Alisa Schlesinger is a founding member of ReelAbilities Film Festival Los Angeles. She serves as a Commissioner on the City of Los Angeles Commission of Disabilities. She has been an advocate for people with disabilities for over twenty-five years and is committed to expanding visibility and inclusion for people with disabilities in the entertainment industry.

Jennifer Schlesinger is a founding member of ReelAbilities Los Angeles. She is the Associate VP at Alzheimer’s Los Angeles, a local non-profit committed to helping families affected by Alzheimer’s or dementia.  RAFFLA 2021 will be the first time she has watched a movie since last year’s Festival–it’s been a tough year.

Stephen David Simon is Executive Director of the City of Los Angeles Department on Disability, working to ensure that all City programs, services, activities, and facilities are accessible to all Angelenos. He previously served as the City’s AIDS Coordinator, responsible for development, implementation and oversight of the City’s HIV/AIDS policies and programs. He received his Juris Doctorate and Bachelors degrees at UCLA.

Danny Woodburn is a 30 year veteran actor (as seen in Seinfeld and Watchmen) and disability rights activist whose work has led to increased representation, understanding, appreciation, and opportunities for Performers with Disability (PWDs).  He has had a role in every change occurring today for PWDs in Hollywood, and has worked to open doors for PWDs at 20th Century Fox, CBS, NBC, HBO, and other studios.

Engracia Figueroa is a cinema aficionado who got her start on a street location of the 70’s television show The Streets of San Francisco.  She has a passion for old 70mm celluloid films, Technicolor movies, musicals and old Black and White film too.  After getting her start with LALIFF (Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival), she has recently been on the inaugural selection committee of RAFFLA19 and served as the Director of Community Outreach for the Garifuna Indigenous Film Festival. She is honored to serve as a Film Curator for RAFFLA21 and looks forward to “Seein’ ya at the Movies!”

Shaina jokes that she is a triple threat – she’s a wheelchair-user, Indian, and a woman. She is a writer and director for bold and quirky comedies that embrace diversity and explore intersectionality. A graduate of USC’s Film and Television production program, Shaina’s films have screened at ReelAbilities, Hollyshorts, and Slamdance. She is currently a writer on the Netflix Animation show Boons and Curses.

Andrea Jennings has a Master of Music and specializes in Music and Entertainment Industries.  She hopes to facilitate better opportunities for disabled and marginalized individuals by developing authentic content through her production company Shifting Creative Paradigms – “Leveling The Playing Field“™. As a sought-after keynote speaker, Andrea is a panelist for numerous diversity, equity, and belonging panels, where she advocates for social justice through the lens of disability culture, film, music, and art. She is the Vice-Chair of the Accessibility and Disability Commission for the City of Pasadena and serves on several advisory committees.

Mark Ozdoba is a writer and editor who has focused his work on the fight for disability inclusion and access, writing most recently on that subject for The Los Angeles Review of Books.  He is head writer and co-producer of ADA31 Lead On, an anniversary recognition of the Americans with Disabilities Act.  In addition to his work on the new documentary Lily Topples the World, he has edited web series, pilots, and films, supporting festivals such as DOC NYC, ESPN’s 30 for 30, and a variety of features including Late Night, Puzzle, The Conformist, Obvious Child, and The Spectacular Now.  He has riffed some of the worst movies ever made with “TV’s Frank” Conniff, and is working on a documentary about an immigrant forced to shutter her business—before the pandemic.