicate and connect with those around him. There’s a young woman with developmental disabilities that becomes an integral part of her community as she volunteers for a local food bank. There are parents of individuals with disabilities who want the best for their children and come to Easterseals for solutions that build independence. Our efforts always have been, and will continue to be, both profound and positive.
The services provided by Easterseals Southern California (ESSC)—in Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego, Imperial, Kern, San Bernardino, Riverside and Ventura counties—make profound and positive differences in people's lives every day, helping them address life’s challenges and achieve personal goals. With 2,800+ employees, 60+ service sites and hundreds of community partnership locations, ESSC assists more than 13,000 people, providing adult/senior day services; autism therapy; child development/early education; employment services, veteran employment support; independent living options; and more.
Changing the Way You See Disability
As we look ahead to our second century we envision a future of limitless possibilities. We will continue to foster environments where everyone is respected, included and valued. We will unite diverse people, programs and partners around a shared purpose.
To achieve this vision, Easterseals Southern California (ESSC) has committed to a future of bold possibilities.
ESSC started a multi-year public awareness campaign, created on a pro bono basis by E/LA Advertising, that began with the theme, “Celebrate. Don’t Separate. Change the Way You See Disability,” in 2018 followed by “We Celebrate” in 2019, in honor of our organization’s 100th Anniversary. These innovative campaigns, appearing online, on billboards and at bus stops, featured Southern California residents who receive services from Easterseals. It can be seen at celebratedontseparate.org and wecelebrate.org. The campaigns were created with the goal of fostering inclusion. In particular, the multi-faceted “Celebrate. Don’t Separate.” ads focused on showcasing who individuals are as people, not their disability. ESSC asks people to reconsider how they view people with disabilities with such challenges as: Celebrate. Don’t Separate; Dialogue. Not Doubt; Encourage. Don’t Exclude; Include. Don’t Isolate; Be Supportive. Not Sorry; and Spread Awareness. Not Assumptions.
In addition, in 2016 the organization launched the Easterseals Disability Film Challenge to further change the way people think about and view disability. Entertainment is one of the most effective ways to influence public perception and advance social change, and it has the incomparable ability to help shape the way the world defines and views disability. The Easterseals Disability Film Challenge gives filmmakers—with and without disabilities—the opportunity to collaborate and tell unique stories that showcase disability in its many forms. (Films can be seen at disabilityfilmchallenge.com.)
The film challenge is a weekend-long filmmaking contest, open to all, that provides a platform for new voices in the entertainment industry. Each year, aspiring storytellers are prompted to creatively write, produce and complete a short film. Thanks to generous corporate support from companies such as Universal, United Talent Agency, Adobe, CBS Entertainment Diversity & Inclusion, Dell and more, challenge winners receive invaluable access to entertainment professionals, opening the door to an industry notoriously difficult to enter.
Support Easterseals
The influence of Easterseals Southern California extends far beyond the diverse individuals and families that the organization directly serves. Our broad mission focuses on changing the way people see disability by making profound positive differences in people’s lives every day—we want people in Southern California and throughout the nation to understand the human potential of individuals with disabilities.
Together, we will help individuals with disabilities realize their goals, we will help create a society with full inclusivity, and we will change the way the world views disability. We encourage you to learn more at easterseals.com/southerncal.
Easterseals Southern California will be at the Los Angeles Abilities Expo and we'd love to meet you in person! Stop by booth #444 to find our more about our wide range of programs.
