2023 Portrait of Empowerment

“ Being part of a disability community often encourages us to advocate for ourselves and others. It provides a platform to raise awareness about disability-related issues, advocate for our needs, and challenge the societal stigmas and barriers we face.”

Connecting with others who have disabilities has allowed me to share my experiences and challenges. This cohort has allowed me to create a sense of belonging and understanding that can be difficult to find elsewhere. For a long portion of my life self-doubt, fear of judgment and failure have been significant barriers in expressing my thoughts and ideas. Previous negative experiences have had such a lasting impact on my confidence. These experiences created a fear of vulnerability and further reinforced my struggle to find my voice.

Through these shared experiences of the cohort, I have gained valuable insights, advice, and support from peers who can relate even through our different experiences. Being part of a disability community often encourages us to advocate for ourselves and others. It provides a platform to raise awareness about disability-related issues, advocate for our needs, and challenge the societal stigmas and barriers we face. The collective strength of this cohort has amplified our individual voices. The diversity and intersectionality we face within our community proves the strength each person contributes to the greater impact and positive change.

I’ve been offered a chance to discuss concerns, seek advice, and share coping strategies with a community of people that don’t need an educational lesson on what it means to be disabled, but rather a affirmative nod, or a gentle reminder to not apologizing for simply being ourselves. Building connections with like-minded individuals who understand the lived experiences with a disability has helped me find a safety net of people who can truly relate. These past few weeks have helped me combat some of my own negative stereotypes within myself and promote a more authentic version of myself. I want to continue to find my voice, I’m not claiming to have suddenly found all my answers that I’m looking for, but so far I can say I’m getting closer.

“Getting to share my experience as a disabled person and hearing others’, how they compared and contrasted, was something I never experienced…For the first time, I actually felt confident in my identity as a disabled person, and I felt welcomed into the community.”

Going through most of my life with an undiagnosed developmental disability, I struggled and barely got through high school and college. In fact, it wasn’t until about halfway through university that one of my closest friends told me she had ADHD, and she helped me begin my journey into figuring out why I was struggling so much with school. This was my first introduction into a disability community, but there was still a long way to go. My college did not have any disability organizations, at least not any that I was aware of, so I struggled alone with my symptoms mostly, with the exception of a few friends that helped me make it to the end.

The AAPD Summer Internship cohort was my first experience with a larger disability community, and it felt more validating than almost anything. Getting to share my experience as a disabled person and hearing others’, how they compared and contrasted, was something I never experienced, and I had the privilege of being vulnerable with my cohort without any fear of judgment. For the first time, I actually felt confident in my identity as a disabled person, and I felt welcomed into the community. This internship was my lightbulb moment in realizing why it’s so important to find a disability community.

Although not everyone can relate perfectly to everyone’s experiences, and inter-ableism certainly exists, the support I received from the cohort was the desire for each other to succeed, and teaching each other how to navigate our lives, advocate for ourselves, and keep each other safe as disabled people.

“Now, I feel like I belong in a community that empathizes, not sympathizes, with my experiences as a disabled, neurodivergent, and autistic person.”

Before AAPD, I barely knew any disabled people in my age group. Being a neurodivergent and disabled person can be very isolating in the world that is suited for the neurotypical able bodied.

Also, in my school, I was only able to interact with people from New York State. At AAPD I met advocates like me who share similar experiences from all over America. It is very liberating to be part of the disabled community as you are free to express yourself and find peers who are willing to be your friends not just acquaintance. Now, I feel like I belong in a community that empathizes, not sympathizes, with my experiences as a disabled, neurodivergent, and autistic person.

This internship cohort has broadened my perspective on the importance of finding a disability community, as it provides a platform for us to discuss the challenges we face and collaborate on driving positive change.

“As a leader, maintaining an open mind and working with others that could bring more to the table than me would be vital to sustaining transformational change.”

Leadership can come in life at any time. First, I would recognize all my strengths to help identify and lift up each other in my community. I would want to be a transformative grassroots leader standing on the front lines and fighting for freedom, equality, and disability social justice, even if my name goes on the first line. I would listen to every person’s concerns because every voice matter, whether they are abled-bodied or dis/Abled.

I would challenge the systematic structure that was not made for marginalized intersectional disabled groups that are judged based on their political identities. I would become the motivational speaker for the next generation of dis/Ability young people and adults and help them understand that they are more than their disability. As a leader, maintaining an open mind and working with others that could bring more to the table than me would be vital to sustaining transformational change. I would one day run for Congress or Senate to represent Black and Brown LGBTQ-educated underrepresented women and fight for healthcare, voting rights, social security reform, housing and transportation, education equality, and our legal system to change peacefully. I would work with all races, sexualities, genders, socioeconomic statuses, abilities, and ages to improve the lives of children and adults with all types of dis/Abilities.

As a leader, I would continue to learn from individuals and the world around me as it grows. I would use my emotional intelligence, education, and personal story to make new and amended disability rights and civil rights laws.

“I feel fortunate that I am applying my lens as a computer scientist rather than an impacted plaintiff to ensure that AI policy protects against discriminatory practices for all marginalized communities.”

Having the opportunity to work in the Office of the Chair at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission this summer has been incredibly empowering for my future career. I am supporting policies and practices that stretch across the nation and a diverse set of backgrounds.

I feel fortunate that I am applying my lens as a computer scientist rather than an impacted plaintiff to ensure that AI policy protects against discriminatory practices for all marginalized communities. Because of AAPD and Chair Burrow’s team, I am returning to graduate studies with the conviction that I can be more than a beneficiary of the great innovations of our time. I can play an active role in its development and ethical deployment for all people, including but not limited to people with disabilities.

“Being part of the 2023 AAPD summer internship cohort has reaffirmed my understanding that finding a disability community is critical to survival, organizing for political and social change, and feeling generally seen and understood.”

Being part of the 2023 AAPD summer internship cohort has reaffirmed my understanding that finding a disability community is critical to survival, organizing for political and social change, and feeling generally seen and understood. I spent most of my childhood denied the right to meaningfully engage with disabled community, even as I was institutionalized repeatedly because I was seen as mentally disabled.

Surprisingly, I never learned the word “ableism” until I reached college and was diagnosed with several chronic physical illnesses. Because my only exposure to disability community growing up was within institutions where disability was an aspect of identity that was supposed to be “treated” and erased, I never had the language to identify the harm and violence I faced as part of historic patterns of ableist discrimination. Connecting with disability community through AAPD has helped me grow in my understanding that I am not alone.

Disability community is beautiful, loving, giving, powerful, and patient, and expanding my disability community has reaffirmed my conviction that I need to fight ableist systems, institutions, and beliefs that deny disabled people the right to form community by locking us away.

“I hope to be a leader who knows how to do, rather than fill the world with empty words. The AAPD internship is not only giving me the tools to become this leader, it’s connecting me with leaders who are already leading this way.”

I think a leader is someone who leads by listening. The disability community is as wide as it is diverse. The world wasn’t built for someone like me – someone who was born without hands and feet and lives with chronic illness. I grew up being the only disabled person I knew, and the heritage that comes with the disability community was lost to me.

As I grew older, I learned the power of the disability community. It marches, it protests, it creates art and movement and strength. Having the honor of being an AAPD intern puts me right in the center of it. Getting here was tough. I was denied my right to accessible education, and I feared I’d never graduate high school. The world moved and I stayed still until I was empowered by accessibility. I graduated from high school four years later than I was supposed to, but when I was given the accessibility I needed, I soared. I’ve found that’s the same philosophy the AAPD has. 

The leader I hope to become in the disability community is one who will be known for my positive impact before my inspiring existence. I hope to be a leader who knows how to do, rather than fill the world with empty words. The AAPD internship is not only giving me the tools to become this leader, it’s connecting me with leaders who are already leading this way. From my internship placement at the Department of Labor, Office of Disability Employment Policy, to my amazing internship cohort, to the mentors we’ve had the opportunity to learn from, I’m meeting role models every day who are leading by example. With this program, my world has expanded. There’s power in numbers, but even one person can change the world.

“The disability community is there to welcome everyone and help disabled people find their bearings in the world that was not designed for them, whether that is people becoming newly disabled or being comfortable with different mobility.

My internship showed me the impact of the disabled voice on our community. Public Health, or even healthcare in general, has a medical model perspective of people with disabilities. With that mindset, there is no place for people to understand different models’ impacts on the disability community. Having a community allowed me many opportunities to have impactful conversations about issues in our community.

One common issue that crosses into the community and is seen in public health is the use of language around people with disabilities. Healthcare uses terms like “special needs” to cater to parents, which doesn’t let individuals with disabilities lead. Kids grow up, and once they get out of school, their needs are not considered “special” anymore. The terms used in the children’s younger years profoundly impact their views as teens and adults. 

In the disabled community, we can have those conversations about the power of language around our disabilities. We look at ourselves and our journey, identify where we found our voice, and own our experiences. As a community, we can see where we need to help the next generation come into their own as we have experienced coming from being seen as “special needs” to being seen as just disabled adults. The disability community is there to welcome everyone and help disabled people find their bearings in the world that was not designed for them, whether that is people becoming newly disabled or being comfortable with different mobility. The beauty of disability communities is that we are there for every moment- the beautiful and the ugly that comes with being a DISABLED PERSON!

“I want to be a leader who supports, empowers, and tells you anything is possible. That tells you your disability community has your back, and we got you.”

I imagine being the leader I always envisioned growing up. I thought that because of my intersectionality of being a Hispanic woman with a disability and a First Gen, I saw leadership as unobtainable, unreachable, and something I didn’t deserve to dream of. The lack of representation growing up became a barrier and obstacle, leading me not to reach my full potential. I felt limited, and I promised myself as a young girl that I didn’t want any more girls to feel the way I felt growing up. I have big dreams and desires to see my community and my disabled community in South Texas be recognized for its outstanding people who have sacrificed their big American dreams because of lack of access. I want to stop feeling like I cannot be intellectual or have intellectual conversations. I want to be unapologetic; I want to be set “free.” It is hard to be a leader when condemned to fit into a box too small.

I found my disability community when I graduated with my undergrad degree, and at the same time, my career was starting. I worked as the Program Coordinator for Advocates Searching for Independence LLC, a company that provides equal employment opportunities to disabled individuals who, unfortunately, were denied a chance. I met other disabled young adults with different stories and experiences; we encouraged and uplifted each other, which led me to become the founding president of the first Community-Caused Based Rotaract Club, which advocates for community inclusion. I have also served at the local, state, and national level. My disability story started here, and I can finally say that I truly feel accepted. I can’t say my journey has been easy. It has had many ups and downs. But I felt like I had found my home.

I want to be a leader who supports, empowers, and tells you anything is possible. That tells you your disability community has your back, and we got you. I want our voices to echo and represent our unrepresented community; I want to be a trailblazer and model the advocacy work my fellow disabled ancestors sacrificed. “Your work is not vain.” I want to be a leader in the disability community that uplifts marginalized minorities and advocates for equity. I want the future generation to have a paved road with access to real change and acceptance. I aspire to push for disabled people to be recognized in all spaces. I want us to bring our whole selves to the table. I genuinely believe we are more powerful together. I don’t want to be a leader that puts limits on the disability community because I genuinely believe that we can make impactful improvements at a national level by creating spaces for disabled people.

“The disability community allows disabled people the space to dream, to lean on one another, and to be proud of who we are— but it also allows us to rest, to be unsure, and to struggle.”

A beautiful reality about the disability community is that it recognizes and uplifts the importance of intergenerational, intersectional, and cross-disability identities. The disability community allows disabled people the space to dream, to lean on one another, and to be proud of who we are – but it also allows us to rest, to be unsure, and to struggle. As a Black woman with disabilities, I had become accustomed to being met with exclusion from communities rather than collaborative support when I experienced challenges related to my identities. The American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) does an excellent job of selecting young people who reflect the true diversity and future of the disability community, and my cohort has taught me so much about the importance of this space. This year’s internship cohort has taught me what it means to be a part of a community that sees every facet of your identity as a strength rather than a liability, an error, or a weakness.

This year’s AAPD internship cohort has inspired me with their selflessness, kindness, and camaraderie. As a student attending Spelman College, an all-women’s Historically Black College in the South, I am energized to foster a disability-inclusive space on my campus that embodies the rich spirit of this cohort.

Before joining the AAPD community, I did not understand the power of disability community and how invigorating this space can be when fostered genuinely. Every person with a disability/disabilities deserves spaces where we care for one another, where thoughtful accommodations and supports are the default, and where we can bring our true selves to every space. I have found a disability community within AAPD, and this cohort taught me the importance and urgency of cultivating a similar disability community for others to experience.

“This summer has shown me firsthand the progress that is possible when access is prioritized, and the importance of utilizing the disability justice lens across disciplines.”

My summer internship has greatly broadened my perspective on what advocacy work can look like, and it has left me with a newfound confidence in my ability to bring people together to advocate for systemic change. While my field of work, Social Work, is deeply concerned with diversity, equity, and inclusion, disability issues are not discussed nearly often enough in the broader professional community, and as a result access barriers persist. My work with The Century Foundation’s Disability Economic Justice Collaborative this summer has shown me firsthand the progress that is possible when access is prioritized, and the importance of utilizing the disability justice lens across disciplines.

“As someone who has either experienced these issues firsthand or witnessed my disabled loved ones experience them, I am passionate about reforming the mental health system to become more inclusive of people who have both psychiatric and non-psychiatric disabilities.”

Despite 1 in 4 adults in the United States having some type of disability, according to the CDC, the mental health treatment field is frequently inaccessible or unaccommodating towards people who have both psychiatric and non-psychiatric disabilities. Mental health providers who are neither disabled nor disability-educated and don’t take public health insurance, which is the primary insurance for many people with disabilities, are common. Additionally, many therapy offices and psychiatric hospitals are physically inaccessible, and psychiatric hospital staff are usually not trained in how to assist people with non-psychiatric disabilities in activities of daily living. All of these issues can make it difficult, if not impossible, for people who have both psychiatric and non-psychiatric disabilities to receive the help they need. 

As someone who has either experienced these issues firsthand or witnessed my disabled loved ones experience them, I am passionate about reforming the mental health system to become more inclusive of people who have both psychiatric and non-psychiatric disabilities. I wish to pursue a PhD in Clinical Psychology so that I can help bridge the gap in mental health providers who understand disability, conduct research about people who have both psychiatric and non-psychiatric disabilities’ experiences in the mental health system (which is an extremely under-researched subject), and raise awareness of the struggles that people who have both both psychiatric and non-psychiatric disabilities face in receiving care.

Given that disability is an oppressed identity, which means that people with disabilities are more likely to experience mental health issues, they deserve to receive the treatment they need.

“Participating in the cohort affirmed how crucial it is that any efforts to improve the lives of disabled people bloom out of collectivity, wholeness, and interdependence, or in other words: community.”

Disability and sociality go hand in hand, whether through care work, communication access, public programs, or asking a passerby on the street to hold a door open; it is a network of mutuality. Although our backgrounds and experiences varied, participating in the summer cohort offered insight and understanding of our shared common ground, passions, and anxieties concerning access– to clean water and air, housing, healthcare, employment, and education. Leaders in leadership roles shared the day-to-day undermining of the ADA and disability-related legislature. Many more voices were not in the room but were amongst us. Participating in the cohort affirmed how crucial it is that any efforts to improve the lives of disabled people bloom out of collectivity, wholeness, and interdependence, or in other words: community.

A note from JS about not using a photo: As part of my artistic practice, I do not circulate images of myself online. This is precisely connected to a larger project on disability, ocularcentrism, and access. Please use this image for any outward-facing presentation.

“By advocating for systemic improvements, we can drive positive change in policies, attitudes, and societal perceptions surrounding disability.”

Belonging is a primary benefit of being in a disability community. It provides an opportunity to connect with individuals who have encountered similar challenges, fostering a supportive environment where one feels accepted. Exchanging experiences, advice, and emotional support becomes accessible within this community.

A disability community serves as a platform for empowerment and advocacy. Together, we amplify our voices, address shared concerns, and strive for societal change. Witnessing the transformative power of collective action, I have seen individuals with disabilities unite to promote equal rights, access, and opportunities for all. By advocating for systemic improvements, we can drive positive change in policies, attitudes, and societal perceptions surrounding disability.

Additionally, a disability community offers invaluable opportunities for personal growth and learning. Interacting with people who have diverse disabilities exposes us to a broad range of perspectives, experiences, and talents. This exposure nurtures empathy, expands our understanding of disability as a spectrum, and challenges preconceived notions or biases. Through dialogue and collaboration, we can learn from one another, celebrate differences, and work collectively towards a more inclusive society.

My internship cohort has profoundly influenced my perspective on the importance of finding a disability community. Connecting with fellow individuals with disabilities allows us to support one another, effect positive change, and create a more inclusive world. This experience has also highlighted the significance of intersectionality and the need to be seen as a person beyond one’s disability, especially in ableist spaces.

“After having spent so much of my life feeling like I needed to justify every need or experience, it was extraordinary to be able to show up and simply be.”

Before this internship, I never had access to an in-person disability community. Within the first week, such a community radically changed my perception of self and of community. The program became a space where you could talk about your life of your experiences and people would just get it. After having spent so much of my life feeling like I needed to justify every need or experience, it was extraordinary to be able to show up and simply be. It became a space where you could experience joy at our triumphs, frustration at injustice, Curiosity about advancement, and every other complex emotion in between.

“I am driven to learn what it takes to not only become an environmental professional, but also a diverse, disabled leader in this space.”

Nature has always fascinated me. It began with catching insects in my backyard and constructing miniature ecosystems in glass terrariums as a child, but has now led me to obtaining two bachelor degrees and candidacy for a masters, all within the natural sciences. Growing up, I learned about the modern environmental issues we face today; deforestation leading to the extinction of species, melting of glaciers leading to the decimation of our freshwater supplies, just to name a few. I am driven to learn what it takes to not only become an environmental professional, but also a diverse, disabled leader in this space. I plan to develop and implement science-based policy solutions, all while advocating with and for underserved communities. 

​​​​​​​But I didn’t always have the confidence to pursue these dreams. Growing up in an average suburban town in southwest Ohio, I lacked the positive disabled role models that I didn’t know I needed. Being raised in a traditional south asian household, my blindness was seen as a shameful disease to be cured. I internalized this mindset of shame, sitting in the back of the classroom to look like I was sighted, handwriting notes I could never actually read. This only changed when I started living in positive, disabled spaces such as the American Association of People with Disabilities. 

​​​​​​​The 2023 AAPD cohort has offered strong affinity, acceptance, and community. A community which not only promotes confidence, but challenges me to holistically think about and approach all types of issues. Communities like this are those that allow one to scope out of their own lived experiences, and live with others through shared ones. It is now in my adulthood that I evidently realize that it is community like this that have and will allow me to pursue my dreams.

“ I want to bring the skills and expertise I learned to other youth and young adults who may not have access to the tools.”

Working under the Office of Senator Tammy Duckworth has given me clarity on the work that I want to do and how to make those connections to implement change in my community and society. Even though I am taking constituent’s calls, I also get to attend Brown Bag lunches with different elected officials and attend training run by other representatives and senators under Capitol Hill. While my work outside AAPD is entirely different, I am under other organizations’ boards and co-founded a self-advocacy group for youth and young adults.

I want to bring the skills and expertise I learned to other youth and young adults who may not have access to the tools. Majority of my life, my mother has always advocated for me in various situations because I didn’t have the strength to ask for myself. Asking for accommodations and advocating for reasonable accommodations were things I couldn’t do at first without a lot of support, and because of this newfound community, I found, I don’t have to feel bad for asking for help.

Activism and advocacy gave me a purpose to bring real change into the world, even though it may take months or years. This internship also taught me patience. It introduced me not to hold myself back from seeking community and genuine connections that some may consider “unrealistic.” Even with the weight of the world, fighting for equality and liberation for all as an autistic person shouldn’t be discouraged and that’s what gave me confidence.

“Motivated by my passion, I am determined to create an inclusive and supportive environment that empowers individuals with disabilities and provides them with the opportunities they rightfully deserve.”

My internship cohort has significantly influenced my perspective on the importance of finding a disability community. The AAPD provided me with the opportunity to meet exceptional individuals from diverse backgrounds, allowing me to gain invaluable insights and reshape my understanding of people with disabilities different from my own. Witnessing our collective dedication to advocating for diversity, equity, and inclusion has reinforced my belief in the transformative power of community. As a result, my commitment to launching a nonprofit organization aimed to create a disability community in my local area has grown stronger. Motivated by my passion, I am determined to create an inclusive and supportive environment that empowers individuals with disabilities and provides them with the opportunities they rightfully deserve.