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Past Events

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March 25, 2025

Disability Power Series Featuring Vesper Moore

Join us for our first Disability Power Series of 2025 featuring Indigenous and political activist Vesper Moore!

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December 10, 2024

Disability Power Series Featuring Xian Horn

Join us as Xian Horn closes out our last Disability Power Series of 2024! Xian Horn, a beauty and disability advocate with Cerebral Palsy, will share her insights on leadership, power, and beauty while sharing how people can make spaces accessible for all.

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October 30, 2024

October Storytelling With Disability Lead

If society only knows one kind of story about disability, how does that create the misunderstandings, fears, and stereotypes that make our lives as disabled people difficult? How can we disrupt these myths through authentic storytelling and build more inclusive communities rooted in connections? This October, as we celebrate National Disability Employment Awareness Month, we know that sharing stories about our experiences as disabled people is critical to creating workplaces that support us and our growth as professionals. Back by popular demand! Join us for the 2nd Annual October Storytelling with Disability Lead!

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August 8, 2024

Disability Power Series Featuring Dior Vargas

In our first Disability Power Series of 2024, Dior will share her personal history with mental health and how she uses her experiences to help others. She will provide lessons learned, including how to speak to family and loved ones, and share specific steps she took to advocate for her mental health personally and professionally. Participants will learn about support systems they can utilize for themselves and ways they can support others. Dior’s speaking portion will be followed by a fireside chat, where she’ll answer live questions from the audience. Don't miss out on this engaging virtual event!

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July 18, 2023

Storytelling with Disability Lead

If society only knows one kind of story about disability, how does that create the misunderstandings, fears, and stereotypes that make our lives as disabled people difficult? How can we interrupt these myths through authentic storytelling and build more inclusive communities rooted in connections?

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February 22, 2023

You Alright, Fam? A Community Conversation about Black Mental Health

An evening of insightful discussion about mental health in black communities.

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December 15, 2022

An evening with Dr. Sami Schalk, author of Black Disability Politics

We spoke with Dr. Sami Schalk, author of Black Disability Politics, a highly acclaimed book that explores how issues of disability have been and continue to be central to Black activism from the 1970s to the present. Dr. Schalk joined us for a fireside chat, which was followed by a brief networking opportunity.

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November 1, 2022

The Vital Disabled Perspective on Public Boards and Commissions

Disability Lead supports and encourages Member engagement on public boards and commissions at City, County, State, and Federal levels. Our perspective is needed on all boards, as every issue is a disability issue.

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September 21, 2022

Disability & Reproductive Rights: Post Roe Realities

This is a webinar on how the fall of Roe v Wade directly impacts the disability community and what we can do to take action. It was a joint effort between Disability Lead, Planned Parenthood Illinois Action, University of Illinois Chicago (UIC)’s Institute on Disability & Human Development, UIC Disability Cultural Center, UIC Women’s Leadership & Resource Center, National Network of Abortion Funds, and Chicagoland Disabled People of Color Coalition.

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May 23, 2022

Disability Power Series: Demystifying Disability with Kelly Dawson and Emily Ladau

We held an engaging conversation with advocate and media consultant Kelly Dawson and author and activist Emily Ladau. Aside from being real-life friends, Emily and Kelly have challenged the status quo by sharing their stories of being disabled. Kelly's work has been featured in notable publications, including Vox, Dwell, and more. Emily is a disability activist and is well known for her book, "Demystifying Disability."

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March 30, 2022

Join a Nonprofit Board with BoardLead!

More than 1 in 10 Chicagoans have a disability. Yet, people with disabilities are often underrepresented on our nonprofit boards, public commissions, task forces, and corporate management teams. Only 1% of the region’s nonprofit board seats are filled by people with disabilities. This is an information session for BoardLead – a guided process to apply for a nonprofit board seat that’s a great match for you!

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February 10, 2022

Disability Power Series: A Conversation on Art, Disability and the Body

Disability Lead hosted a conversation with Chicago artists Riva Lehrer and Sandie Yi whose visual and multimedia work has explored and celebrated disability culture and the disabled body.

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December 7, 2021

Celebrate Disabled Leadership!

2021 was filled with moments where leaders with disabilities made us move closer to a more equitable and inclusive society. Disability Lead’s Network has positively disrupted systems to build power, influence, and change for people with disabilities. To celebrate these achievements Emily Voorde, Assistant Director in the White House Office of Public Engagement and the Administration’s liaison to Disabled Americans, joined us for a fireside chat followed by a brief networking opportunity.

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December 1, 2021

CESSA—Collaborating for Racial Equity and Disability Justice

Candace Coleman, State Senator Robert Peters, Cheryl Miller, and Renee Watts discussed CESSA, cross social justice partnerships, and where we go from here.

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July 13, 2021

Disability Power Series Featuring Senator Tammy Duckworth

U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth joined Disability Lead for a fireside chat. The first woman with a disability elected to Congress, Senator Duckworth reflected on her journey and how the Americans with Disabilities Act paved the way for her to become the highest-ranking elected official with a visible disability.

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June 3, 2021

We Are Disability Lead

This was our first Disability Power Series event in 2021 to launch our new brand! Featuring leaders with disabilities for virtual conversation and community building around disability leadership, this celebratory event propelled us into our next phase and reintroduced our promise to use our power to create a more inclusive, just, and equitable society.

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July 15, 2020

Disability Power Series: Disability Visibility

A conversation with activist Alice Wong and Sky Cubacub, moderated by Disability LeadFellow, Derrick Dawson. Alice released Disability Visibility just in time for the thirtieth anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The book brings together an urgent, galvanizing collection of personal essays by contemporary disabled writers.

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June 17, 2020

Disability Power Series: Crip Camp

Crip Camp, released on Netflix earlier in 2020, covers the story of a groundbreaking summer camp that galvanizes a group of teens with disabilities to help build a movement, forging a new path toward greater equality. Panelists explored how building power, like was done at the summer camp or through art, propels a movement and individuals to make a culture change to build a more equitable and inclusive society.

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May 19, 2020

Disability Power Series: Judy Heumann

A conversation with human rights activist Judy Heumann. In the spring of 2020, Judy appeared in the documentary Crip Camp and also released her memoir, Being Heumann: An Unrepentant Memoir of a Disability Rights Activist.

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April 9, 2020

Disability Power Series: Keah Brown

The inaugural installment of our Disability Power Series. Journalist and disability rights advocate Keah Brown presented her first book The Pretty One, a thoughtful, inspiring, and charming collection of essays exploring what it means to be black and disabled in a mostly able-bodied white America. Keah's work has appeared in Teen Vogue, ESPNW, Harper's Bazaar, and Marie Claire UK, among other publications, and is the creator of the viral campaign #DisabledAndCute.

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