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Hi, my name's Laura Benanti, and it's my absolute honor to introduce Evan Ruggiero to you.

Hi, my name is Laura Benanti. I am honored to introduce Evan Ruggiero (to you).

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Evan is from my home state of New Jersey-- Jersey for life!

Evan is from New Jersey and so am I – I love Jersey!

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He started tapping at age 5, and then as a sophomore at Montclair State University, he was diagnosed with a very rare form of cancer.

Evan started tap dancing when he was only 5 years old. When he was in the second year in college, he had cancer.

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He had to undergo nine surgeries in six months and had to make the very difficult decision, ultimately, to amputate his leg.

He had nine surgeries in six months and had to make a very difficult decision. He decided to let the doctors cut off one of his legs.

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18 months after that surgery, and only two days after receiving his peg leg, he was tapping again.

A year and a half after the surgery, and only two days after he received a peg leg (a leg made of wood), he started tap dancing again.

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He is one of the most courageous, inspirational people I will ever know.

I think Evan is a very brave and impressive person.

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And it's just a wonderful thing that he is on this earth and that he is still able to perform for so many luminaries, including Ellen DeGeneres, the Bidens, on the Oscars.

It is just so wonderful that he is alive. It is great that he can still perform for so many important and famous people like Ellen DeGeneres, the Bidens, and even the Oscars.

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That's incredible.

That is incredible!

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He's a Drama Desk nominee. He was nominated for the Chita Rivera Dance Award.

He is nominated for many awards.

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He's a really incredible person.

He's a really incredible person.

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He's also very, very nice, and that goes a long way.

He's also very, very nice, and that is important.

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Thanks for having me, and here he is.

Thanks for having me, and here he is.

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Hey, I'm Thomas Ellenson, and I'm really pleased to have this opportunity to introduce Ryan Niemiller, who is both a really funny guy and is also a trailblazer for me and other disabled actors and comics.

Hi. My name is Thomas Ellenson. I am very happy to tell you about Ryan Niemiller. Ryan is a very funny person. A lot of actors with disabilities learned from him.

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I followed his lead and wrote my own material, knowing that without doing so, people might not give me that first break and hire me otherwise.

He taught me that I should write my own shows so people will want to give me a job.

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But also, like Ryan, I do not consider myself to be a disabled actor or comedian.

Ryan does not think about himself as an actor with a disability. I do not either.

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Disability is just one part of my life.

I have a lot of other things in my life.

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It does not confine my humor. It is just one of the sources.

I don’t only make jokes about my disability, I make jokes about other things too.

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Ryan's described in interviews how the power of laughter early on saved him.

Ryan says that laughing helped him when he was young.

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Kids can be cruel when people don't look like you, or in my case, talk like me.

When kids made fun of him because of how he looks. I felt that too. I talk differently than other people. Kids were mean to me.

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When bullies might make fun, using wit right away is a great tool.

When people are mean to you, telling a joke can make them stop.

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Ryan's known as the Cripple Threat-- the Power of Humor.

Ryan is also called the Cripple Threat.

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Ryan's described in interviews how the power of laughter unites people, and it brings joy to life, including my own.

Laughing makes people like each other. It makes people happy.

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It gives me great pleasure to introduce the guy we know and love from America's Got Talent, the one and only Cripple Threat, Cripple Threat Ryan Niemiller.

A lot of people saw Ryan Niemiller on America’s Got Talent. Now he is here. The Cripple Threat.

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Thanks, everyone.

Thank you everyone.

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Hello, everyone.

Hello, everyone.

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I'm Victor Calise, Commissioner the Mayor's Office for People With Disabilities.

I'm Victor Calise, I am Commissioner for People With Disabilities at the Mayor office here in new York.

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Welcome, everyone, to the first ever Disability Unite Festival.

Welcome, everyone, to the first Disability Unite Festival.

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We are so excited to present you with an amazing program of music, dance, art, discussion, gaming, and more.

We are so excited. We have an amazing program of music, dance, art, discussion, gaming, and more.

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I'd like to start by thanking the members of New York City Mayor's Office for People With Disabilities and the Disability Community Consortium Project, Access For All, who have worked to make this event possible.

I would like to thank all the people that worked to make the festival happen. The people from New York City Mayor's Office for People With Disabilities, the Disability Community Consortium Project and Access For All.

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Together, with our community partners around the country, we've organized an incredible celebration during a difficult time.

Together, with many other partners, we organized a great celebration. And we are doing it in a difficult time.

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Our country is in a period of upheaval, of change, of challenge, and sadness.

This is a difficult time for our country. It is a time of change, a time of challenge, and sadness.

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But I have personally seen our community rise up to overcome.

But I see people who are trying to make it better.

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We are stronger together, we work together, and we succeed together.

When we work together we are stronger, we can succed.

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This event marks the 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, an historic piece of legislation passed exactly 30 years ago that put into writing what we all know-- all people are equal, and all people must have equal access to opportunity.

This festival is celebrating 30 years of the Americans with Disabilities Act (the ADA). This important law says what we all know. The ADA says all people are equal, and all people must have equal access and opportunities.

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We also celebrate the 50th anniversary of Disabled in Action, DIA, a civil rights organization birthed in New York City.

We are also celebrating 50 years of the organization Disabled in Action, DIA. DIA is an organization for civil right that started here in New York City.

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Today, we share gratitude to the leaders of DIA, who orchestrated protests, had sit-ins, even chained themselves to buses in order for us to have the disability accommodations that we have today.

Today, we thank the leaders of DIA. These leaders organized many types of protests. They did all that for us to have the accessibility that we have today..

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We also recognize our nation's communities of color and LGBTQ community, because civil rights movements support each other, help each other, and make each other strong.

We also want to thank our friends in communities of color and LGBTQ community. We thank them because communities that fight for equal rights help each other.

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The disability rights movement is stronger because these civil rights movements happened, and we owe a debt of gratitude and continue to support them.

These communities make the disability rights movement stronger. That is why we thank them and we support them.

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Since the passage and signing of ADA, we have seen tremendous strides in disability rights across all facets of life.

Since the ADA became a law there are many changes. We are making a great progress in disability rights in many different areas of life.

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We have much to celebrate this July, but we also know that advocacy efforts must continue.

We are celebrating now, but we know that there is still a lot of work to do.

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The Disability Unite Festival is the time and place to celebrate our community, celebrate our individuality, celebrate the parts of ourselves that make us unique and amazing.

The Disability Unite Festival is the time and place to celebrate our community. We celebrate who we are, we celebrate how special and amazing we all are.

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However, at the same time, this is a platform to further advance equity and inclusion for everyone.

But, at the same time, the festival is also a good opportunity to keep working to make sure we are all equal.

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While we are in separate locations, distance does not define a community.

We are now in many different places, but we are still a community.

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Community lives within each of us.

The community is in us.

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It shows itself in the way that we speak, the way that we act, the way that we love, the way that we advocate for ourselves, our families, our friends, and our neighbors.

We can see we are part of the same community in the way that we speak, and act, and love. We show it in the way we talk for ourselves, for our families, for our friends, and for our neighbors.

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As a community, we are stronger than we know.

As a community, we are even stronger than we think.

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Together, we do make change happen, we have made tremendous progress in the fight for disability rights, and we will continue fighting until every person in this country is included and has the same access and opportunity as anyone else.

Together, we change things. We now have many more rights for people with disabilities. But we will continue to fight until every person in this country is included in the community. Every person has the same access and opportunity as anyone else.

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Now, enjoy the festival, and I look forward to coming together in person next year.

Now, enjoy the festival, and next year I hope to see you all here in New York City.

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Happy Disability Pride Month.

Happy Disability Pride Month.

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Miranda Hoffner and I are delighted to welcome you to this part of the show.

Miranda Hoffner and I are so happy to welcome you to this part of the show.

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We are going to be highlighting artists from a variety of genres at all different stages of their careers.

We are going to see many different artists doing many different things.

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The ADA is a necessary foundation for all our work.

The American with Disabilities Act, (the ADA), is very important for the work we do.

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It frames the idea that disabled people might want to make art.

The ADA says that disabled people might want to make art.

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It guarantees the access necessary for us to do so.

It says we must have access to everything we need to do art.

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That's why we see so many different artists and arts groups today.

That is why there are so many different artists and arts groups here today.

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But the ADA isn't enough.

But, the ADA is not enough.

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Disability artistry leads us away from thinking about access as a series of regulations, to imagining access as a series of practices.

Disability art helps us think about accessibility and imagine how accessibility really works.

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This is our future, and it begins now.

This is our future, and our future begins now.

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Hi, my name is Miranda Hoffner.

Hi, my name is Miranda Hoffner.

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I'm the assistant director of accessibility at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.

I am the assistant director of accessibility at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.

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I'm so delighted to share with you two pieces that we commissioned as part of our ADA in the Arts series.

I am so happy to share with you two shows that were made as part of a series called ADA in the Arts.

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The first up is from Heidi Latsky Dance, a partner that we've worked with at Lincoln Center for many years.

The first show is from Heidi Latsky Dance Company. Heidi latzky has worked with us at the Lincoln Center for many years.

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We so respect her work.

We think her work is great.

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It is a piece called SOLO FLIGHT ADA 30.

The name of the first show we will see is SOLO FLIGHT ADA 30.

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And it features 15 artists, disabled and nondisabled, who are sharing with us their experience in isolation.

There are 15 artists in this show, disabled and nondisabled, who share with us their experience in isolation.

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Enjoy.

Enjoy.

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This next piece is part of Lincoln Center's ADA in the Arts Video Series.

The next piece is part of the ADA in the Arts Video Series from Lincoln Center.

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It is in collaboration with Queens Theater and features Queens Theater for All Initiative.

This piece was created together with Queens Theater as part of the Queens Theater for All project.

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It is a virtual reading of "Death Bites," written by Makena Metz, and it is performed, written and directed by a team of disabled artists.

It is a virtual reading of "Death Bites," written by Makena Metz. It was performed, written and directed by a team of disabled artists.

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We hope you enjoy it.

We hope you enjoy it.

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Hi, I'm Rebecca Cokely, the director of the Disability Justice Initiative at the Center for American Progress.

Hi, I'm Rebecca Cokely. I am the director of the Disability Justice Initiative.

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Jackson Santi is a poet and spoken word artist who's based in Chicago and is just beginning his career.

Jackson is a young poet from Chicago who performs with words..

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But when you hear his poem, you will understand that he has a great future ahead of him.

When you hear his poem, you will understand why he will be famous.

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I present to you Jackson Santi performing his original work, "Photosynthesis and Other Life Lessons".

Jackson Santi will perform "Photosynthesis and Other Life Lessons".

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Hello, I'm Ricky McKinnie, speaking for the Blind Boys of Alabama, and we want to let you know that singing brings us close

Hello, I am Ricky McKinnie from the Blind Boys of Alabama band. We want to tell you that singing brings us close to each other.

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Hello, everyone, and welcome to the first-ever Disability Unite Festival, the intersection of everything about us with us.

Hello, everyone. Welcome to the first Disability Unite Festival. The best example of everything about us with us.

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The Disability Unite Festival began as a project of the Disability Community Consortium Project Access for All and the New York City Mayor's Office for People With Disabilities on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The Disability Unite Festival started as a project of the Disability Community Consortium Project Access for All and the New York Mayor's Office for People With Disabilities. It started to celebrate 30 years of the Americans with Disabilities Act

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As a community consortium, Project Access for All is made up of many different people and many organizations that all came together to make this possible.

Project Access for All is made of many different people and many organizations. All these people and organizations came together to make this festival possible..

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This is truly a festival for our community by our community.

This is a festival for our community and we are the ones who did it.

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Of course, none of this could have happened without the leadership of New York City's Commissioner, Victor Calise, from whom you just heard.

Of course, we could not do it without the leadership of Victor Calise New York City's Commissioner.

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The team he put together is so incredible.

He has a great team.

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They are seeing New York City through the coronavirus pandemic, and with weekly phone calls hosted by Jonathan Novick, we've had outstanding communication.

They are helping everybody now with coronavius pandemic (when so many people are sick with coronavirus). We had a call with Jonathan Novick every week, we had good communication.

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And we, as the disability community, found ourselves getting to know each other even better and working together as a community.

And so we, the disability community, are getting to know each other even better we are working together (as a community).

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We are also able to see the national network of Mayor's Offices for People With Disabilities in action, with each city helping the other during these difficult times.

We can also see how Mayor's Offices for People With Disabilities all over the country are working together. Cities are helping each other in these difficult times.

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This is the positive outcome of this crisis.

This is the good thing about this crisis.

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We have seen rapid growth of community and partnership from disability groups from across the country and even around the world.

We see our community growing and we are working together with disability groups from many states and even from other countries.

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Now, not only is this the 30th anniversary of the ADA, but also the 50th anniversary of Disabled in Action.

Now, it is 30 years for the ADA. It is also 50 years for Disabled in Action (DIA).

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And we are very honored to have their president, Jean Ryan, here to do the virtual ribbon cutting and start off the first Disability Unite Festival.

It is a big honor to have the president of DIA, Jean Ryan, here with us today to open the festival, to start the first Disability Unite Festival.

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Disabled in Action is a civil rights organization committed to ending discrimination against people with disabilities-- all disabilities. Known as DIA, it fights to eliminate the barriers that prevent us from enjoying full equality in American society.

Disabled in Action is a civil rights organization. DIA works very hard to make sure people with disabilities have equal rights. People with any kind of disability.

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Jean, would you like to say a few words?

Jean, would you like to talk to us?

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Thank you.

Thank you.

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We have had 50 years of many meetings, of many emails, of lawsuits and sit-ins, and some of us arrested.

We 50 years we had many meetings, many emails, we had fight in court and on the street. Some of us even sat in jail.

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You remarked, Matt, about Commissioner Calise's role in our community.

Matt, you talked about the role of Commissioner Calise in our community.

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I would like to call attention to his appointment to the Metropolitan Transit Authority Board, otherwise known as the MTA.

I want to talk about him being on the Metropolitan Transit Authority Board, the MTA that make descisions about transportation.

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Commissioner Calise has the experience and know-how and the community lobbied together to get this appointment to happen.

Commissioner Calise has the ability to do this very important job and we all support him.

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From here in, it is important to always make sure that we have a seat the table, and we have to cultivate our leadership to have people as capable as Commissioner Calise to push forward for appointments.

From now on, it is important that we always have a seat the table that people listen to us. And we need to make sure we have good leaders. To make sure they get to important positions.

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I am excited by Disability Unite.

I am excited about Disability Unite.

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The ability for DIA to have the support of thousands of disabled people and non-disabled allies gives us power.

For DIA to have the support of thousands of disabled people and non-disabled (friends of disabled people) gives us power.

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I couldn't agree more, Jean.

I agree with you Jean.

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Together, we have the power to create the change we need.

Together, we have the power to make the change we need.