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Disability is not often thought of when we think of diversity. But disability needs to be part of diversity and equity initiatives, and disability inclusion benefits everyone. Join speakers Catarina Rivera and Mariella Paulino for a lively discussion on the case for disability inclusion and why it matters in all settings, with special attention placed on higher educational settings. They will also discuss the meaning of intersectionality and what it means for them personally to identify as disabled Latina professionals. ASL interpretation will be available for this event.
Mariella Paulino | @projecthearing
Mariella is a disability advocate who creates systems and tools that help people interact better with the world around them. In 2014 she was pulled over by a police officer but because of her hearing loss, her inability to follow commands was understood as noncompliance and created a situation that could easily have escalated. The experience left her so shaken she went on to do her Master’s degree in communications to explore how people with hearing disabilities receive and share information. From her thesis, she created her own company, Project Hearing, which among many other things, creates bumper stickers that say “Deaf Driver” in an effort to facilitate communication between deaf drivers and police officers. She has worked in tech as a software developer, designer, and project manager working at the intersection of tech and social impact initiatives that create inclusion, accessibility, and equity. She is now devoting herself full-time to her passion project, Project Hearing, and co-founding Chicas Talk Disability to share her message of accessibility and inclusion in tech. Mariella has a BA from New York University and a graduate degree from Georgetown University.
www.projecthearing.com
www.instagram.com/projecthearing
www.linkedin.com/in/mariellapaulino
Catarina Rivera | @blindishLatina
Catarina is the founder of Blindish Latina, a platform smashing disability stigmas through storytelling, advocacy, and education. She is also the co-founder of Chicas Talk Disability. She has worn hearing aids from a young age and was diagnosed with progressive vision loss at 17 years old. Catarina is a public speaker and consultant with 14+ years of experience in the public sector. She has a BA from Duke University, an MSEd from Bank Street College of Education, and an MPH from CUNY School of Public Health-Hunter College. She is bilingual in English and Spanish. Her family is Cuban and Puerto Rican, and she is a first generation American on one side and second generation on the other. With groups and organizations, Catarina shares her academic and career expertise, lived experience with disability, and passion on topics related to disability awareness, inclusion, digital inclusion, accessibility, allyship, and advocacy.
www.instagram.com/blindishlatina
www.linkedin.com/in/catarinarivera
www.catarinarivera.com