Celebrating Diversity: Mark Whitley Of Easterseals Southern California On How to Build Inclusive Communities
An Interview With Vanessa Ogle
Honor and respect individual experiences and perspectives. This is a core value at Easterseals and informs all that we do. Remember, people with disabilities are the experts on their own lives. True inclusion is rooted in listening to people with disabilities, supporting them to make decisions that feel right for them and ensuring they have access to what they need to thrive.
In a world where diversity is often acknowledged but not always celebrated, we are taking a step forward to highlight the importance of inclusivity in building strong, vibrant communities. This series aims to explore the various facets of diversity — be it racial, cultural, gender-based, or within the disability community — and understand how embracing these differences strengthens our social fabric. As part of this series, we had the pleasure of interviewing Mark Whitley, President & CEO of Easterseals Southern California (ESSC).
According to the CDC, 25% of U.S. residents, more than 70 million people across the country, have a disability. Of those, 23% live in California (more than 9 million), nearly 5.5 million of them in Southern California.
A lifelong disability advocate, Mark — who began his association with Easterseals during college — has dedicated his life and career to serving the disability community. In his role at the helm of Easterseals, Mark’s vision has been to make Southern California the most inclusive place in the country for people with disabilities to live, learn, work and play. That means being laser-focused on meeting the ever-changing needs of our nation’s largest and most diverse minority population.
Eastersels Southern California (ESSC) provides disability services to more than 19,000 people and their families, spanning more than 70 service sites and hundreds of community partnership locations across Southern California. The organization provides the highest quality autism therapy, adult/senior day services, child development/early education, residential/independent living services, employment services and more.
Mark and his team are committed to realizing Easterseals’ bold, global purpose: To lead the way to full equity, inclusion and access through life-changing disability and community services. Under Mark’s leadership, ESSC is advancing new awareness efforts nationally. In July 2024, during Disability Pride Month, the organization launched an acclaimed, integrated, multi-media PSA campaign, D1$@B1L*tY is Not a Dirty Word.
Additionally, Easterseals is enhancing understanding of the importance of disability inclusion across media and entertainment. This work is bringing forward powerful opportunities to expand disability representation, including the Easterseals Disability Film Challenge (now in its 11th year) and support of the Media Access Awards.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series. Before we dive into our discussion about celebrating diversity, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you share with us the backstory about what brought you to your specific career path?
I grew up in Arkansas and was introduced to Easterseals in my late teens while going to college I began a new job providing recreational activities for children with disabilities. I loved it. Four years later, I learned about an opening with the Easterseals national office in Chicago, working on the fundraising team. I jumped at the chance, packed up a U-Haul truck and drove north to the big city. I was young, eager and bright-eyed about this role and the chance to move to Chicago. When I look back, it’s hard to imagine how this one opportunity would have such a huge impact on my life and my career. Those who have worked for this organization for a long time — and there are quite a few of us — will tell you that there is something special about Easterseals. This work, the community of people with disabilities we’re a part of and the impact we have truly blossoms in your heart.
Can you share an interesting or hopeful story where spending time with someone who did not look like you or who was different from you taught you something that has been useful to you?
It’s hard to choose just one story, because working for an organization like Easterseals, I learn something new every single day, whether from one of our disabled program participants, a donor, a partner or our talented staff. It is one of the reasons I’ve dedicated my career to this work and to this organization. There is so much beauty, innovation, opportunity and strength in diversity. And, when it comes to the disability community, it represents the largest, most diverse group of people. Being a life-long ally and advocate for people with disabilities has taught me so much, from being a more effective, inclusive leader, to staying open-minded and committed to improving services needed by our participants most.
You are a successful leader. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?
Drive towards excellence/innovation, collaboration, trust/relationships.
Ok, thank you for that. Let’s now jump to the primary focus of our interview. Can you share a personal story that highlights the impact of diversity and inclusivity in your life or career?
I want to highlight what people with disabilities have taught me and shine a spotlight on the importance of amplifying their experience. “Nothing about us without us” is both a mantra of the disability rights movement and a common saying among people with disabilities. Easterseals Southern California’s work is also grounded in this reminder that disabled people are the ones who must be in charge of every aspect of their lives.
People with disabilities are a vibrant, diverse group with stories to tell — stories that can change hearts, minds and attitudes toward disability. For over a decade, Easterseals Southern California has been actively collaborating with key players across the entertainment industry to amplify these stories, driving disability inclusion and authentic representation. We started by making the compelling case to include disability among the very active DEI efforts emerging across Hollywood and beyond.
Central to this strategy is ensuring that people with disabilities are empowered to tell their own stories. And, we’re beginning to make real, tangible progress, especially through our signature initiatives, the annual Easterseals Disability Film Challenge and support of the Media Access Awards. These efforts shine a spotlight on the many creatives with disabilities building careers in entertainment, while also supporting the industry in moving toward a more inclusive culture.
How do you approach and manage the challenges that arise when working towards creating more inclusive communities?
In many ways, it begins with shifting outdated, long-held misperceptions about disability. Barriers of stigma and societal attitudes are the hardest, but most important, to overcome.
Easterseals Southern California is working to create a brash, new dialogue around disability acceptance and inclusion. Disability is a source of pride. It’s part of being human. And for more than one billion people globally, it’s who we are.
In July, during Disability Pride Month, we launched a national, multi-media PSA campaign, D1$@B1L*tY is Not a Dirty Word, which will run through 2025.
Many talented people with disabilities (both behind and in front of the camera) shared their stories and insights on disability to unite as one voice for change. I hope you will join us in our mission to change the way the world defines, perceives and experiences disability. It’s time for a true disability representation revolution.
What innovative strategies or initiatives have you implemented or observed that effectively promote the importance of diversity and inclusivity?
We all know that pop culture, media and entertainment have a tremendous influence on people and how they view the world. And too often, disability is missing from the conversation.
According to a study released last summer by USC’s Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, the number of speaking characters with a disability in a major film was just 1.9% in 2022. GLAAD also published a report in 2022 which found that only 2.8% of series regulars on primetime broadcast TV (22 of 775) were characters with disabilities. And per the most-recent Ruderman Family Foundation study, about 95% of characters with disabilities in Hollywood’s top films and TV shows are played by able-bodied actors. These numbers should be much higher when considering that more than 70 million Americans have disabilities.
Hollywood has only just begun to tap into the power of disability inclusion and I’m proud that Easterseals Southern California supports people with disabilities to lead the way in this work. One of our key awareness initiatives, as I shared earlier, is the annual Easterseals Disability Film Challenge, which garners national attention and industry-wide participation. The Film Challenge gives filmmakers, actors and their crews an opportunity to change the way we all experience and understand disability by bringing authenticity to these stories.
Previous Film Challenge winners and participants have gone on to land roles or direct segments of such popular films and TV shows as Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, New Amsterdam, Superstore, The Good Doctor, Loudermilk, Dahmer, The Handmaid’s Tale, Curb Your Enthusiasm, One Day at a Time, Dollface, NCIS: Hawai’i, NCIS: New Orleans and Interview With the Vampire, to name a few.
We have also sponsored the annual Media Access Awards which — for the past 45 years — has been the world’s top awards ceremony honoring people in the film and television industries who are advancing the accurate portrayals and employment of people with disabilities. The hosts of last year’s ceremony were Marlee Matlin and Troy Kotsur and the forthcoming 2024 Media Access Awards will be broadcast nationally on PBS for the first time later this year.
And we practice what we preach! Easterseals Southern California has nearly 2,500 associates on our team and our strength as an organization is in our diverse and inclusive culture. We are committed to making sure our leaders, staff, volunteers and partnerships are as diverse as the communities we serve. Easterseals, in action and advocacy, prioritizes equity, respect and belonging.
We’ve more recently implemented two programs supporting our team of associates, ensuring our Easterseals organization is itself inclusive and that we’re more effectively advancing health equity across our community. As the largest provider of autism services in Southern California, we are actively working to increase the accessibility of autism services to marginalized groups who have historically faced barriers to services.
In your opinion, what are the key elements that make a community truly inclusive and how can these be fostered on a larger scale?
Opportunity, empowerment and equity are key elements that make a community truly diverse and inclusive. We currently serve nearly 20,000 individuals at Easterseals Southern California, but we know the need is far greater. Of late, we’ve been intentional and quite successful in not only expanding our services, but also leading our industry forward with modern, innovative, first-of-its kind programs and evidence-based practices that really deliver for the people we serve. Simply put, our work is life-changing; our team of experienced, creative and committed professionals are second to none. It is these very efforts that are fostering greater inclusion.
Our bold vision is to make Southern California the most inclusive place to live for all of us, but especially our disability community. As the largest Easterseals Disability Services affiliate organization in the country, we’re focused on realizing true equity, inclusion, access and belonging for people with disabilities, while ensuring they have the critical, life-changing services and supports they need to thrive in school, work and life.
It’s an ambitious goal, but attainable. At Easterseals, we share an unapologetic commitment to changing our world for the better. We are working every day to create inclusive, accessible and equitable schools, workplaces and neighborhoods, as well as open and motivate the hearts and minds of more allies, supporters and advocates. This is how we can influence, inspire and shift people’s perceptions to advance social change.
Based on your experience and research, can you please share “5 Ways We Can Build Inclusive Communities”? If you can, please share a story or an example for each.
1. Honor and respect individual experiences and perspectives. This is a core value at Easterseals and informs all that we do. Remember, people with disabilities are the experts on their own lives. True inclusion is rooted in listening to people with disabilities, supporting them to make decisions that feel right for them and ensuring they have access to what they need to thrive.
2. Foster disability-inclusive workplace cultures. Easterseals believes that everyone can work and that every person has unique talents, strengths and interests that they can contribute to a workplace. But when it comes to fostering a culture of disability inclusion, it’s important to know there is no one-size-fits-all process. A culture shift stems from a willingness to be collaborative in creating an accessible environment that welcomes everyone.
3. Advocate for independent community-based living options for all. People with disabilities, like anyone, have a right to live freely and safely in their communities. Unfortunately, institutionalization of people with disabilities remains all too common. We can and must change this by empowering the disability community through supports and services.
4. Embrace disability pride. When it comes to the word “disability,” I encourage you to “Say it. Celebrate it. Share it.” This loud and proud reminder comes from our D1$@B1L*tY is Not a Dirty Word campaign. Disability is not a bad thing; it’s a natural part of the human experience.
5. Keep learning about how you can be a strong ally. We’re in this together and we can all do our part to support inclusion. Listen to and learn from the disability community and speak up against disability discrimination.
We still have a long way to go to achieve true disability inclusion, but in my 40-year, disability-centered career, I’ve never been more hopeful and grateful for our shared commitment to creating meaningful change.
You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
Words are power; they truly matter. If we, as a society, can shift the narrative about disability and change people’s negative beliefs and misperceptions that only hold us back, we would be winning. I believe our world would be a very different place, where everyone would have every opportunity to live lives of their choosing.
I’ll leave you with this: Disability is NOT a dirty word. We all must say it, celebrate it and share it. That’s what disability pride is all about.
How can our readers further follow you online?
D1$@B1L*tY is Not a Dirty Word: https://www.disabilitypride.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-whitley-1b732b8
Website: https://www.easterseals.com/southerncal
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EastersealsSoCal
X: https://x.com/EasterSealSoCal
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eastersealssocal
Thank you for the time you spent sharing these fantastic insights. We wish you continued success in your great work!
About The Interviewer: Vanessa Ogle is a mom, entrepreneur, inventor, writer, and singer/songwriter. Vanessa’s talent in building world-class leadership teams focused on diversity, a culture of service, and innovation through inclusion allowed her to be one of the most acclaimed Latina CEO’s in the last 30 years. She collaborated with the world’s leading technology and content companies such as Netflix, Amazon, HBO, and Broadcom to bring innovative solutions to travelers and hotels around the world. Vanessa is the lead inventor on 120+ U.S. Patents. Accolades include: FAST 100, Entrepreneur 360 Best Companies, Inc. 500 and then another six times on the Inc. 5000. Vanessa was personally honored with Inc. 100 Female Founder’s Award, Ernst and Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year Award, and Enterprising Women of the Year among others. Vanessa now spends her time sharing stories to inspire and give hope through articles, speaking engagements and music. In her spare time she writes and plays music in the Amazon best selling new band HigherHill, teaches surfing clinics, trains dogs, and cheers on her children.
Please connect with Vanessa here on linkedin and subscribe to her newsletter Unplugged as well as follow her on Substack, Instagram, Facebook, and X and of course on her website VanessaOgle.
Celebrating Diversity: Mark Whitley Of Easterseals Southern California On How to Build Inclusive… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.