As drastic changes to federal Diversity, Equity and Inclusion policies take effect — and several companies following suit — ReelAbilities Houston shared a strong message to Houston’s business community at its ninth annual ReelWorkplace event: neurodiversity unlocks potential and enhances the workplace.
ReelAbilities is produced annually by the Jewish Family Services Houston Alexander Institute for Inclusion in collaboration with the Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities. The month-long film and arts festival promotes inclusion and celebrates the lives, stories and talents of people with disabilities. It started in 2013 and attracts thousands of people annually to enjoy music, arts and free educational programming.
Its signature ReelWorkplace event helps Houston’s business community understand the importance of inclusion by showcasing everyone’s unique abilities, and addresses the persistent challenges people with disabilities face in obtaining meaningful employment and fulfilling careers.
“Many businesses and individuals still lack a clear understanding of what true inclusivity means, and we aim to address this knowledge gap,” said Abbie Markowitz, the ReelAbilities Festival coordinator and development associate for Alexander Jewish Family Services. “We anticipate significant interest from professionals with disabilities seeking support and community.”
While the focus on neurodiversity was decided in 2024 before President Donald Trump assumed office and eliminated federal DEI programs, the ReelWorkplace panel attracted more than 130 business professionals from industries such as energy, architecture, finance, transportation, human resources, and more to the United Way of Greater Houston on Feb. 5. Organizers said this year’s event, which started in 2016 and returned to in-person gatherings for the second time this year, marked its highest attendance yet. They believe it is related to the current political climate, which has brought an increased need for conversations about diversity.
“We consistently see strong interest in discussions surrounding less visible disabilities, particularly from our corporate partners,” Markowitz said in a statement. “This year’s focus on neurodiversity as a workforce asset allows us to challenge assumptions and dismantle barriers for individuals with disabilities.”
The event featured keynote speaker Jeff Miller, who shared his journey parenting a neurodivergent son and how his experience inspired him to launch Potentia, a company that connects people with neurodiverse conditions to employers. Following his speech was a panel moderated by Katherine Loveland, a Houston-based researcher at UTHealth who specializes in autism spectrum disorders. Panelists from various industries discussed how they cultivate inclusive working environments and how they are standing firm on their commitments to DEI practices.
“This is how we send a message to the rest of the nation that people with diverse backgrounds still and continue to matter in places like the great city of the city of Houston,” said Angel Ponce, director of the Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities, in his opening remarks.
James Wise, who works for global design firm Hok, attended for the first time merely to support his colleague Julie Truong, who was a panelist. But he left with a lot of tools from Miller’s keynote speech on how to better support his son who has attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. His son struggles to make social connections and often gets overwhelmed when he has to step outside of his comfort zone, Wise said. In the past, he has worried about how his son would obtain employment amid those challenges.
“My takeaway today is that it’s not as scary as it seems,” he said. “There’s programs out there, there’s people out there. I think the old mentality that people were worried about having businesses that won’t hire because of whatever deficiency, I think those days are gone.”
After coming to this event, he learned about five new programs that can help his son and not limit him.
Some of those programs and organizations included The HUB Houston, which serves Houston’s neurodiverse community providing employability programs and social connections, Autism Speaks, among several others.
Ahmed Abdulmajeed, a strategic solutions executive for MasterWord, a global language service provider that specializes in deaf and hard of hearing services, said this is his third year coming to ReelWorkplace for the company. He enjoys learning about new ways to support the community and what companies need to cultivate more accessibility.
“People look at things as disabled versus abled,” he said. “I think being here just knowing how much people are capable of if they are empowered correctly and when we invest in giving them access in the right ways not by assuming what they need but actually involving them in that plan, decision making and… increasing their awareness of the access they have.”
Michelle Fredricks, manager of corporate relations and business development for the Joan and Stanford Alexander Jewish Family Service, closed the event vowing to discuss how the organization can support attendees’ workplace goals through some of its services. These include workplace disability etiquette seminars, accessibility walk-throughs, behavioral and mental health counseling and programs, career and employment services, case management and financial stability training, and a disability guide that employers will soon be able to download for free on their website.
“Let’s keep this conversation going,” she said.
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