Our Members continued to show the impact of disability leadership throughout the during the fall months. From January 1, 2026, through March 31, 2026, Disability Lead facilitated 83 impactful connections. Here are some of the highlights of the connections during the first quarter of the year.
Civic Positions
Barbara Padilla (Member, 2021) was named to the Accessibility Professionals (APAC) Board.
Recognition/Speaking
Amber Smock (Member, Chicago, 2016) and Timotheus “TJ” Gordon Jr. (Fellow, 2022) were interviewed by Chicago Tonight on WTTW.
Ana Monga (Fellow, 2023), Chaz Kellem (Member, SWPA, 2025), Keidra Chaney (Fellow, 2020), and Shannon Parris (Member, SWPA,v2025) spoke at the 2026 Disability Leadership Summit.
“My key takeaway was that disabled leaders need to take up space and make space for each other’s advocacy and leadership” -Shannon Parris
Networking
SWPA Members, Shannon Parris and Amanda Neatrour connected.
SWPA Members, Tim Hindes and Shannon Parris also connected.
Allaina Humphreys (Fellow, 2025) connected with Joyce Ozeh (Fellow, 2025).
“When Allaina Humphreys, a fellow disability justice advocate and friend, emailed to invite me to speak about accessibility as a civil right, my answer was an immediate yes” Joyce Ozeh