Cinema Touching Disability Film Festival

We are thrilled to be back at the Long Center on Saturday, September 20 for our annual celebration of film and community!

This year, we're presenting three blocks of winning and selected short films from our international short film competition—the best of the 106 submissions we received, from 28 different countries! Each block includes both documentary and non-documentary films. Stay for one, two, or all three, and don't forget to vote for Audience Favorite! 

Connecting some of the films to our own advocacy work, we also invite you to join us for a panel on the fight for attendant wages between blocks 2 & 3.

Tickets to the Fest are on sale now! Tickets are pay-what-you-can, starting at $7.50. If cost is a barrier, you can request comped tickets by emailing filmfest@txdisabilities.org.

Growing up I always admired disabled artists such as Keith Haring and Frida Kahlo. They used their art to often express their experiences, or an ideal world. Keith Haring was always an inspiration to me as a young artist. Much like myself, he was a self-taught artist who had very little materials to work with. Haring created a legacy that combats stigma of illness, raised awareness and advocated for funding for research and healthcare reform. He passed away from AIDS-related complications, but his advocacy work continues to this day.

This logo was created for the CTD Film Festival centering disability narratives, access, and representation. Inspired by the visual language of Keith Haring, I used bold lines, vibrant movement, and simplified human forms to celebrate the dynamism, diversity, and agency of disabled communities. As a person with lived experience from stigmatized illnesses and a disabled artist myself, I wanted to create something fun, whimsical and colorful. Haring’s work has long served as a model for making art that is public, inclusive, and rooted in social justice. I drew on his graphic sensibility not to imitate, but to channel a spirit of visibility and resistance. The figure(s) in the logo are intentionally expressive—radiating movement and presence—as a way to challenge static or limiting portrayals of disability.

I believe that disability is not a deficit, but a source of creative power. This logo aims to reflect that truth: not just as a design, but as an invitation for audiences to see, engage, and celebrate disability on screen and beyond.

Thank you so much for sharing your creativity and insights with CTDFF, Yulissa!

Goodbye, 1716!

Earlier this year, we made the very difficult decision to part with our building at 1716 San Antonio St. in downtown Austin. Our home for almost 10 years, this former guitar store has seen CTD through so much—some triumphs, some heartaches, and a lot of great times (see below for just a few memories). 

The decision to leave this singular space was financial. So while we're sad to go, we're excited about the resources we'll have to devote to our staff and advocacy work. We'll be all virtual for the time being, which shouldn't interrupt any of our programming, like Raise Your Voice!, or other advocacy work.

Thanks for being our base of operations, 1716!

Raise Your Voice!

Capitol Care CDS

Did you know? CTD operates Capitol Care CDS, a program that allows Medicaid STAR+PLUS and STAR Kids recipients to hire and manage the people who will provide their attendant services.

If you, a loved one, or a friend have attendant care needs, Capitol Care CDS may be the answer!

Coming up at CTD & in the community!

Thank you to our 2025 Raise Your Voice Sponsors!

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