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| Byline | Expertise | Bio |
|---|---|---|
| Sean A. Maiwald | Law, Politics, Ethics, Disability Culture, Accessibility, Disability Rights, Education, Food, Technology, Travel | Deaf, entrepreneur, policy wonk, urbanist advocate, sign language rights, work as an editor at a federally funded research lab about deaf people |
| KEIDRA CHANEY | Media, Pop Culture, Music, Accessibility, Disability Rights, Criticism, Technology | I am a writer and communicator with a career track record in communications and media for non-profit and advocacy organizations, and a personal interest and passion for issues including feminism, disability rights, mental health, accessibility, and racial justice. I’m a freelance writer that focuses on pop culture, technology, and diversity issues. I’ve been published in Chicago Sun-Times, Time Out Chicago, Paste, and other publications. I’m a former editor of award-winning progressive publication Clamor Magazine, co founder and publisher of pop culture website The Learned Fangirl and have been interviewed by Chicago Public Radio, WGN and at conferences including BlogHer and EMP Pop Conference. I’m a member of the International Association of Accessibility Professionals (IAAP) and a Certified Professional in Accessibility Core Competencies (CPACCP). I am a Fellow for the 2020 ADA 25 Advancing Leadership Institute, the only program in the country for emerging leaders with disabilities. |
| Natalie Abbott | Fiction, Sports, Service Animals, Lifestyle | Librarian, paradressage rider, service dog handler and blogger. I write about horses, rare diseases and disabilities. |
| Alexis Smithers | Pop Culture, Books, Film, Television, Theatre, Poetry, Fiction, Accessibility, LGBQT, Sexuality | Black autistic lesbian writer, editor, and student. An aspiring game writer, I write poetry, fiction, drama, and creative nonfiction. My work can be found in Freezeray Poetry, Autostraddle, Adventure Theatre among others. |
| Jacqueline Raposo | Theatre, Disability Culture, Food, Feminism, Relationships | I’m a writer, podcast producer, and creative project manager. Everything I do comes back to one-on-one conversation. I help people tell their stories as fully and vulnerably as possible so to then connect my readers and listeners with experiences outside of their own. I began my professional career with a BFA in stage acting and playwriting—performing, producing, and teaching in New York and regionally for a decade. But the Lyme disease I first got in childhood recurred again in college, and then in adulthood. And so when increasing disability required a physically-gentler work life, I shifted my focus to freelance food journalism, exploring the people behind the plates with the same curiosity I once hounded characters across a stage. I’ve published hundreds of food stories for clients including Saveur, Food & Wine, Plate, Tasting Table, Shondaland, Bust, Serious Eats, Dr. Oz, Cosmopolitan, and many more. I’ve also worked as a private chef, a food stylist assistant, a food video host, a gluten-free baking blogger, and advised professional chefs on how to gluten-free their recipes. As audio offers another way for minds to absorb stories, my first full podcast - Love Bites Radio - explored why and how we love. I currently produce Service: Stories of Hunger and War, a sound-rich time capsule featuring veterans telling stories about war, food, grit, and grace. Now living with post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome (PTLDS) and Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME/CFS), I publish essays and articles on chronic illness disability, helped co-found the #MarchingWithMe campaign, and collect work and resources at my On Being Ill page. My book — The Me, Without: A Year Exploring Habit, Healing, and Happiness (Ixia Press, 2019) — crosses memoir and case study, with interviews with super-smart professionals explaining why my inner life changed dramatically after a year of shifting habits. It’s a helpful read for when you’re looking to make those big changes to your inner life we always talk about making. Thanks for stopping by. |
| JA Grier | Sciences, Poetry, Fiction, Art, Ethics, Disability Culture, Education, LGBQT | Expertise: Space Science - Astronomy/Planetary/Exploration Scientists/Researcher; Poetry - Craft/Genre/Speculative Writer/Fan; Fiction - Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Horror, Romance, Writer/Fan; Ethics - Diversity/Inclusion/Policy in STEM; Art - Paper Art/Quilling/Crafts; Education - Science Communication/Pedagogy/Workshops/Benchmarks Teacher/Outreach; LGBTQ - Non-Binary/Genderfluid/Queer; Disability - Mental Illness/Mental Disability/Depression/PTSD/ADD/DID/Anxiety/OCD/Asthma |
| Susan Garthwaite | Sciences, Religion | I am a spiritual director, spiritual writer, prayer group leader, and retreat facilitator in the Chicago area. For many years she was a medical physiologist and project team leader working on new medicines for cardiovascular disease. Besides her numerous scientific papers, she has published on spiritual direction in Presence and on spirituality, especially the wisdom of women mystics, in Spiritual Life. |
| Bryony Moss | Media, Film, Television, Theatre, Disability Culture, Accessibility, Disability Rights, Disability, Lifestyle | I am a disability and mental health advocate. I blog about my life living with my conditions. My disability is invisible. I am also an actor, model and para dressage rider. |
| Kristen Parisi | Media, Pop Culture, Film, Television, Politics, Disability Culture, Accessibility, Disability, Sexuality | Kristen is an award-winning writer and expert in disability in pop culture, Hollywood and PR/advertising. She explores how disabled people are represented in news media and how that is changing. She is also a public relations and advertising industry analyst, offering insight on how the industry is changing. Kristen has over eight years of experience and holds a BA in Strategic Communications. |
| Bobby Kent | Media, Pop Culture, Film, Television, Politics, Disability Culture, Accessibility, Disability Rights, Education, Feminism, LGBQT, Disability, Sexuality, Technology | I am an LGBT+ disabled writer, located in Manchester, England. I'm 22, and I love video games, politics and making pixel art. I am passionate about making the world a better place, whether that is through accessibility in video games, speaking out for disabled and LGBTQ+ rights, or just making others laugh. I am very open in my writing, speaking anecdotally frequently about my experiences as a wheelchair user with SMA Type 2, and aim to engage with any reader through those expriences. |