As the music swelled, she leaned onto her dance partner as he spun them in a circle, his wheelchair gliding beneath them. Comingling the worlds of art and disability together, it was the perfect opening for an evening celebrating the intersection of the two concepts, through the “Art of Disability Justice.”

The “Art of Disability Justice” gala offered a chance to connect through live performances, art, and a shared mission to advance disability rights for all Californians.

“It’s always great to see community together and it’s also really great to be in-person,” said attendee Russell Dawson Rawlings, the Community Organizing Manager for California Foundation for Independent Living Centers.

As leaders in the disability space, we were proud to host a distinctly accessible evening with accommodations for people with a variety of disabilities. We complied with Sacramento County guidelines for COVID safety and masks were provided at the event for guests who requested them.

This year we added a silent auction offering items and experiences from across the state like a Santa Barbara overnight, accessible fashion clothing items and accessories, tickets to professional sporting events, original art, and more. The auction raised an additional $5,000 during the gala.

Caption: Tables with silent auction items that gala attendees bid on.

Honoring Disability Advocates

The evening honored Academy Award-winning actor Troy Kotsur and his wife Deanne Bray, and the California Mandela Campaign for their contributions to the advancement of disability rights.

Kotsur and Bray received the National Leadership Award for their longtime work advocating for authentic representation of D/deaf and hard of hearing people and people with disabilities in the entertainment industry. Kotsur’s starring role in the 2021 film “CODA” earned him an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, the first deaf man to receive the distinction. Bray was the first D/deaf actress to star in her own television series in the show “Sue Thomas: F.B.Eye.”

Caption: Troy Kotsur signs his acceptance speech for the National Leadership award.

“I remember when I won the Oscar, I dedicated the Oscar to the deaf community, the CODA community and the disability community, and I mentioned that this was our moment,” Kotsur signed. “A lot of people in the outside world don’t understand but we have the shared nuanced lived experience together and so we can celebrate tonight, and we can increase awareness of people with disabilities, and D/deaf people, and all of the above and it’s my honor to be here."

He talked about how winning the Oscar gave him confidence as an actor, “I’m okay, I’m not broken I’m just an actor that happens to be deaf.” He said that he was encouraged to see tv series’ “Echo” and “The Last of Us,” feature D/deaf and disabled performers. He said he was also looking forward to having more D/deaf representation behind the camera as directors and producers.

In his acceptance speech, Kotsur shared about how there is a lack of access to the arts for D/deaf children and encouraged the creation of pipeline for D/deaf children to learn the craft through internships, workshops, and mentorship opportunities.

“May we all learn to heal, bridge, and thrive, and work together for a more inclusive future for all D/deaf children.”
–Troy Kotsur

The California Mandela Campaign was honored with the California Leadership Award for its work advocating to end the use of solitary confinement for vulnerable populations, including people with disabilities, in California jails, prisons, and immigration detention facilities. Dolores Canales accepted the award on behalf of the Campaign.

In her speech Canales said that through her experience in prison, she witnessed how solitary confinement can be a disabling practice.

“It is a disability issue, there’s so much trauma caused by the separation and the anxiety.”
–Dolores Canales

Caption: Dolores Canales holds up the California Leadership Award painting, which depicts a Native American leader, as she accepts the award on behalf of the California Mandela Campaign.

Powerful Performances

The evening’s program started with moving performances from Infinite Flow Dance featuring Marisa Hamamoto and Adelfo Cerame. Infinite Flow is a professional dance company composed of dancers with and without disabilities using dance to promote inclusion and innovation.

Caption: Marisa Hamamoto and Adelfo Cerame from Infinite Flow dance performed together at the start of the gala program.

The program ended with an interactive salsa dance lesson from distinguished blind leader and educator Dr. Conchita Hernandez. Conchita, who is blind, led the gala attendees in a salsa routine using Braille code to explain the dance steps.

Caption: Dr. Conchita Hernandez led the gala audience in an adaptive salsa dance using the language of Braile code to explain the steps.

Caption: Dr. Conchita Hernandez and Marisa Hamamoto danced together on the gala stage during the evening program’s interactive salsa lesson.

Caption: DRC staff and the dance leaders perform together on the gala stage during the evening program’s interactive salsa lesson.

Caption: Gala attendees dance as a group during the evening program’s interactive salsa lesson.

Thank you to everyone who was able to come!

We look forward to another great event next year and appreciate all your continued support of Disability Rights California. Special thanks to our wonderful sponsors for their support.

Together we can affect change for the disability community across California and the nation!