Keely Cat-Wells’ Post

Making Space with Fast Company for National Disability Employment Awareness Month! I am thrilled to have collaborated with Julia Herbst & Fast Company on a series that examines barriers Disabled people face to employment as well as solutions. What makes me even more excited about this is that the illustrations for this series were created by Dana Chan, an incredible artist discovered through the Making Space platform. Each week, disabled advocates, professionals and writers will spotlight critical issues affecting disabled workers, such as subminimum wage, the challenge of designing equitable Employee Resource Groups, and how inaccessible air travel continues to hinder career opportunities for disabled professionals. I have kicked off the series with an intro essay: https://lnkd.in/ePnGmrP5 #DisabilityRights #FutureOfWork Image Description: Illustration by Dana Chan, depicting a wheelchair user working at a desk with multiple screens displaying digital content. Around them are icons representing financial growth, social media engagement, and productivity, symbolizing empowerment, accessibility, and success in a digital workplace.

A wet yet wonderful celebration of the incredible Team USA Paralympic and Olympic athletes at The White House! Rain couldn’t dampen the spirit of the amazing champions who’ve made countless sacrifices to represent their country on the world stage. And as President Joe Biden said today, “We need to do more to support all of our team USA athletes”. LA28 Olympic & Paralympic Games City of Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass we must urgently work to ensure the next Games are truly accessible, with equitable venues, transportation, ticket sales, employment opportunities for athletes, their friends, family, and all Disabled people who are part of this experience. Every fan, volunteer, worker and resident deserves the commitment to accessibility and inclusion. Celebrating these incredible athletes means making sure their legacy builds an accessible, equitable future for everyone. It was amazing seeing so many old friends and new faces today. Thank you SO much Anna Perng and The White House #DisabilityRights Making Space First Image: Mayor Karen Bass in a red suit stands beside Keely, who is smiling in a black outfit with pearl details, in front of a backdrop of greenery and the White House on a cloudy day. Second Image: Eric Harris, Matt Scott, Keely and Kelly Buckland, in front of the White House. Third Image: Keely smiles alongside Chuck Aoki, a member of the United States Paralympic Team, who proudly holds his silver medal from Paris 2024.

What an incredible day at Full Sail University! My heart is FULL! As a Disabled person, it's rare to come across places where you feel genuinely welcomed and valued, and especially rare to find teams that are truly excited and passionate about accessibility and increasing disability representation. But that’s exactly what I experienced at Full Sail. They are doing the work to ensure accessibility is seamlessly integrated into the school so Disabled students can channel their energy into their passions and work, not into navigating inaccessible tools or activities or advocating for their requirements. This is what energizes us at Making Space. When we partner with companies and organizations that are genuinely excited to bring more Disabled talent into every area, our mission to support Disabled professionals land high-quality jobs and build the careers they deserve comes to life. Only 36% of Disabled students in the U.S. complete their bachelor's degree, and the unemployment rate for Disabled graduates is more than 2x that of their non-disabled peers. It’s time to change these numbers. I’m so excited for what comes next. Watch this space! Thank you for making my trip so special, Vernon Rainwater, Jessica Henlon, MA, Kirsten Johnson, Danielle Amick, Tim David, Katie Ross, Ed.D. and everyone I had the pleasure of meeting. Image description: A Jessica, Katie, Keely, Tim, Danielle and Kirsten stand in front of a building with a large electronic sign overhead. The sign reads: "Welcomes Keely Cat-Wells." The backdrop of the building has a metallic, industrial design with circular windows. #MakingSpace #DisabilityRights

It was an honour to have attended and spoken at the United States Department of Commerce first-ever Disability Leadership Summit, Thank you and congratulations to American Association of People with Disabilities and Ford Foundation for this event and your dedication in bringing together public and private stakeholders to drive systemic change. A special thank you to Andres Chong-Qui Torres and Jennifer L. It was huge highlight getting to share space on stage with fellow panelists Taryn Mackenzie Williams Employment Policy, U.S. Department of Labor and Robert Espinoza CEO of National Skills Coalition. As I mentioned yesterday, we must eliminate Section 14(c), As long as we have an outdated law we won’t be able to fully realize the contributions that Disabled people can make in the workplace, The mindset that we are less than will continue. At Making Space, we are building new pathways to employment by putting employer endorsed education at the frontend of the hiring process, which leads to better outcomes for both employers and job-seekers. Learn more www.making-space.com Video description: Keely on stage saying sitting next to Robert & Taryn, "we have to eliminate 14c, with this law still in place Disabled people will never be full recognized for our contributions to the work place. Any job that is of benefit to an employer is deserving of a fair wage". #DisabilityRights #FutureOfWork

Drum roll please... Making Space has a brand new website! Very demure, very mindful, very accessible 😉 www.making-space.com While our marketing pages have gotten a major glow-up, when you log in, everything will look just the same (except for a few cool new features we've added!) At Making Space, we aim to go beyond basic compliance and create a platform that’s seamless to use, enjoyable and beautiful. We’re committed to continuous improvement and actively working to ensure our site and app meets the highest standards of web accessibility. We are by no means perfect, and if you run into any issues accessing the website, please don’t hesitate to reach out at [email protected]. Thank you so much to Kenny Nguyen, Jeremy Beyt and Elizabeth McCulla for bringing this to life! It has been a joy collaborating with you on this project! ThreeSixtyEight is the best. Check it out! https://lnkd.in/eABtJ85K Active courses include: - Screenwriting 101 with Brett Maline & Shaina Ghuraya - Directing 101 with Sheridan O'Donnell & Cashmere Jasmine - Key Art with Netflix with Andy Lerma - TV Hosting with NBC with Sophie Morgan - An Introduction to Accessible Tourism with Sophie Morgan - Disability 101 with Dan Edge - Professional Writing with AI and Grammarly with Grammarly - Next-Level Social Media: Engage & Innovate with AWLearn - Next-Gen Marketing: Essential Skills for Future Leaders with AWLearn - Digital Marketing Dynamics: Content & Community with AWLearn #MakingSpace #A11y #Accessibility #DisabilityRights Video description: On a blue background is a laptop with the Making Space new website showing on the screen, the heading says, "Making Space For" and then the second line is changing with words including "Disabled Talent", "Increased Retention", "Accessible Education", "New Skills" among others. Below it says, "Making Space leverages education as a pathway to higher-quality careers and pre-qualified talent".

It’s always an honour going to the The White House and witnessing the joy, strength, and pride within our Disability community, Today, we celebrated progress while we work for a better future, Here are some issues that need immediate attention: Elimination of Subminimum Wage: In many U.S. states, it’s still legal to pay Disabled people less than the minimum wage under outdated provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act. Employment Equity: Disabled people face higher unemployment rates and significant workplace discrimination. The barriers to accessible hiring practices, advancement opportunities, and accommodations continue to push Disabled talent out of the workforce. Accessible and Inclusive Education: Too many Disabled students are denied SAFE equal access to education. From inaccessible classrooms to a lack of tailored support, evacuation plans, systemic barriers prevent Disabled individuals from reaching their full potential. Marriage Equality: Disabled individuals receiving Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), or Medicaid risk losing benefits if they marry, forcing many to choose between financial stability and love. Reproductive Rights: Disabled people continue to face violations of their reproductive rights, including forced sterilizations and inadequate access to reproductive health care. These injustices strip away bodily autonomy. Disabled Palestinians in Crisis: Disabled Palestinians face severe barriers under the current war, with limited access to evacuation, medical care, or assistive devices. Many are unable to get treatment for injuries or chronic conditions, and communication access is minimal. President Biden can push for Israel to remove restrictions on medical supplies and assistive technology. Safe and Equitable Travel: Disability activist Engracia Figueroa tragically passed away after United Airlines broke her custom wheelchair. This is just one of many stories that shows the urgent need for safe, accessible, and dignified travel for all. LOVED seeing some of my idols today, including: Jennifer L., Jordyn Zimmerman, M.Ed., Meg Kiernan, Catherine Nichols, Mindy Henderson Lori Samuels, Sally Wolf, Sarah Todd Hammer, CPACC and Sara Hart Weir, MS Tiffany A. Yu, MSc (check out her new book Anti-Ableist Manifesto) Jessica Jordan Ping, Jenny Lay-Flurrie , KR Liu among many, many others. Image descriptions in comments. #DisabilityRights

Huge news! Making Space made the TechCrunch Startup Battlefield cut! Oct 28th-30th, who's going to be there? Can't wait! Image description: A promotional graphic for "Startup Battlefield 200" by TechCrunch, which takes place in San Francisco from October 28-30. The text reads, "We made the cut! Meet us on the Disrupt Expo Floor." On the right side of the image is the logo for "Making Space," with the words "Making Space" in navy blue, with sections of the letters in orange. The hashtag hashtag #StartupBattlefield appears at the bottom right. The background features a sleek, dark, tech-themed design with various lines and geometric shapes. #TechCrunchDisrupt2024 #FutureOfWork #Disability

The news is out!!! "LA28 Olympic & Paralympic Games and Fulwell 73 Productions engaged Making Space and Making Space Media, founded by CEO Keely Cat-Wells and NBC Paralympics Host Sophie Morgan. Making Space is an award-winning learning and talent acquisition platform that creates new and improved pathways to employment and career advancement. Making Space Media, a division of Making Space, produces film, TV, and promotional content that centers on the Disabled voice. As Consulting Producers, they provided paid mentorship and employment opportunities for Disabled talent, awareness and language training, guidance on inclusive hiring, creative ad editorial input, advice on set design and production logistics." Full release here: https://lnkd.in/eYBfUyss #DisabilityRights #Paralympics #LA28 Image description: An image promoting the LA28 Paralympic Handover event, featuring five individuals. From left to right, top row: Ali Stroker and Anderson .Paak. Bottom row: Ezra Frech, Samantha Bosco, and Jamal Hill. The text 'LA28 Paralympic Handover' and 'Tune in on Sept 8' is displayed across the image, with the LA28 logo and Paralympic symbol in the top right corner.

I am incredibly honoured to be on the cover of Diversity in Action! When I became disabled, I thought my life was over. My original dream career I had worked hard for was taken away. Little did I know that it was just the beginning of a different dream and a new path, filled with equally ambitious goals. Thank you Diversity in Action allowing me to share a part of that journey. It still terrifies me to be open about my disability and experiences, the fear of judgment, criticism, and the assumptions people make can be overwhelming. But if we have the privilege, it is important to share our stories. I wish I had seen and heard more stories about disabled people, especially those with non-apparent, complex, and chronic conditions, in leadership positions. It would have made such a difference in my journey. Find the digital version of the publication here - https://lnkd.in/eWmJ3SaA Making Space #DisabilityRights #FutureOfWork Image description: A magazine cover titled "Diversity in Action," dated September/October 2024. The tagline of the magazine is "Advancing STEAM Students and Professionals." Keely is wearing a back top and high-waisted jeans, a ostomy medical device is just showing. She is standing against a light pink background, facing the camera with a confident expression. Key headlines on the cover include: "Accessibility Advocate: Keely Cat-Wells is on a mission to drive social, systemic, and economic change for the disability community." "Dino-Mite Digs: New Fossil Lab Unites Community." "The Science of Longevity." "Hip-Hop Doc Excels in Medicine and Music."