The 2019 Community Summit in Washington State took place this past June. This year the Summit had a focus on art and entertainment. People discussed how to advocate through video, music, social media and other avenues. The keynote speaker Caelynn Lea kicked off the Summit by talking about being a musician with a disability and the barriers that people face to be included in art spaces and other aspects of the community. She played her folk songs that have themes of social justice and disability rights.
Summit attendees watched films about different disability rights topics in the theater. Film themes addressed caregiving, working with a disability, and other aspects of being in the community. In the Technology room people went on virtual job tours, played videogames, and learned about new technology that can help people with disabilities in their homes.
The Community Summit ended with a performance by the group United by Music North America. They are a musical act consisting of People with disabilities and non-disabled band members. The band played a collection of songs that addressed issues that the members of experienced in their life.
Below Caelynn Lea plays her song “I wait” at a concert put on by National Public Radio (NPR). The song is a call to action for people to support the disability rights movement!