National Disability Rights Network (NDRN) Presents: Being Michelle
Join the National Disability Rights Network for a Being Michelle virtual screening and panel on November 10, 2026, exploring Deaf rights, communication access, and disability justice.
National Disability Rights Network (NDRN) Presents: Being Michelle
Virtual Screening & Panel Discussion
📅 November 10, 2026
🕛 12:00–3:30 PM Eastern
Join the National Disability Rights Network (NDRN) for a special virtual screening of the award-winning documentary Being Michelle, followed by a panel discussion examining communication access, disability rights, and the barriers facing Deaf people and individuals with multiple disabilities in foster care and the criminal justice system. ABOUT THE EVENT This screening brings attention to the importance of accessible communication, disability advocacy, and community inclusion. Through Michelle's story, participants will explore how systemic barriers affect Deaf and disabled individuals and why meaningful access to communication is essential to protecting their rights. ABOUT THE DOCUMENTARY Being Michelle tells the story of a Deaf woman with autism who survived incarceration and profound communication barriers. Through her artwork, friendship, and journey toward healing, the film reveals the consequences of exclusion and the transformative power of understanding and support.
Rebecca Shaeffer
Event Moderator
Managing Attorney in Community Integration and Facilities Team, National Disability Rights Network.
In this role she provides technical support and training to P&As in their work monitoring, investigating and litigating rights abuses against people with disabilities involved in the criminal legal system, from police emergency response to jails, prisons and re-entry. Prior to joining NDRN, Rebecca worked for over a decade in international human rights, where she helped to develop and implement new standards for criminal procedural rights in Europe, the US, and Latin America, and supported networks of criminal defense lawyers with international and comparative legal expertise and peer learning facilitation. She served on the steering committee that produced the Mendez Principles, the first international guidance on police interrogation, and on the ABA Criminal Justice Section Task Force on Plea Bargaining. Rebecca is committed to building power at the intersection of the disability and criminal legal reform movements, which share an orientation toward abolition, de-institutionalization, community care and liberation.