Disability Advocates to Know

Happy National Disability Pride Month! Observed in July, this designation commemorates the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which highlights disability culture, history, and community pride. This particular message of honoring each person’s uniqueness and seeing it for what it is–a natural and beautiful part of human diversity–is needed now perhaps more than ever. When we talk about celebrating diversity of any kind, we must acknowledge the importance of representation, and so we want to share a few of our favorite disability advocates with you below:  

Haben Girma: The first deafblind graduate of Harvard Law School. You can learn more about this author & advocate here: https://habengirma.com/ 

Ali Stroker: The first wheelchair user to appear on stage on Broadway, also the first wheelchair user to win a Tony Award. You can learn more about Ali here: https://www.alistroker.com/ 

Alice Wong: Founder and Owner of Disability Visibility, Alice Wong is a speaker and storyteller who has written numerous books on her activism in the disability awareness space. You can learn more about her work, the Disability Visibility Project, here:   https://disabilityvisibilityproject.com/ 

Senator Tammy Duckworth: Senator Duckworth is an American hero–she’s an Iraq War Veteran and Purple Heart Recipient who lost her legs and partial use of her right arm when her helicopter was hit by an RPG while deployed to Iraq. She’s advocated tirelessly for human rights of all kind, extending far beyond disability rights. You can learn more about Senator Duckworth here: https://www.duckworth.senate.gov/ 

April Lockhart: April Lockhart became a social media influencer with her undeniable fashion and good taste, as she documents what it’s like to wear clothes on a disabled body. She is also the founder of Disabledand, a community for disabled creatives. You can learn more about her organization, here: https://disabledand.com/ 

Sinéad Burke: Sinéad Burke is the CEO and Founder of Tilting the Lens, an accessibility consultancy that aims to increase accessibility for brands and organizations. She’s worked with Vogue, Gucci, Smirnoff, Soho House, and more. You can learn more about Tilting the Lens, here: https://tiltingthelens.com/ 

Ali Truwit: Ali is a two-time Team USA Paralympic Silver Medalist, who survived a shark attack in 2023. She advocates for prosthetic access and water safety via her organization, Stronger Than You Think. Learn more, here: https://strongerthanyouthink.org/