About Us

Mercy (she/her) is a college student who lives in Massachusetts. She fights for disability justice through an intersectional lens, displaying her knowledge of different types and levels of discrimination. Mercy has published in Forbes, discussing the power of mentoring. She immigrated from Ghana to Massachusetts in 2012 and was diagnosed with severe bilateral hearing loss in 2013. Mercy wants to work in the education leadership and policy fields and build schools that serve disabled students in the United States, Ghana, and other nations.

Victoria Copeland (she/her/they) is a Black and Ilocano disabled scholar and social worker. She currently works as a Research Fellow at the Center on Resilience and Digital Justice (CRDJ) and serves as a community mentor for Survivors+Allies, an organization she helped co-found in 2020. Her work interrogates how social institutions use data and technology for decision-making processes, specifically as it pertains to interpersonal violence, and how community members are impacted by it. Influenced by Black Feminist Epistemology and Sins Invalid’s Disability Justice Principles, her work aims to contribute to a more equitable and just world for those most impacted by organized abandonment. Prior to working at CRDJ Victoria was a Senior Policy Analyst Upturn, and received her Ph.D in 2022 from UCLA.

Marissa (she/her) is a multiply-disabled activist and attorney. She serves full-time as the Disabilities Community Project Staff Attorney at Tzedek DC, a non-profit dedicated to safeguarding the legal rights and financial health of DC residents with low incomes dealing with debt and consumer issues. She is also a disability rights adjunct professor at the American University Washington College of Law and the volunteer executive director of Crip the Law. 

Prior to her time at Tzedek DC, she served as the Disability Economic Justice Counsel at the National Partnership for Women & Families, where she worked to advance policies that promoted the economic health of disabled women, particularly disabled women of color. Marissa also served as a litigation fellow at the AARP Foundation, where she assisted with legal research on cases involving age discrimination, reverse mortgages, nursing facilities, elder abuse, and other issues facing Americans ages fifty and older.

Marissa graduated magna cum laude from the American University Washington College of Law in 2019 and magna cum laude from Brandeis University in 2016. 

Paul (he/him) is a lifelong member of the disability community and has spent much of his career writing and teaching about how laws and policies shape the experiences of disabled people, as well as advocating for improvements to those laws and policies. Paul is an unshakable mentor to nontraditional students in higher education. He has won multiple awards, which only begin to scratch the surface of the support he offers students. Paul is also a renowned scholar in the Library and Information Sciences field, bringing Critical Disability Studies and Accessibility to the forefront of conversations around information justice.

Murphy King (they/he) is a trans, Autistic, chronically ill wheelchair user and current student at Linacre College, Oxford, and Northwestern Pritzker School of Law. They hold a B.A. in the History of Science and Women and Gender Studies from Harvard College. Murphy specializes in statutory disability and transnational eugenics history. They sit on the Accessibility Board of TransUpFront and have upcoming publications in Latinx Studies, Disability Studies, and Gender Studies. Murphy has previously worked in public health, the U.S. House of Representatives, and in federal medicaid defense. They live in Chicago with their two cats, Duck and Goose.

AJ Link (he/him) is openly autistic. He earned his JD from The George Washington University Law School and his LL.M in Space Law at the University of Mississippi School of Law. 

He was the inaugural director of The Center for Air and Space Law Task Force on Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity in Aerospace and is an adjunct professor of space law at Howard University School of Law. AJ serves as a research director for the Jus Ad Astra project and the Space Law and Policy Chair for Black in Astro. AJ is the human rights and policy lead for the Palestine Space Institute, which he helped cofound. He is the founding president of the National Disabled Law Students Association and the National Disabled Legal Professionals Association. He currently serves as the president of the board of Crip The Law. AJ was previously a fellow at For All Moonkind’s Ethics Institute, served as the Accessibility Team Lead for AstroAccess, and worked as a policy analyst for the Autistic Self Advocacy Network. 

AJ currently works as the director of policy for New Disabled South and New Disabled South Rising. He sits on the JustSpace Alliance board of directors where he previously served as chairperson and vice chair of the board. AJ previously served as the steward of The Potter’s House DC, a nonprofit bookstore and café, and as a commissioner on the American Bar Association Commission on Disability Rights. He is the 2020 recipient of the Michael Dillon Cooley Memorial Award, a 2020 inductee of the Susan M. Daniels Disability Mentoring Hall of Fame, and the first ever winner of the Above Space Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Award. 

AJ continues to be actively involved in local, national, and international social justice movements and serves on several advisory boards and steering committees that focus on building a better future.

Lisa McCorkell (she/her) is a public policy and patient-led research leader whose work focuses on disability and chronic illness. She currently serves as Senior Director of Public Policy and Government Affairs at the Celiac Disease Foundation. Previously, she co-founded the Patient-Led Research Collaborative, where she helped build one of the first organizations led by people with Long COVID to conduct research and advocate for policy change. Her work has informed federal disability and health policy, and she has published dozens of peer-reviewed articles and served as a guest editor of a Communications Medicine special collection. Lisa holds a Master of Public Policy from the University of California, Berkeley, and was recognized as one of Nature's 10 people who shaped science in 2022.

Madison (she/they) is a chronically ill creator, advocate, and writer. She is currently in college studying public health and disability studies, and has a background in journalism. They have self-published written and video content mainly focused on disability rights issues and policy, interviewing multiple lawmakers, researchers, as well as founders of and professionals from a plethora of disability-focused organizations. In her personal life, Madison has experience working as a caregiver and patient advocate to several family members and friends, which has greatly shaped their passion for disability rights, as have her own experiences as a disabled individual. Experiencing the systemic issues in disabled healthcare herself influenced her passion to work on changing these inequities.

Lilly Grossman (she/her) is the Founder and CEO of Beyond The Box Advocacy, a nonpartisan disability policy organization focused on improving how disability systems function in practice. Her research focuses on disability support service portability, geographic mobility, and the administrative barriers affecting education, employment, independent living, and community participation for people with disabilities. Lilly has developed policy frameworks that advance continuity across the lifespan and works at the intersection of research, systems change, and lived experience. Through her writing and advocacy, she seeks to help build disability support systems that better reflect how people live, work, learn, and move throughout their lives.

Margaret (she/they) is currently a Master's student in Disability Studies at City University of New York, School of Professional Studies, and has plans to pursue a PhD. As a queer and multiracial disabled person with a background in neuroscience research, they are passionate about disability justice and aim to execute research in the disability space that is inclusive of varying identities and experiences. Having worked for the American Association of People with Disabilities, the Autistic Self Advocacy Network, and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Margaret has gained experience in disability advocacy specifically as it relates to creating informational material and fostering community building. They are interested in teaching, and are currently exploring what the process of education may look like outside of a Western and colonial academic setting. Beyond her academic and professional careers, Margaret also enjoys creative activities such as drawing, beading, and writing, and incorporates these practices into her daily life. 

Photo Credit: Jeevan Portraits 

Meena, M.A. (she/they/அவள்), is a Malaysian student affairs practitioner, international educator, anti–sexual violence ally, and DEIJ advocate whose work bridges direct student support with institutional transformation. Drawing from their experiences as an international professional and as someone with non-visible disabilities, their scholarship, practice, and programming center on dismantling structural barriers, challenging inequitable policies and practices, and cultivating equitable, inclusive communities for students and staff historically marginalized in higher education.

Meena’s work explores how institutional policies, supervisory practices, organizational decision-making, and systems of advocacy shape belonging, accessibility, student success, and the labor conditions of higher education professionals. They are particularly interested in equity, accountability, disability justice, organizational culture, and collective care as pathways toward more liberatory systems.

Their approach to advocacy is informed by communities of care, queer theories, and disability justice principles, including the concept of access intimacy articulated by Mia Mingus and expanded through the work of Alice Wong. Viewing disability justice as an ongoing practice rather than a destination, Meena strives to be a thoughtful advocate, ally, and co-conspirator by listening to different communities, reflecting on their positionality, and practicing accountability, access, and interdependence.

Currently, Meena serves as a Resident Director in Residence Life at the University of Nevada, Reno, where they support student development, residential communities, crisis response, and student success. Their practitioner-scholar approach examines how institutional systems and frontline practice intersect to shape campus experiences.

Outside of work, Meena embraces creativity as a form of restoration. Whether designing, painting, writing, or exploring new crafts, they are usually accompanied by their tuxedo cat, Poe, her husband Aryn, and their dog Theo. 

Shirley (he/they) is a critical sociotechnical researcher leading community-engaged participatory research projects based in the Washington D.C.-Maryland-Virginia (DMV) area. Their research investigates relationships of technology and policy with interpersonal, infrastructural, and systemic harm. Grounded in their experience in community organizing, Shirley's current projects entail organizing alongside disabled people of color to engage in informed participation in emerging technologies and employing data refusal and resistance frameworks to center autonomy and safety at the HCI-policy nexus. Currently, they are pursuing a Master's in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) at the University of Maryland while interning at the American Association for People with Disabilities (AAPD) supporting Project LETS with hopes to begin a PhD program in Information Studies starting 2027.

Aryn Taylor (he/him) is a Resident Director for Residential Life, Housing, and Food Services at the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR). Before arriving at UNR in August 2022, Aryn worked as a public high school special education teacher. He received his Master’s degree in English with an emphasis in Gender Studies from Texas Christian University, as well as an additional degree in Special Education from George Mason University.

His academic and professional interests have always centered on accessibility, student development, and community education for historically marginalized groups. In particular, he focuses on language access and education for individuals with reading disabilities who are also learning or speaking English as a second language. He additionally researches and advocates for improved educational, medical, and insurance practices affecting transgender individuals in the United States. Through both his professional work and research, Aryn seeks to reduce barriers and increase access to equitable support systems for diverse populations.

Aryn is currently pursuing a doctoral degree in the Special Education and Disability Studies program at UNR. In his free time, he enjoys reading, writing, playing guitar, participating in Dungeons & Dragons campaigns, painting miniatures, and hiking with his wife, Meena, and dog, Theo.

Angelica Vega (she/her) recently graduated from the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Social Policy & Practice with a Master of Science in Social Policy. She was a Jay Goldman Scholar and is originally from Woodbridge Township, New Jersey. Her academic interests lie at the intersection of disability rights, health equity, and public policy.

Angelica earned her bachelor’s degree in Philosophy, with a minor in Public Health, from American University, graduating with departmental and Latin honors. Prior to graduate school, she worked at JPMorgan Chase & Co. as a Data Management Associate. She is an incoming law student at George Washington University Law School and is a GW Public Interest and Public Service (PIPS) Scholar.

Angelica is a dedicated disability advocate with experience across policy, law, research, and user-centered design. In 2022, she served as a Law Fellow at the Coelho Center for Disability Law, Policy, and Innovation at Loyola Law School. Earlier in her career, she was selected as a Lime Connect Fellow.

Her experience also includes internships with Representative Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06) on Capitol Hill and EMILY’s List, service on the Advisory Council of CommunicationFIRST, and meeting with the White House Gender Policy Council and the White House Office of Public Engagement to discuss reproductive healthcare access within the disability community. She served as a Policy Intern at Penn’s Center for Public Health and as a Research Assistant at SAFELab, where she contributed as a UX tester for JoyNet.

Outside of her academic and professional pursuits, she enjoys playing board games, watching the latest films, and trying new restaurants with friends and family.

Photo Credit: Jeevan Portraits 

Michele is a higher education attorney whose work focuses on education law, labor and employment, and disability rights. She currently advises colleges and universities on legal and regulatory issues and previously served as an attorney in the U.S. Department of Education's Office of the General Counsel. Michele received her J.D. from American University Washington College of Law, where she focused on civil rights law.

Michele lives with multiple sclerosis (MS), an experience that has deepened her commitment to disability rights and informed her perspective on the ways law and policy shape everyday life. She is particularly interested in disability policy, higher education, healthcare access, and ensuring that disabled people have a meaningful voice in policy making. Through her work with Disability Policy Foundry, she hopes to help elevate policy ideas rooted in both legal expertise and lived experience.

Vibhu Sharma is an independent disability inclusion consultant specializing in inclusive education, disability policy, assistive technologies, Gender, Equality, Disability and Social Inclusion (GEDSI). She currently serves as the Disability and Inclusion Advisor at Theirworld, a global children's charity chaired by former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown, where she leads work on disability-inclusive early childhood development and education (ECDE) and designs and delivers capacity-building programmes for staff and young people with and without disabilities.

Vibhu's work spans policy development, research, and capacity strengthening across governments, UN agencies, and civil society organizations. She has supported initiatives with UNICEF Headquarters, the UN Secretariat, UNICEF Sierra Leone, Transparency International, and other international partners, contributing to disability-inclusive education strategies, organizational policies, humanitarian action, and disability-inclusive workforce policies.

She is the author of research on assistive technologies and inclusive education and has published on disability inclusion, digital accessibility, and the intersections of disability rights, the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), and the Sustainable Development Goals. She regularly writes and speaks on disability rights, inclusive education, and the role of lived experience in shaping effective policy.

Vibhu has served on the Global Board of Generation Unlimited, UNICEF's multi-million-dollar global partnership for youth, and as Co-Chair of the Youth Council of the Global Partnership for Children with Disabilities. Her work has been recognized internationally, including the Rising Star Award from Reed Smith and the Legends Honoree Award from Partners for Youth with Disabilities and Mobility International USA. Drawing on both professional expertise and lived experience as a person with a disability, she works to ensure that disability policy is informed by the voices, leadership, and lived experiences of people with disabilities.

Luci Duffy (she/her) is an Education PhD student at Harvard University studying the history of special education in the 20th Century United States. Her interests broadly include disability history in the United States, special education policy and critical disability studies. 

Sydney Badeau (she/they) is a neurodivergent disability rights advocate, plain‑language strategist, and communication specialist whose work centers on making complex systems understandable, navigable, and accountable to the people most impacted by them. As an Advocacy and Outreach Specialist with The Arc Wisconsin and People First Wisconsin, Sydney supports self‑advocates statewide, develops accessible materials, and helps families and communities engage with policy issues across education, healthcare, public benefits, and long‑term supports.

Her work is rooted in the belief—echoed throughout the Foundry’s mission—that disabled people are already analyzing systems every day and deserve infrastructure that makes their expertise visible, supported, and actionable. Sydney brings years of experience translating lived experience into policy insight, serving on the Wisconsin Board for People with Developmental Disabilities and multiple statewide coalitions focused on equity, autonomy, and community inclusion.

Sydney’s approach blends narrative clarity, design accessibility, and systems thinking. She writes Mind in Constant Motion, a Substack publication exploring neurodivergent leadership, disability culture, and the everyday realities that shape how people move through education, employment, and care systems—reflecting the Foundry’s commitment to recognizing policy as something that lives in daily experience, not just academic or professional spaces.

Across her advocacy, writing, and consulting work, Sydney strives to build tools, stories, and policy conversations that expand access, strengthen community power, and honor disabled people as the experts of their own lives.

Rennea Rojo-Martinez Donovan (they/them) is a program manager and educator who focuses on creating accessible events and content. As a multiply disabled and chronically ill person, they are very passionate about representation and public awareness of disability and neurodivergence. They have particular interest in digital accessibility, especially for educational content, and in service dog and handler rights.

Preyasi Singh (they/she) is a mid-level Experience Designer, researcher, and writer based in India, working at the intersection of digital accessibility, system design and social advocacy. Drawing from lived experience as a neurodivergent professional and cross-disciplinary practice across design, healthcare, climate-tech, and EdTech, they focus on building accountable digital experiences that support dignity, autonomy, and participation practices for people who are often overlooked.

Their work examines how social policies, overall well-being, product decisions, and organizational processes shape access, civic engagement, and labor conditions, especially for children, women, disabled and neurodivergent audiences. She combines systems thinking, behavioral insight, and async-first human-centered communication grounded in cerebral equity & care.

Currently, Preyasi manages accessibility audits, research content, and system design projects that simplify digital products into usable tools for cross-functional teams and community partners. Outside of work, they enjoy sculpting, solo dining, free running, and remain committed to advocacy that centers accountability and collective liberation.

Amanda Luevano (she/her) is a Master of Social Work student at Angelo State University, paving a career path dedicated to healthcare policy reform, disability rights, and intersectional advocacy. As a disabled advocate living with several complex chronic illnesses, including ME/CFS and Dysautonomia, she brings a vital personal perspective and deeply grounded lived experience to her macro-level work. Amanda is passionate about building community power, dismantling institutional barriers, and creating truly accessible spaces. In her free time, she is an avid reader, an arts and crafts enthusiast who loves to crochet, and a dedicated gamer. Amanda also enjoys traveling when her body chooses to cooperate. 

Alyssa Meyer (she/her) is a disabled, chronically ill, multilingual policymaker/economist whose career has spanned foreign policy, governance, and energy policy. Her research/education has been supported by more than $150,000 in grants/fellowships. No matter the setting, she's always looking to evaluate the tangible human impact of policy and programs. She's so excited to use her experience to empower others in the disability community. Alyssa is a walker-user residing in the DC area.

Sophyia (she/her) is a Master of Public Policy and Administration Candidate at the University of St. Thomas. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Sociology, along with certificates in Socio-Legal and Disability Studies, from Arizona State University. 

While gaining experience as a policy researcher, she has been very involved within several spaces during her time studying the social sciences, including: accessibility and disability justice, civic engagement and voting rights, health equity, and public service within domestic and international organizations. 

Working and volunteering with many impactful organizations such as the Fair Elections Center, The Uplift, TrialHer, Caribico, and more, instilled her passion for understanding the policies that shape our intersectional lived-experiences and environment. As a result, she has become focused on the in-depth development of solutions to complex social inequities.

Preeti Juturu, M.S. (she/they) is a public health and social policy researcher whose work examines how public policy, social safety net programs, and the social determinants of health shape access to care and long-term health outcomes for disabled, aging, rural, and historically marginalized communities. Driven by their upbringing in California's San Joaquin Valley and lived experience navigating health disparities and public benefit programs, Preeti's research integrates mixed-methods, community-engaged approaches, and health policy analysis to evaluate how health and social policies are designed, implemented, and experienced across the life course. Preeti previously served as a U.S. Presidential Management Fellow at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), where they contributed to Affordable Care Act policy and regulatory analysis. They've authored federal regulations on ACA Marketplace user fee rates, and have published their research in various peer-reviewed journals, including the American Journal of Public Health (AJPH). Preeti holds an M.S. in Public Health (Community Health Sciences) from the University of California, Los Angeles and a dual B.A. in Public Policy and Economics from the University of California.

Sarah Elizabeth Weill-Jones (they/them) is an immigration paralegal, disability rights advocate, and accessibility consultant. Sarah recently graduated from Haverford College, with a Bachelors degree in Classical Studies with a Minor in Health Studies. They serve as Director of Disability Justice and Accessibility at Mentor A Promise, where they lead initiatives to improve accessibility and advance disability justice for unhoused and underserved youth. They are also the International Partnerships & Accessibility Advisor at Refugee Together for Social Transformation, a Uganda-based nonprofit supporting refugees and displaced communities, where they help strengthen accessible programming and inclusive international collaboration. As Accessibility and ADA Compliance Coordinator at Birnbaum Interpreting Services, they conduct accessibility audits and advise organizations on ADA and WCAG compliance. They also serve as an Advocacy Corps Organizer with the Friends Committee on National Legislation, advocating for stronger public programs such as SNAP, Medicaid, SSI, and SSDI, as well as broader policies that promote economic equity and justice. Their work focuses on advancing disability justice through law, accessibility, and public policy. In their spare time, they enjoy playing Dungeons & Dragons and Magic: The Gathering with friends.

Melina List (they/them) is an artist, researcher, and communications specialist from Nipmuc and Massachusett land. They are the founder of the Framingham Disability Cultural Series. 

David Rice (he/him) is the Disability Policy and Employment Manager at the CEO Commission for Disability Employment, where he advances disability employment policy and workforce systems design at a national level. With more than 15 years of experience within the federal government, he has led efforts in policy implementation, reasonable accommodation administration, centralized accommodation funding, and inclusive recruitment strategy across large, complex agencies. As a Deaf professional, David brings both lived and professional experience to his work, bridging the gap between legislative intent and operational practice. His work focuses on strengthening sustainable employer infrastructure to produce measurable employment outcomes for individuals with disabilities.

Pallavi Sanil (she/her) is a doctoral researcher in Sociology from India whose interdisciplinary scholarship examines disability, education, and social inequality through the intersecting lenses of gender, caste, religion, and public policy. Her research critically investigates the structural barriers that shape the lives of persons with disabilities, with particular emphasis on inclusive education, educational policy, and social justice. She has published research articles, book chapters, and reviews in international academic journals and serves as a reviewer for several scholarly journals. Through her research and editorial work, she is committed to advancing rigorous, evidence-informed scholarship that bridges academic research and policy, contributing to more inclusive, equitable, and rights-based approaches to disability policy and practice.

Nicole "Nikki" Fordey, J.D., M.S.W., M.A., (she/they) is a (soon-to-be) lawyer, a licensed clinical social worker, and a public policy advocate committed to building systems that are more equitable, accessible, and responsive to the needs of people with disabilities. Her work has included disability rights advocacy, behavioral health policy, legislative reform, and direct clinical practice. Grounded in both professional and lived experience as a disabled person, they are passionate about translating research into meaningful policy change and amplifying the voices of people most directly affected by public policy. She has authored publications on disability policy, culturally responsive addiction treatment, and drug policy reform, and her work emphasizes evidence-based policymaking informed by interdisciplinary collaboration and lived experience. 

Nikki lives in the Phoenix, Arizona area with her long-term partner and two rescue dogs.

Uzoamaka Stella Ike (she/her) is a Nigerian disability rights advocate, policy researcher, and social entrepreneur. She is the Founder and Chief Executive Director of FalconsCare Initiative for Women with Disabilities Empowerment (FIWDE) and serves as the CEO of the Young Persons with Disabilities Network (YPDN). Her work focuses on advancing disability inclusion, gender equality, sexual and reproductive health and rights, climate justice, digital inclusion, youth leadership, and inclusive public policy. She has contributed to national and international advocacy initiatives and is passionate about amplifying the voices and lived experiences of persons with disabilities through research, policy, and storytelling.

Mo Snyder (she/her) is a disability policy consultant and Work Incentives Practitioner with more than 14 years of experience navigating the intersection of Social Security, Medicaid, Medicare, employment, and disability rights. She is the co-director of Cast Iron Consulting, where she helps organizations build practical, disability-centered policies and systems. Mo also brings lived experience as a disabled person, grounding her work in both professional expertise and real-world experience.

Thessalia Merivaki, PhD (she/her) is the Thomas S. Foley Distinguished Professor of Government and Director of the Thomas S. Foley Institute of Public Service and Public Policy at Washington State University (starting August 2026). She is also a non-resident fellow at the Center for Democracy & Technology and a member of the US Elections team at the Carter Center. Merivaki’s research interests lie at the intersection of institutional communications, digital information, and election science, with particular emphasis on voter behavior, political communication, and trust in election integrity.

Michelle Pinsky (she/they) is a deaf inclusive designer practicing at the intersection of digital accessibility, program management, and public policy for the Commonwealth of Virginia. She holds a Master's of Inclusive Design from Ontario College of Art and Design University (OCADU), with a particular research interest in the emotional and identity dimensions of the cochlear implant experience, transhumanism, and cybersecurity transparency of implantable medical devices.

Ian Moura (he/him) is a Senior Research Associate at the Lurie Institute for Disability Policy and doctoral candidate at Brandeis University, where his work focuses on the intersection of technology and disability policy. His research interests include services and outcomes for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, data and measurement, and algorithmic bias. Ian aims to conduct participatory research that translates to real, meaningful change and authentically reflects disabled people’s needs, preferences, and right to self-determination.

Jessica Lopez (she/her) is a Marketing and Strategy Consultant with experience across B2B tech, EdTech, and the public sector. She has held roles at Amazon, Alation, OpenSesame, and the U.S. Department of Labor, and currently advises law firms and organizations in the nonprofit sector on digital marketing strategy and brand positioning. Born without hands and feet, her lived experience informs her advocacy for accessible education and workplaces.

A published policy author and sought-after speaker, Jessica's policy work has reached over 300 institutions globally and earned speaking invitations from Columbia University and the University of Pennsylvania. Her work in student leadership includes authoring a civil rights resolution adopted statewide, impacting two million students during her term as Student Body President.

An Obama-Chesky Voyager Scholar, Jessica authored a thesis on accessible travel and its business implications. She holds a BA in Business Administration, graduating magna cum laude, and has been featured in Fox and VeryWell.

Alexandria Knipp (she/her) is a disabled community development finance professional whose work focuses on economic justice and financial inclusion. She advises mission-driven lenders on capitalization, impact reporting, and designing programs that respond to community needs. She has conducted research with the Yellowknives Dene and Tłı̨chǫ Dene First Nations on post-extractive economic opportunities and has studied rural and tribal entrepreneurship in the Midwest and in Appalachia. Her research interests include the ways financial systems and public policy shape the economic security of disabled people particularly in rural and Tribal communities. She holds an MA from Queen’s University in Kingston.

Allaina Humphreys (she/her) is a graphic designer, accessibility consultant, and owner of Free Wheelin' Design, where she has spent over twenty-five years building brands and campaigns for mission-driven organizations. A quadriplegic since a spinal cord injury at fifteen, she has worked at the intersection of design and disability advocacy ever since, and currently serves as VP of DEIA for Illinois NOW, Chair of Bolingbrook Pride, and a gubernatorial appointee to the Illinois Housing Task Force Aging Working Group. She created the Five Doors of Access Framework and writes regularly on accessibility, ethics, and civic life.

David "DT" Bruno, LMSW (he/him) is a Deaf professional using ASL whose work spans project management, clinical social work, and community health. His experiences as a Deaf person who grew up with epilepsy shape his interest in how disabled people navigate healthcare, communicate with providers, and access services across fragmented systems. He earned his Bachelor of Social Work from Gallaudet University and his Master of Science in Social Work from Columbia University and is currently pursuing a PhD in Social Work at the Simmons University School of Social Work. His research interests include community mental health systems, integrated behavioral health, health navigation, and the healthcare experiences of disabled people.

Haley Moss (she/her) is a lawyer, neurodiversity expert, and the author of five books that guide neurodivergent individuals through professional and personal challenges. She is a consultant to top corporations and nonprofits seeking guidance on creating diverse workplaces and is a sought-after commentator on disability rights issues. The first openly autistic lawyer in Florida, Haley’s books include “Great Minds Think Differently: Neurodiversity for Lawyers and Other Professionals” (2021), “The Young Autistic Adult’s Independence Handbook” (2021), and “Talking the Talk About Autism: How To Share and Tell Your Story” (2024). Her articles have appeared in outlets including the Washington Post, Teen Vogue, and Fast Company.

Teresa Fang (she/her) is a junior at Georgetown University majoring in Public Policy and minoring in Disability Studies and Law, Justice, and Society. A nationally award-winning speaker and disability justice advocate, she leverages communications and legal advocacy to advance inclusive policy reform. At Georgetown, she competes on the Moot Court Team, ranking 7th nationally for her written constitutional brief while earning a Pre-Nationals qualification in oral advocacy. Teresa serves as Communications Director for the McCourt Disability Policy Initiative board and is the youngest board member for the League of Women Voters of Rockland County. Her professional experience includes political communications and fundraising at New Blue Interactive for over 12 campaigns up and down the ballot, as well as advocating for victims at the Clark County District Attorney’s Office, where she assisted Deputy District Attorneys through all phases of prosecution.

Rebekah Stone (any pronouns are fine) is a chronically ill abolitionist, advocate, and carer located in the Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia (DMV) area. They are a recent graduate of Queen Margaret University’s MSc Mad Studies program. Much of their academic work focused on the intersection of sanism and transphobia in proposed legislation across the United States and broader issues of transinstitutionalization across the United States and the United Kingdom.

Rebekah routinely works with the disAbility Law Center of Virginia to review legislation proposed by the Virginia General Assembly for its impact on disabled constituents and their support systems. They also serve as a Computerized Human Rights Information System (CHRIS) Reviewer, reporting on issues of abuse and neglect in care facilities that have gone underexamined by the state.

Additionally, they have experience in Case Management and Legislative Advocacy with their region’s Center for Independent Living. In the former, they assisted fellow disabled community members in navigating the Virginia Medicaid Home and Community Based Waivers System and ensuring access to community-based healthcare, housing, education, and employment. In the latter, they reviewed legislation proposed at a state and local level and organized participation in Virginia Lobby Day, in which disabled constituents were able to voice their concerns directly to representatives at the state-level.

Tammy Berberi (she/her) holds a PhD from Indiana University and an MPA from the Humphrey School of Public Affairs. Before joining the Association of Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD) in 2024, as director of research, Berberi, PhD, MPA, taught at the University of Minnesota Morris for 22 years and served as director of the Honors Program and later, interim director of its office of Equity, Diversity, and Intercultural Programs. As a member of the University of Minnesota’s systemwide President’s Initiative for Student Mental Health and co-chair of its faculty workgroup, Berberi worked to transform learning environments for all students. Co-editor of Worlds Apart: Disability and World Language Learning (Yale UP, 2008), an early collection about access and inclusion in higher education, Berberi's recent work appears in the Journal of Community-Engaged Scholarship (2025) and the book, Honing Our Craft: World Language Teaching Today (2023). For her work to improve language access in rural areas, Berberi was awarded the University of Minnesota President’s Award for Outstanding Service in 2019.

Nora (she/her) is a community member, artist, and student of disability justice. Nora's creative practice is deeply informed by her experience living with madness, and she grounds both in humility and curiosity. A through-line in Nora's work is her commitment to accessibility, self-determination, and imagination. 

With a background in community health and educational programming, Nora also served as the Co-Editor-in-Chief of Dignity: the University of North Carolina's premier undergraduate human rights journal. She recently earned a Master of Arts in Education & Society, which further strengthened her passion for creating pathways to share and celebrate disenfranchised knowledge.

Negar (she/they) is an Iranian-American disabled researcher, organizer, and writer based in Lenapehoking. She specializes in opposition research against anti-rights movements and navigating generational trauma in immigrant communities. As a person with a personality disorder, they are passionate about raising awareness around and educating about especially stigmatized mental illnesses such as OCPD and BPD. Negar is also an advocate for wearing masks as an act of care and investment in community health. In her spare time, Negar loves to dance, care for local cats in their neighborhood, and collect cute stationery items for journaling.

Adam (he/him) is an advocate, storyteller, and movement catalyst working to advance disability justice. He is currently a Principal Consultant at Constituent Solutions, LLC, a professional advisory firm that helps non-profits, advocacy groups, political candidates, and corporations facilitate the meaningful inclusion of communities in the policymaking process. Adam helps clients of Constituent Solutions analyze public issues, shape government policies, and run strategic campaigns within a broader portfolio of work that advances disability justice, enhances health quality and effectiveness, and promotes the use of data for the public good. 

Adam also is the co-founder of The Interdependent Futures Lab, a community-based and disability-led organization dedicated to creating a more interdependent future by building collective power among disabled communities. Adam attained an M.S. in Data Analytics and Policy from Johns Hopkins University while serving as the Policy and Research Manager for the National Network for Arab American Communities, a coalition of Arab American community-based organizations. While at NNAAC, Adam led led a coalitional effort to revise the federal standards for data on race and ethnicity and advocate for federal, state, and local governments to use enhanced data to design and implement programs that would eliminate disparities related to race or ethnicity, including cultural and linguistic minority status or socioeconomic disadvantage.