The Effects of Americans with Disabilities Act

Philip Pauli, Policy and Practice Director of RespectAbility, a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowerment and self-advocacy for individuals with disabilities said nearly 1 in 5 Americans live with some form of disability. He discussed some of the challenges they face, and explained how the Americans with Disabilities Act has improved many aspects of their lives. He also talked about the role that the media plays in perceptions of the disabled, and how technology improvements have improved mobility for many disabled people.

The STEM Gender Gap

Only 29% of all science and engineering workers are female, and far fewer are minorities. Natasha Ravinand, author of Girls With Dreams: Inspiring Girls to Code and Create in the New Generation is a high school junior with a passion for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math), who is striving to close the gender gap in tech. She talked about the reasons that girls lose interest in STEM subjects, and why the inclusion of women and minorities in technical workplaces is so important.

Putting Your Finances in Order

John Schwartz, reporter at The New York Times, author of This is the Year I Put My Financial Life in Order talked about the reasons that Americans tend to procrastinate when it comes to their finances. He outlined simple changes consumers can make to simplify their financial accounts, particularly retirement savings. He also explained how to do a self-checkup of health insurance coverage.

Phillip Paulli

Philip Kahn-Pauli is the Policy and Practices Director of RespectAbility, a nonprofit organization fighting stigmas and advancing opportunities for and with people with disabilities. He educates leaders at the federal and state level about best practices to expand opportunities for people with disabilities. Kahn-Pauli coordinated the development and distribution of both the Disability Employment First Planning Toolkit and Disability and Criminal Justice Reform: Keys to Success report. He frequently organizes accessible webinars on best practices, which are attended by workforce boards, agencies, VR, disability organizations, public officials, artists and more – reaching a national audience of more than 2,000. Kahn-Pauli also speaks at national and regional conferences for workforce boards, agencies and professionals.



Kahn-Pauli serves as the co-chair of the Employment and Training Task Force of the Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD). He works with more than 110 national disability organizations to impact federal policy and move the disability employment agenda forward at the national level. At the state level, Kahn-Pauli advocates for cost effective solutions, replicable models and school-to-work transition programs for youth with disabilities.



Kahn-Pauli’s career in disability began with several years of work at a local nonprofit focused on traumatic brain injury. He holds a master’s degree in social policy and philosophy from the George Washington University and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Denver. Raised by a single mother with serious chronic health issues, he is deeply committed to building a better future for people with disabilities.

Respect Ability

John Schwartz

John Schwartz is a science writer for The New York Times, focusing on climate change.

Writing for The Times since 2000, John has covered law, technology, the space program, infrastructure and more. He also shows up occasionally in The Times Book Review, Science Times and the Arts section, and writes a humor column for the business section’s mutual funds quarterly.

John at the New York Times