At the Disability Inclusion Fund (DIF), we believe that all programs, policies, and progress must be informed and led by those affected by injustice. Since the Fund’s inception in 2019, we have used a participatory grantmaking approach to ensure that BIPOC disabled folks are at the center of our own decision-making processes, and guide our funding priorities and strategies. We’re excited to introduce you to the extraordinary leaders serving on this year’s grantmaking committee for the DIF:
Gizelle Clemons (she/her) is a beacon of empathetic leadership and strategic philanthropy, masterfully uniting disruptive innovation with an unwavering dedication to equity and inclusivity. Gizelle’s leadership of She Sparks Genius signals a significant move towards integrating and activating inclusivity across industries As the Senior Director of Alumni Engagement and Impact at National Medical Fellowships, she leverages her unique journey of experiencing medical racism and misdiagnosis that led to an injury and professional expertise to cultivate a health care workforce reflective of the diversity and cultural competence crucial for comprehensive health equity. Her involvement with various philanthropic organizations worldwide for more than 15 years, including founding the community Pretty Ugly Grief, highlights her commitment to shifting deliberately marginalized voices from the margins to the center and bridging gaps in support with empathy and precise actions. This work further embodies her belief in the power of inclusive dialogue and support.
Candace Coleman (she/her) is a Black disabled woman from Chicago’s South Side who advocates for racial justice and disability rights, focusing on those impacted by the justice system. As the Racial Justice Organizer at Access Living, she leads the Advance Youth Leadership Power (AYLP) group, addressing issues like anti-bullying, the school-to-prison pipeline, restorative justice, police brutality, deinstitutionalization, and disability justice. Candace believes young people will drive a more inclusive future. Her work has been featured nationally by the BBC, WBEZ, Newsy, and The Chicago Defender. She was honored as ADAPT Woman of the Year in 2018, recognized among Chicago Scholars’ 35 Under 35 in 2017, and awarded the Van Heck Award for leadership in the disability community. In 2019, she was appointed to the Illinois Council on Women and Girls.
Brittanie Hernandez–Wilson (she/her) is the California Lead Homecare Organizer for Hand in Hand, an organization dedicated to creating a just and caring economy within our homes and communities. Born in Seattle and raised in Minnesota, Brittanie now calls Oakland, California, home. She identifies as a Black and Mexican Disabled person with a strong commitment to disability justice and challenging ableism. Some of the advocacy work she is particularly proud of includes serving on the Minnesota Task Force on Eliminating Subminimum Wage, the Minnesota Governor’s Council on Developmental Disabilities, and working on policy at the legislature. In her free time, Brittanie enjoys reading, exploring nature, and discovering new foods.
Lakey Love (they/them) is a queer, disabled, trans, white Southern community organizer, grant writer and project manager with a passion for creating systemic change to bring about liberation and equity for transgender, disabled, and BIPOC people and the land they live on and within. They are the co-founder of Florida Coalition for Transgender Liberation, a community led organization run by trans+ folx and focused on advocacy for and by trans+ people in Florida and Southern communities. They are also the owner of Love Just Works, LLC a private for-profit grant writing and project management company that focuses on aiding income restricted and marginalized groups access funding and meet compliance requirements. Their organizing work includes policy advocacy, citizen lobbying, volunteer training, media relations, social media creation, and project management. Lakey lives as an out queer and trans person in rural Western North Carolina with their non-binary disabled human spouse, one amazing horse living with disabilities, two dogs, 6 cats, 2 birds with living with disabilities, and lots and lots of flowers and gourds.
Lilac Vylette Maldonado (she/her) is a community organizer and culture worker who identifies as a sick and disabled, neurodivergent, Two-Spirit, and Chicanx femme. She has been actively organizing since 2009 around many intersectional social justice issues such as racial justice, gender justice, disability justice, LGBTQIA+ issues, and body autonomy and acceptance. She is an avid zinester who has written and created artwork for various academic and social justice-themed DIY booklets. She is a co-founding member of the Los Angeles Spoonie Collective, a grassroots disability justice group connecting disabled activists and artists to community organizing and education opportunities. She is also a member of Fireweed Collective, where she works as a part of the mental health education team.
Sarah Napoli (she/her) is the learning services director at the Disability & Philanthropy Forum. From 2019-2023, she acted as the lead disability inclusion project officer within the people and culture Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity team at Open Society Foundations (OSF), where she developed and facilitated disability inclusion learning and embedded proactive disability inclusive practices throughout the global network. In addition to OSF, she has over 20 years of experience teaching and conducting training on social justice and advocacy in higher education and nonprofits, most recently as the director for the inaugural Center for Inclusion at Manhattanville College and as the assistant head of Goodricke College at the University of York, England. She specializes in facilitating engaging workshops and designing curriculum that challenge and encourage participants to foster a culture of inclusion. She holds two MA degrees, one in social justice in intercultural relations from the SIT graduate institute and one in applied human rights from the University of York. She identifies as a proud disabled person and enjoys chatting about Geek culture—all things fantasy and sci/fi and her former life as a hip hop researcher and dancer. Her research on how hip hop creates human rights identities was recently published in the University of Michigan press text, For the Culture: Hip Hop and the Fight for Social Justice. She has conducted workshops and training all over the USA and in the world, including Japan, Guatemala, throughout Europe, South Africa, and Canada.
Mondo Vaden (he/they) is a DeafBlackTrans Intersectional Librarian, artist, and activist. He is the founding Librarian of the Library of Intersectionality and runs a Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility consultancy and independent research and information business as Mondo Connections. He is blessed to have his Master’s in Library and Information Science, an Advanced Certificate in Strategic Management of Digital Assets, and his BS in Biology. He performs as drag king Mondo Millions, working to bring Deaf/DisabledQueer Visibility to all via The Black Violet Revue, a BlackQueerDisabled virtual variety show. He has 10+ years of experience with tech, data, libraries, and connecting people with information and resources! His academic work with intersectionality has been published! He spends his free time gardening, reading, and dancing. Making complex subjects accessible via creative means is a passion of his, and he is excited to contribute to the necessary and empowering work to address intersectional disparities with the Disability Inclusion Fund.
Yolanda Vargas(she/her) is a proud fat multiply-Disabled Latina. Her adult life has been spent focusing on uplifting marginalized people and protecting underserved communities from the fallout of capitalism. When she’s not volunteering her time as the chair of the Self Advocate advisory committee for the WITH foundation or co-leading the Institute for Exceptional Care’s communications and programming work group; which is fitting as she recently graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in communications from Sacramento State University. In her free time she is probably hanging out with one of her eight siblings or her adorable toothless cat named gummy bear.