[NFBOH-Cleveland] Two Good Reads!

Tue Dec 23 15:41:15 UTC 2025

 <https://www.ssa.gov/news/en/press/releases/2025-12-22.html> Inspector
General Report Confirms Significant Customer Service Improvements at Social
Security

<https://www.aapd.com/shaking-up-the-theater-industry-as-a-disabled-person/>
Shaking Up the Theater Industry as a Disabled Person

Inspector General Report Confirms Significant Customer Service Improvements
at Social Security

Social Security Administration

December 22, 2025 

Baltimore, MD - Today, the Social Security Administration (SSA) Office of
the Inspector General (OIG) released its highly anticipated audit of SSA's
telephone service metrics and the significant improvement in customer
service performance during Fiscal Year (FY) 2025.

The report definitively concludes that, "SSA's publicly reported national
800-number telephone metrics were accurate and its overall telephone service
performance improved in FY 2025." Furthermore, the report acknowledges that
the profound customer service improvements were the result of technology
enhancements and strategic staffing decisions.

"The results of the audit come as no surprise to anyone following the
historic progress we are making at the agency under President Trump's
leadership," said Commissioner Frank J. Bisignano. "We are serving more
Americans at significantly faster speeds than ever before. While partisan
politicians are attempting to undermine trust of SSA, we are determined to
continue improving customer service online, on the phone, and in person at
field offices."

During a July meeting with Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Commissioner
Bisignano briefed the Senator on the significant customer service
improvements being made at the agency. When Senator Warren expressed
disbelief about the data provided by the Commissioner and career SSA staff,
unwilling to recognize the notable progress happening at the agency,
Commissioner Bisignano and the Senator agreed to an independent review of
the agency's performance data on the National 800 Number. The OIG audit
determined that not only are SSA's published performance metrics accurate,
but the agency clearly improved its telephone service in FY 2025, reducing
the average wait time from 30 minutes in January 2025 to 7 minutes in
September 2025, while serving 65 percent more callers than in the previous
year. It also concluded that the agency's use of technology, self-service
options, and process engineering were integral contributing factors.

 <https://oig.ssa.gov/assets/uploads/032517.pdf> Read the full OIG Audit. 

Commissioner Bisignano continues to transform SSA into a model of
excellence-an organization that operates at peak efficiency, delivers
world-class service to every American, and protects and strengthens Social
Security for future generations:

*	The average speed of answer for the National 800 Number has been in
the single digits the last five months.
*	Sixty-five percent more calls were answered in FY 2025 compared to
FY 2024.
*	The average wait time for visitors at field offices decreased by
nearly 30 percent from FY 2024 to FY 2025, and those with an appointment
wait on average just six minutes to be helped.
*	The backlog of pending initial disability claims has decreased by
33% from the all-time high of 1.26 million pending claims in June 2024.
*	Americans now have 24/7 access to their personal
<https://www.ssa.gov/myaccount/> my Social Security account, when previously
the website was down 29 hours a week.

More information about how SSA is better serving Americans at their
preferred service channel is available at www.ssa.gov/ssa-performance
<https://www.ssa.gov/ssa-performance> .

For more information about Social Security's services, visit www.ssa.gov
<https://www.ssa.gov/> .

  _____  

Shaking Up the Theater Industry as a Disabled Person

The American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD)

December 22, 2025 

As an Autistic, multi-disabled person, working in the theater industry can
be challenging. It's not often you see disabled representation in theater,
both onstage and off. Growing up, I rarely saw other disabled performers or
characters. When I started working in theater, I was often the one person in
the room bringing up accessibility. Theater has always felt like both a safe
space and an industry with many barriers. However, I have made my way into
it with the intention of changing it, as Elphaba and Glinda would say, for
good.

How does one change an industry? Well, they usually don't, at least not
alone. It is our actions as community members that help us to shake things
up.

When I began my journey in theater, I knew I needed to start somewhere that
allowed me to work with other creatives. So I became a Teaching Artist.
Teaching Artists are small but powerful catalysts for change. That's the
belief that pulled me into the industry back when I didn't think I could
have a place in it. As a disabled teen, my teachers made a large impact on
me and I felt an unshakable desire to have that same impact on others one
day. When I was a Teaching Artist, change happened in the moments that
nobody else would notice. I would notice a child's access needs, help them
navigate challenges, and help them be confidently creative. The moments I
spent empowering the youngest creatives in my community with other educators
meant the world to me. 

However, I soon discovered that I could have a greater impact than I did as
an arts educator by working at an arts education nonprofit instead. I was
given the opportunity to intern at Philadelphia Young Playwrights (PYP).
<https://www.phillyyoungplaywrights.org/>  There, I did work centered on
their education programs and community engagement efforts. The programs I
assisted with gave youth free access to theater education that aimed to help
them tell their stories. I know how impactful PYP was because I was also a
selected playwright for their New Voices Festival for a play I wrote on the
Autistic experience and what it is like to be Autistic in theater. 

My desire for a more accessible theater industry led me to apply for a
Social Media Manager job with the Autistic Theatremakers Alliance (ATA).
<https://www.autistictheatremakers.org/>  I have been with ATA for a year
now, engaging in collaborative activism on a national scale. Recently, we
opened up grant applications for Autistic theatre artists to fund their
theatrical goals.  Our grants help artists fund projects and access
education opportunities. Projects like these bring me joy because I could
never empower other Autistic creatives on my own in this way.

While I love having an impact on a larger scale as I do with ATA, some of
the work I'm proudest of has been the small projects I've done at a local
level. As an AAPD Intern in Summer 2025, I made a list of accessibility
improvement suggestions for my placement site, Washington Performing Arts.
<https://www.washingtonperformingarts.org/>  I cannot make an organization's
programs more accessible by myself, but I can help them figure out the tools
they need to do so. 

My career so far shows this commitment to community. I was recently
nominated to be a part of the Kilroys Web <https://thekilroys.org/web-2025/>
- a web of changemakers in the theater industry. It is a web because we
don't create change by ourselves. Through our work, advocacy, and community
contributions, we become a part of a long history of small actions that lead
to significant changes over time. With PYP, my mentor and I kickstarted an
initiative to provide students with access to local theater through ticket
donations. As a Student Blogger for Broadway World, I get to offer a unique
glimpse into what it is like to build a career in theater as a disabled
person. Since I have broken into this industry, I want to work with others
to make it more inclusive for others and encourage understanding. Even at
the earliest stages of your career, you can help open doors for others by
working with others in the spaces you occupy.

All of my experiences working in theater opened my eyes to the importance of
making the industry more accessible to young and underrepresented voices.
Works that capture the disabled experience make space for awareness,
understanding, and acceptance. They can also help people feel seen. The
casting of Marissa Bode to play Nessarose in Wicked did that for a lot of
disabled people, providing authentic representation for a character always
previously played by nondisabled actresses. At the time I wrote my play, I
had only seen one show before with Autistic representation - How to Dance in
Ohio.  For me, disability representation in theater proves we belong in this
industry and deserve to be represented accurately. It also fuels my work to
advocate for greater access and inclusion. 

The theater industry has a long way to go before it is disability-inclusive.
However, everyday creatives and activists shaking things up in their
communities give me hope it can be. It is a web because we don't create
change by ourselves. Through our work, advocacy, and community
contributions, we become a part of a long history of small actions that lead
to significant changes over time. I've been seeing more representation on
stage, behind the scenes, and in the business side of theater. These
beautiful voices are the future of American theater and it would be tragic
if we did not continue to amplify them. It takes a wave of people to make a
difference, so what role will you play?

  _____  

Suzanne M. Hartfield Turner

National Federation of the Blind of Ohio, Vice President

Ohio Legislative Director

Cleveland Chapter, President

The National Federation of the Blind advances the lives of its members and
all blind people in the United States. We know that blindness is not the
characteristic that defines you or your future. Every day we raise the
expectations of blind people, because low expectations create obstacles
between blind people and our dreams. Our collective power, determination,
and diversity achieve the aspirations of all blind people.

P: (216) 990-6199

W: NFBOhio.ORG

Facebook:  <https://www.facebook.com/ohiosblind/photos/>
https://www.facebook.com/ohiosblind/photos/

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