Trend-Able

Where Your Disability is Not an Accessory

EmBRACE it is a podcast and workshop series sponsored by Trend-Able in partnership with the Hereditary Neuropathy Foundation. Lainie Ishbia, MSW and Estela Lugo have created the Embrace it series to help empower people with disabilities and chronic conditions to look and feel their best and to ultimately live their best lives. Through their communication and assertiveness trainings, disability hacks, and confidence building exercises, Lainie & Estela have helped hundreds of individuals living with physical challenges to improve their quality of life.

EmBRACE It Workshop Topics

Areas of focus: (2-week delivery time)

How to Talk about Disability
How to Talk to Anyone When you Have a Disability
Why Inclusive Product Design & Messaging Matters

Niche areas: (4-week delivery time)

Inclusive Product Design 101
Inclusive Event Planning 101
Inclusive Social Media & Marketing 101
Creating an Inclusive Culture 101
Inclusive Web Design + UX 101

Approx duration 1-2 Hours

Interested In Bringing An Embrace It Program To Your Organization?

Looking For A Disability Life Speaker or Consultant?

EmBRACE It Introduction Workshops

How to Talk about Disability

This workshop is perfect for any group or individual who would like to become more inclusive and expand their ideas of diversity but has no idea where to start.

Our 60-90 minute interactive workshop provides a safe, fun, and insightful space to begin the conversation around disability inclusion. Participants will learn to recognize societal and personal stigmas while activating empathy and inclusive communication skills towards change.

How to Talk to Anyone When you Have a Disability

How do we accept our physical challenges and learn how to embrace the things we can’t change? How do we communicate our feelings, needs and desires with confidence, humor and style? Talking about disability & asking for help can be hard… but it doesn’t have to be!

This 60-90 minute interactive workshop empowers participants living with a disability or chronic illness with tangible tools for self-advocacy. Utilizing role playing, humor, and vulnerability, Lainie & Estela will help boost your confidence & communication tools for interacting with strangers, partners, family, friends, co-workers, and more!

Why Inclusive Business, Design & Messaging Matters

Businesses that ignore disability issues lose millions in disabled people’s talents and patronage without realizing it. With a whopping $8 Trillion in spending power, people with disabilities make up the largest minority group in the US at 26%. Compare this group of 61 million to 60.5 million Latino Americans, and you’ll begin to see the picture. Is your brand, service or product line excluding people with disabilities and leaving revenue on the table?

This 60-90 minute interactive workshop sheds light on some of the most common barriers brands & designers unknowingly place on disability inclusion. Participants will gain powerful insight and creative tools for enhancing inclusion and business growth!

Why Inclusive Fashion Matters

EveryBody should be able to find clothes that make them feel confident and fit them well. Did you know that people with disabilities control $8 Trillion in spending and make up the largest minority group in the US at 26%? Compare this group of 61 million to 60.5 million Latino Americans, and you’ll begin to see the picture. Despite the sheer magnitude of this demographic, there are still more clothing lines for pets than humans with disabilities. Luckily big brands are beginning to take notice and expand their collections into an explosive adaptive clothing market estimated to reach $400 billion by 2026.

This 60-90 minute interactive workshop exposes some of the most common barriers placed by the fashion industry and shares the powerful role clothing and representation play in creating authentic inclusion. Participants will gain creative marketing, communication, and design-thinking tools for embracing inclusion and leading business growth!

OUR WORKSHOPS PARTNERS

TESTIMONIALS

Gary Hale

Morgan Stanley

Estela and Lainie’s workshop on “How to Talk to Anyone About Disability” was extremely well received. Often times, corporate workshops can feel ingenuine and disconnected, but their approach was warm, welcoming and brought our employees into a conversation leading to many ‘a-Ha’ moments. What our employees learned will be remembered for years to come and help shape a more inclusive culture throughout our organization.

Dr. Jennifer Pankowski EdD

Pace University

Pace University was honored to have Estela Lugo serve as our keynote speaker for our Annual Faculty and Staff Institute on Teaching and Learning (May 2022), the theme was “resilience” and all those in attendance were deeply moved and inspired by Estela’s passion for education. The group have since asked that Estela come back for another event to continue this work of advocacy and understanding our own roles we play in the bigger picture. Thank you so much for the work you do, there is no doubt that staff, faculty, current and future Pace University students and the community we engage with will benefit from the interactive work. The keynote was more than a speech, Estela actively engaged with the group prompting thoughtful responses and follow up, no one wanted the session to end!!!!

Carmen Chan

Insightful, clever and poignant, Lainie and Estela brought their experience and empathy to the table to help educate our employees. Thanks, ladies!

Alina & Graceann

The Health Union LLC

Your dynamic personality and inspiring content really connected with the audience….Thank you so much for the wonderful workshop!

Christine Selinger

The Abilities Expo

Lainie & Estela put on a great workshop at the Abilities Expo in San Mateo! Not only did they have an extremely polished presentation, but they connected well with participants and brought passion to an important topic.

Jennifer Fugate

Lockheed Martin

“Words could not express how grateful I am for the impact that you made on our community and leadership at Lockheed Martin a week and a half ago now. I enjoyed your communication tactics and charismatic messaging/entertaining videos more than any other informational session that I have ever been a part of (and I’ve been privy to quite a few.)”

CONTACT ME

Ready To Book Us? Have Questions?

Please fill out the form below and we will get back to you asap!

1 Step 1