Consulting, Speaking,
& Presenting Services
At Ramp Your Voice!, I am committed to providing services and tools to those within the disability community, and to key stakeholders who have a vested interest in establishing an equal, just, and inclusive world for the largest minority group in the nation, and worldwide.The services offered are an exceptional combination of my educational backgrounds in social work and psychology; my skills set as a researcher and presenter; and life experiences as a woman of color with a physical disability.
This amazing mixture of professional and personal knowledge affords me to possess a unique outlook of how systems work for and against marginalized individuals and communities. Calling for agencies, organizations, professionals, educators/professors, and advocates/activists to be conscious of their biases and prejudices, and the requirement of becoming culturally competent when engaging with multi-marginalized individuals and communities are priorities within my advocacy work.
Leading full-day, half-day, and multi-day customizable workshops and group discussions, and consultations, to a variety of settings for an array of audiences is a significant part of my work. My consulting, public speaking, and presentation abilities are designed for advocates/activists; medical, helping, and academic professionals; and agencies/organizations that provide supports and services to meet the needs of disabled people, particularly disabled girls and women of color.
My diverse expertise has been demanded at professional association conferences, disability-focused summits, and civil/social justice entities. I have been featured and interviewed to discuss disability from an intersectional lens for: Huffington Post, NY Times, Buzzfeed, Bitch Media,Upworthy, No Totally!, Just Add Color, Accessible Media Inc., Daily Dot, Daily Beast, and The Atlantic.
Advocacy Niches
Intersectionality
History of why intersectionality is important to social justice movements and the need to include disability and center voices, etc.
Disabled Black Women/WoC
Triple-minority status membership; history of the treatment of Black disabled bodies; invisibility and lack of representation within society; effects of combined medicalized racism, sexism, and ableism; etc.
Racism & White Supremacy In the Disabled Community
Creation of the #DisabilityTooWhite hashtag; erasure of Black disability advocates and leaders in disability history; etc.
Sexuality & Disability
Gender-specific challenges disabled women endure when it comes to expressing sexuality; high incidences of experiencing sexual and domestic violence; ways medical and helping professionals can establish sex-positive and inclusive environments for disabled women; BDSM, kink, & being disabled; etc.
Education
History of the re-segregation of disabled students of color after Brown vs. Board of Education; the effects of the school-to-prison pipeline on disabled Black students; etc.
Social Work Profession & Disability
Addressing the dated understanding and view of disability in order to become better allies to the disabled community
Book Vilissa For Your Next Event