The Harvard Kennedy School Alumni Club hosted a breakfast this morning with Joanne Jenkins, the CEO of AARP, to hear her speak about her new platform for changing how we age and her new book by the same name, Disrupt Aging: A Bold New Path to Living Your Life at Every Age.

People over 50 account for more than $7.1 trillion in U.S. annual economic activity. By 2032, that is expected to rise to more than $13.5 trillion. Jo Ann Jenkins is sparking new conversations and solutions so more people can choose how they live and age. I appreciated Joanne’s insights on how AARP innovates with companies and communities to create new solutions that work for an inclusive society, with partners including MIT Age Lab, United Healthcare’s Optum Labs, Aging 2.0, and 1776.

Joanne  spoke about needing to change the conversation about aging. “We need to stop defying and denying age: we need to own it.” She believes we need to focus on three core areas—health, wealth, and self—to show people how to embrace opportunities and change the way society looks at getting older. She spoke about her own journey and others who are making their mark as disruptors to show how we can be active, healthy, and happy as we get older.

For me, aging is about independence–physical, financial and lifestyle. Joanne truly “gets” that people want to make their own decisions about aging–where, with whom, with our own resources and with purpose.  As an independent, active woman who happens to have disability, I appreciate Joanne’s platform and want to help change the conversation about aging through my own experiences and interactions with people.

As many know, I ski–some of the toughest runs on Vail Mountain.  I want be skiing well into and past retirement! To do so means being physical fit, financially sound, engaged with friends and colleagues, active in my community and, most of all, making a difference where Ability Matters!  I will use my experience as a woman with a disability to act on Joanne’s call to change the conversation about aging to show people how to “disrupt aging” and ski on to live an active, exciting and purposeful life!

Fashionistas of all abilities were on hand Monday evening at Sotheby’s Auction House on the Upper East Side of New York to celebrate the first annual Design for Disability Gala to raise funds for the Cerebral Palsy Foundation (CPF).

Thom Browne and Andrew Bolton provided their career advice and talent to the event with Browne serving as a mentor to the students throughout the 5-month competition and as head judge for the evening. His fellow judges included costume designer Ann Roth; psychologist, media commentator, Disability Rights Advocate and model Dr. Danielle Sheypuk; and Ms. Wheelchair America 2016 Dr. Alette Coble-Temple. Thirty-five fashion students presented designs to the judges and five were chosen to produce two outfits from their collection. Finalists each worked with two women with disabilities as their models to unveil their designs at the runway. The competition was inspired to recognize that with innovation and style women with disabilities can look as fashionable and beautiful as what we see in magazines and runway shows.

Anne at the Design for Disability Gala.

As a fashionista at heart, this was a terrific event to showcase that our ability to look and feel good does not depend on how well our body moves.  It’s about how well clothes are designed to fit our bodies to move. We all want to live healthy, happy and successful lives. For me that means eating well, looking well and dressing well.  I like looking fabulous!  The Design for Disability Gala celebrated how women with disabilities look absolutely fabulous with creative, innovative fashion design. The event gained terrific media coverage by Fashion Weekly, Fox5 News New York, Today.com and Racked.com.  Kudos to the aspiring designers at the Fashion Institute of Technology, Sotheby’s and Auctioneer C. Hugh Hildesley, the lovely models, CPF Executive Director Richard Ellenson and the entire multi-talented Production Team led by Will White for putting on a spectacular event!

The Cerebral Palsy Foundation’s Design for Disability Gala next Monday at Sotheby’s in New York City promises to be an exciting star-studded event!  The Design for Disability Gala is the culmination of a five-month competition with students at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) to design clothing that will transform the fashion experience for women with disabilities. I’m excited to be joining friends and stars to celebrate the students at the Fashion Technology Institute for their innovation and creativity.  ‪This a great event to showcase that being a healthy, fashionable woman is a big part of our health and well-being…no matter what your ability!   #‎cerebralpalsyfoundation‬ ‪#‎fashiontechnologyinstitute‬ ‪#‎DesignforDisability‬‪ #‎Sothebys‬