Join us Wednesday, Jan. 21  to engage with Disability Belongs™ and our Disability Narrative council members for another session in our series. This session will discuss Leveraging Partnerships to Enhance Disability Storytelling, exploring how collaboration with disability-led organizations, advocates, and communities can help journalists produce more accurate, nuanced  and impactful reporting.

This webinar series is offered FREE for MVJ members, journalists and newsroom teams interested in learning how to improve their coverage of disability communities.

RSVP below

Please note: these sessions will be recorded.

About the Speakers

Ariel Simms, President and CEO
Disability Belongs™

Ariel Simms is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Disability Belongs™, a disability-led advocacy organization working to advance equity, inclusion, and authentic representation of disabled people across society.

A queer and multiply disabled leader, educator, and attorney, Ariel brings both lived experience and deep policy expertise to their work. They began their career as a mental health counselor supporting marginalized communities, including people with psychosocial disabilities, people of color, and LGBTQIA+ individuals—an experience that led them to pursue a legal career focused on disability and human rights.

Before joining Disability Belongs™, Ariel served as Director of Access, Equity, & Inclusion at The Arc of the United States, where they led intersectional advocacy and supported a nationwide network of chapters serving people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Ariel has worked on disability rights issues in the U.S. and internationally, spanning health care, education, employment, access to justice, and self-advocacy.

In addition to their role at Disability Belongs™, Ariel is a Scholar in Residence at American University, teaching Human Rights & Disability and Disability Law & Ethics, and serves on the Board of the Disability Rights Bar Association. Ariel holds a Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School.

Ashley N., Senior Director, Marketing and Communications
Disability Belongs™

Ashley N. is a graphic designer and experienced marketer who began her career after graduating from Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University and returning to her hometown of Miami. Noticing a lack of representation for BIPOC individuals in marketing and design, she began volunteering to educate businesses on inclusion and workplace equity.

Prior to joining Disability Belongs™, Ashley served as Marketing Director for The Arc, where she used her user-experience and communications expertise to advance inclusion and accessibility in workplace and media environments. She remains committed to promoting diversity, equity, and accurate representation of intersectional communities in both professional and public spaces.