A Conversation with Emily Ladau

Speakers

Emily Ladau
Emily Ladau
disability rights activist and author of Demystifying Disability: What to Know, What to Say, and How to be an Ally
Jonathan Martinis
Jonathan Martinis
Senior Director for Law and Policy

Description:

Author and activist Emily Ladau and Jonathan Martinis discuss her journey from being a college student uninterested in disability advocacy to a leading disability rights activist and writer focused on inclusive media representation and making disability a comfortable topic for conversation. She describes how her life focuses on disability issues, whether by writing her book “Demystifying Disability: What to Know, What to Say, and How to be an Ally,” appearing on “Sesame Street,” hosting the Accessible Stall podcast, or working with the Rooted in Rights blog. Ms. Ladau talks about her role in the broader disability rights movement — “I’m not the start or the end; I’m one point on a broader journey of learning,” — and the importance of continuing to push for change, changing minds by meeting people where they are and fostering conversations to make talking about disability more accepted in society.

Summary

  • She describes how her life focuses on disability issues, whether by writing her book “Demystifying Disability: What to Know, What to Say, and How to be an Ally,” appearing on “Sesame Street,” hosting the Accessible Stall podcast, or working with the Rooted in Rights blog.
  • Ladau talks about her role in the broader disability rights movement — “I’m not the start or the end; I’m one point on a broader journey of learning,” — and the importance of continuing to push for change, changing minds by meeting people where they are and fostering conversations to make talking about disability more accepted in society.