ReelAbilities Houston events celebrate lives of people with disabilities

ReelAbilities is back for its tenth year with free events that celebrate the lives of people with disabilities, and you're invited to all the fun! You can expect everything from films to art and music in Houston.

ReelAbilities Film Festival is the largest in the country to promote awareness of the lives and talents of people with disabilities, all while bringing families together to truly appreciate them.

"Check out all the different events because it's a two-week event. There are several things that you can get involved with and we do have in-person events and virtual events. So if you're a little afraid of going to that in-person, you could definitely check out the virtual events that we have," explains Diana Codispoti, ReelAbilities Co-Chair.    

You can just head to ReelAbilities website to find a film that interests you and register to watch it for free! You'll find many topics that range from traumatic brain injuries to Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's, mental health to ALS and so many more.

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There is also an Art Crawl that opens on Thursday, February 10 at Bill Meek Studio. A talented guest is expected to brighten up the evening!

"She is all-over-the-world known for her art and that's Sevy (Marie Eicher). She's an individual with Down syndrome and her art is just amazing. It's so beautiful and it's really fun watching her on Instagram, just her process of doing everything," says a smiling Diana. Pre-registration and COVID-19 vaccine cards are required for this event.

You can also hear from powerful speakers, you probably recognize, like Christine Ha from MasterChef.

"I'm excited to be part of it again and just give my background story on how I lost my vision and got into the culinary business and how I love to support the art. So, I'm just there to give a great talk and answer some questions during the Q&A," explains Christine.

She says it's also a chance for her to get to know Houstonians.

"It's really good cross-marketing for both my restaurants, the Blind Goat and Xin Chao as well, so I want to welcome everyone in Houston who may or may not have tried the restaurants to come on in as well. And, you know, food is very similar or it is the culinary arts, so it's similar to other types of art, so I'm always a big supporter of the creative arts, especially in Houston," states Christine.

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"Then we'll have comedian Josh Blue. I think he'll add a lot of flavor. And now it'll be fun to watch him do his thing. He placed third on America's Got Talent, so that's very exciting. We're looking forward to him and then our mental health speaker, Mike Veny. We've all been through a lot the last two years, so Mike tells his own personal story and is really there to help individuals who have struggled with mental health to give that emotional well-being, that wellness, and so we're really excited about the three of them," says Diana.

The final aspect is the magic of music.

"Our ReelMusic is at the Bayou City Events Center Pavilion, so we'll be outside for the music festival or concert on the 23rd of February," explains Diana.

Definitely something for everyone!

"That's the great thing about this festival, everybody is welcome! Everybody can come bring your family, bring your friends. It's a great event just to sit back and enjoy and learn and meet some of the most amazing people you'll get to meet. I've made lifelong friends through this just by meeting him through the festival and that's been a really fun adventure in itself," says Diana.

Again, for the full schedule and to register for free events visit https://www.reelabilitieshouston.org

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