The Creator of The Able Show

She’s an entrepreneur, the founder of both Polishing the Professional and The Able Show, and the focus of the first episode of The Able Show, which highlights both her story and the stories of several disabled crew members. Her name is Davina Douthard, and this is my personal connection to this remarkable woman.

I first heard about Davina in 2011 when Westside Regional Center told me about an organization called Polishing the Professional. The name immediately appealed to me because I considered myself a professional-minded person, even though I was struggling to find employment. At the time, I was attending graduate school, yet many employers either rejected me or only offered jobs such as bagging groceries through disability employment agencies. Unfortunately, Polishing the Professional did not have many opportunities beyond that during the Great Recession, though they encouraged me to check back a few months later to see whether anything had changed.

It would not be until 2023 that things truly changed for me. That year, I received a letter at my parents’ house from Polishing the Professional, a name I still remembered from years earlier. The organization was launching an internship program for a web series and was looking for people to fill several positions, including writers. By then, I had become the published author of several books that I believed were well written, even if they were not selling successfully. Although I had largely stopped applying for jobs because I no longer wanted to pursue menial work or face repeated rejection from professional positions, I decided to apply for this opportunity.

Davina contacted me, and we arranged a video meeting. While I did not remember her from 2011, she remembered me. During our conversation, she explained the vision behind The Able Show and expressed genuine enthusiasm about having me join the team. Once I started attending meetings, I shared my frustrations about how disability employment agencies often overlooked my education and qualifications by steering me toward low-level jobs. Unlike others who dismissed my concerns or asked what was wrong with bagging groceries, Davina understood why I felt discouraged and recognized the unfairness of the situation.

At that point, I still had not officially been hired. I needed to reopen my Regional Center case, and the process became more complicated after officials realized I had moved to Oxnard and needed to transfer Regional Centers. Despite these obstacles, Davina personally drove to Oxnard to meet with my new coordinator and advocate for funding for my position. That gesture showed me how deeply she cared about helping others.

By October, I had my first real job in more than fifteen years.

I quickly grew to appreciate the supportive environment of The Able Show. Davina understood developmental disabilities in a way that many people do not. She recognized that highly intelligent individuals can also have developmental disabilities and that many of my frustrations with society were legitimate. I began my work there by writing blogs about issues I had personally experienced, including social isolation and feeling misunderstood by others. Even after I was encouraged to make my writing more neutral and less personal, I still enjoyed being able to share perspectives that are often overlooked.

The in-person meetings occasionally presented challenges for me because I am electrosensitive and have difficulty being around many wireless devices at once. Since larger meeting spaces were unavailable, I often had to remain outside the room and interact with others when they came out to speak with me or briefly put away their devices. Although this situation was difficult for Davina and the production team, they still worked to accommodate my needs, which meant a great deal to me.

One of the stories about Davina that I find most inspiring is her dedication to her disabled brother, who is also part of The Able Show. She has shared how, at only thirteen years old, she took it upon herself to help him search for employment opportunities. Seeing the supportive environment she created through The Able Show inspired me to pursue my own organization, Friend in Need, which aims to connect young people with developmentally disabled individuals of all ages. While not everyone may devote themselves to helping others in the extraordinary way Davina has, even small acts of connection and understanding can make a meaningful difference.

Davina Douthard is the creator of The Able Show and the featured interview subject of the show’s first episode. Her compassion, advocacy, and determination continue to inspire both those who work alongside her and those who hear her story.