The National Center for Disability, Equity, and Intersectionality invites Centers for Independent Living to the webinar: What Should Centers for Independent Living Know About Intersectionality. In this panel discussion, three disabled womxn will lead a discussion about the importance of intersectionality within the independent living movement.
The term ‘Intersectionality’ was coined by Kimberlé Crenshaw to describe how race, class, gender, and other individual characteristics “intersect” with one another. This panel discussion will take a closer look specifically at how disability and other marginalized identities intersect.
If you missed this webinar, you can find the recording and slides for each of the presenters below. Afterwards, we would love to hear your thoughts. Please complete this survey to provide your thoughts on this event.
Health Equity & Racial Justice– Rasheera Dopson
What is Disability Justice?– Tameka Citchen- Spruce
Intersectionality At Access Living– Carol Lipari
Meet our Panelists
Carol Lipari
Carol joined Access Living in November 2023. As the Director of Equity & Strategy, Carol is responsible for ensuring the implementation of Access Living’s disability justice strategy across the organization with an overarching focus on equity. This includes a strong emphasis on Access Living’s anti-racism and equity work. Before joining Access Living, Carol served as the AIDS Foundation of Chicago (AFC)’s first People Culture Equity Manager. Her work was instrumental in accomplishing key strategic goals outlined in AFC’s Race Equity Action Plan, such as the establishment of employee resource groups. Carol also worked at the Office of Minority Student Affairs at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA).
Carol holds a Master’s degree in Diversity and Equity in Education, Policy, Organization & Leadership from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She is currently pursuing a doctorate of education in leadership and learning in organizations at Vanderbilt University. She expects to graduate in 2025.
Additionally, Carol leads all of her work in equity and inclusion with lived experience as a disabled, Asian-American woman. She was born with Infantile Facioscapulohumeral Muscular Dystrophy. As a result, has facial paralysis and uses a power wheelchair full time. When not at work or school, Carol enjoys art, live music, and writing. In 2017, Carol was selected as a semi-finalist for screenwriting as Universal Studios Inc.’s competitive Global Talent, Development, and Inclusion program.
Tameka Citchen-Spruce
On July 2nd, 1985, Tameka Citchen-Spruce was 6 months old, she was involved in a horrific car accident that left her paralyzed from mid-chest down. However, based on her experiences, she has developed a strong passion for disability advocacy and media. It started at 21 years old, as Ms. Wheelchair MI 2006. As Ms. Wheelchair MI, she spoke out about supporting women with disabilities who are being abused. Later she studied Broadcast Television and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Journalism from Oakland University.
Because of the combination of her journalism knowledge, and activism she learned the importance of telling a person’s story. Her short film, Justifiable Homicide, has been nominated and won an award and her documentary, My Girl Story, has been selected for film festivals and now available on Tubi and Amazon Prime.
Besides her film accomplishments, currently, she’s the Director of LEAD-IN, a leadership development program for non-profits who want to focus on more disability inclusion of BIPOC communities with disabilities for the Michigan Disability Rights Coalition. And she volunteers for Warriors on Wheels of Metro Detroit working on criminal justice reform for people with disabilities.
She has been selected for wonderful fellowships such as Americorp, Public Allies of Metro Detroit, and Detroit Equity Action Lab at Judge Damon Keith’s Wayne State University Law Center. She was selected to be Disability Delegate at the Congressional Black Caucus Legislative Conference. And she is a proud member of the National Black Disability Coalition.
Rasheera Dopson
Rasheera Dopson, MPH is a nationally known speaker, author, producer, and host of the Womanhood & Disability Podcast. Currently, she is the Inclusive Excellence and Diversity Fellow at the Institute for Human Development at Northern Arizona University where is also a PhD student in the Interdisciplinary Health program as a qualitative research scientist. Her specialization includes applying an intersectional framework to disability research and best practices for community engagement within BIPOC communities. She has supported organizations and their teams to advance equity and mitigate health disparities in multiply marginalized communities through policy development, education, and advocacy. In 2022 she was a reward recipient of the David Roach Advocacy Award for the Children’s Craniofacial Association, as well as an award Recipient for the Fearless Woman Global Community Impact Award. In 2020 she released her first self-published memoir entitled Beauty with a Twist and founded her namesake organization the Dopson Foundation, which aims to advance professional, health, and social equity for women and girls with disabilities. In 2023 she published her first children’s book Different Like Me.
