East Bay Innovations

✨🥰 July’s wellness fair was a tremendous success! Hosted to honor and celebrate our incredible staff, the event provided a well-deserved opportunity to relax, recharge, and connect. We extend our sincere gratitude to everyone who attended and supported our wonderful vendors. A special thank you to Acisur for their invaluable contributions in organizing such an engaging and informative event. We also want to express our appreciation to Aflac, Marin Benefits, CONCERN Employee Assistance Program (EAP), and Mutual of America Mutual of America Financial Group for their participation. We were thrilled to have Zenful Juice from Oakland, CA share their delicious and refreshing fresh-pressed juices with our guests. Brava joined us in showcasing their innovative smart oven and providing delightful treats. Lastly, a big shoutout to Connie and Robert for offering relaxing massages, adding a touch of tranquility to the event. 🌷⭐️ We couldn’t have pulled this off without our amazing staff, whose hard work and dedication made the event a memorable one. We’re incredibly grateful for your contributions and want to celebrate your success! #ebiempowers #wellnessfair #staffappreciation

⭐ As Disability Pride Month comes to a close, Disability Pride isn't going anywhere. For our final Pride spotlight of the month, we are grateful to feature Nikki Brown-Booker, who is a member of EBI's Board of Directors, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, and The Disability Inclusion Fund's Program Officer! As a Philanthropist, Nikki contributes to different advocacy work and supports the disability community at many different levels. She shared with us that she feels empowered by the work she does, and feels proud of the various things she's done to contribute to the community. We had the pleasure of interviewing Nikki about her perspective on Disability Pride Month. Check it out below! Q: What does Disability Pride mean to you? Nikki: "Disability pride is about celebrating disability as an individual and as a community. Disability doesn’t have to be perceived as a bad thing, and I am proud that I have a disability, that I work, and do anything a person without a disability can do." Q: What is something you wish more people understood about the disability community, and what changes would you like to see to expand inclusivity? Nikki: "I wish people really understood that there is a really thriving community out there and it is a community that supports each other. It’s a community that is working to advance the needs of people with disabilities and a community that really fights against ableism at all levels....I would like to see people with disabilities included at every level of society; work, family, having children, being active in whatever community that a person with a disability enjoys. It's important that people understand that disability is not a monolith; it is a diverse community. They are not just a person with a disability; they can be a parent, an athlete, an artist, and can be all of those things." Thank you Nikki, for all of your contributions to our community. We are grateful to have you in our team of advocates! 🔥

🌟East Bay Innovations is proud to support the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) 34th Anniversary. On July 26th we celebrate this important civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in all areas of public life, including jobs, schools, transportation, and all public and private places that are open to the general public. The purpose of the law is to make sure that people with disabilities have the same rights and opportunities as everyone else. As we celebrate this historic milestone, EBI recognizes that there is still work to be done to ensure accessibility and inclusion for people with disabilities in our world. ADA Day serves as a reminder of the monumentous work that members of the disability community, advocates and allies have put forth to advance this effort, and in this spirit we must continue working toward a better, more inclusive world for people with disabilities everywhere! #ADA34 #ThanksToTheADA Image description: The first slide is a scene with clouds and plants around with words in the center that read: "East Bay Innovations: Did you know? July 26th is ADA Day!" with an image of individuals holding flags and their fists in the air. The second slide is the ADA34 Anniversary logo that reads "Celebrate. Learn. Share. ADA34 (1990-2024) Americans with Disabilties Act."

⭐️ Happy Disability Pride Month! As we continue celebrating the wonderful people who make EBI’s community great, we are stoked to give the spotlight to Samara! Samara has been working with EBI as an Administrative Assistant for nearly 11 years now, and is a valued part of our office team. When asking Samara what makes her feel empowered, she shared that creating art and her job at EBI bring her a sense of empowerment. She says that we all need more understanding! Thank you for all you do at EBI, Samara! You rock! ✨ Follow along as we continue celebrating Disability Pride Month! 🥰 #disabilitypride #disabilitypridemonth #ebiempowers

📚 🌟 EBI is excited to partner with San Leandro Library to celebrate Pride Disability Month! We have included the event details and flyer below. We will host a children's story time/coloring activity, showing of Crip Camp with a discussion that follows, and ice cream social  . This event will kick off a great new community partnership with San Leandro Library. Spread the word about this wonderful event! 😄 To be inclusive, we will have a story/art hour for youths who can't attend the movie portion. (Trustees Room - 10 am - 11 am) Crip Camp (Rated R due to profanity- 1 hour and 42 minutes) (Screening in Lecture Hall - 11:15 am - 1 pm) Ice Cream Social with Informal Talk from EBI Participants (Trustees 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm) There will be a resource table with educational books on people with disabilities, and information about EBI's services The Library will provide extra Art Supplies as well as Storage for Ice Cream in our Kitchen, Teen Volunteers, and will promote in the San Leandro newspaper. See you there! 🤩

Did you know? EBI is turning 30! 🥳 You may not know EBI was one of the first supported living service providers in the Bay Area. Now, we support more than 1,000 clients to: 🏡Live as independently as possible in their own homes 👨🏭Become successfully employed 🫂Feel a sense of membership in their community. Join us as we work to empower individuals with disabilities in Alameda County to live full and independent lives! #30YearsofEBI https://lnkd.in/gSmV6HkV

✨ Disability Pride Month commemorates the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act in July of 1990, a landmark law that prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities. ✨ Here at EBI, we are celebrating this important month by spotlighting individuals with disabilities within our organization who contribute to making our community great. Today we are grateful to give the spotlight to EBI staff member Austin Weng, who has been working as an administrator for over 6 years! 🤩 When talking to Austin about what Disability Pride means to him, he shared that people with disabilities can do many things that people without disabilities can do, but people don’t always think about that. He says that people with disabilities are smarter than you think! We appreciate you, Austin! Thank you for the passion, kindness, and determination you bring to EBI! 💗 Follow along as we spotlight more wonderful folks from our team this month! #disabilitypridemonth #ebiempowers #disabilitypride #disabilityinclusion #adaday

July is Disability Pride Month! As we begin our month-long celebration, we want you to know that people with disabilities have protections under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Visit our website to learn more: https://lnkd.in/eSb5_EN #DisabilityPrideMonth #Disability #DisabilityPride

We have come a long way since the Olmstead decision, but we still have a great ways to go in fighting institutional bias and policies/practices that impede disabled individuals’ rights to community living. We’re committed to continuing to challenge false assumptions, advocate for critical changes, and uphold the rights of individuals with disabilities and support them to be integral members of and in our communities.

Last week was a celebratory one for EBI staff and clients! 🎊🎉 Last Thursday, EBI staff attended Alameda and Contra Costa County’s Developmental Disability Joint Council Awards! We are so proud of EBI team members who were recognized for their outstanding advocacy and service by the councils. We had the opportunity to celebrate our staff member, Rochelle Hutchins from Supported Employment Services, who won the Bernie Graf Excellence in Service award! We also feel immensely grateful that our Executive Director Tom Heinz was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award for his many contributions to disability services over the years! Thank you to Joel John, Director of SES, and Caitlyn Lopez, EBI Training Coordinator, for accepting the awards on their behalf, and to the DD Councils for recognizing the important work we do! ✨ EBI also nominated YMCA of the East Bay as an outstanding employer partner with HireAble. We are grateful to YMCA’s excellent partnership in coordinating the first ever Early Educator Apprenticeship Program! 🎓 Last Thursday we also celebrated the graduation of our first cohort of the Early Educator Apprenticeship Program, where adults with developmental disabilities have the opportunity for hands-on training in a childcare setting at YMCA, meanwhile receiving tailored support to complete college credits through Berkeley City College! We are incredibly happy for the graduates and all of their accomplishments. We can’t wait to see what they go on to do! 🎊🎉✨ #ebiempowers #developmentaldisabilities #childcareprogram #disabilityservices