Calling up Justice member Jesenia (@NeuroSpicyNetworking) was brought on as an Access Doula for the Disability Culture Lab Disabled Futures Rising 2025 Cohort. This Groundbreaking new fellowship was designed to elevate the media profiles of disabled leaders nationwide. The Disability Rising Fellowship program will build the public profiles of a new generation of brilliant multi-marginalized disabled leaders to shift narratives and activate big audiences for transformative change on disability and ableism.

The Disability Rising Fellowship, supporting 10 disabled leaders across labor, climate justice, racial justice, immigration, the arts, gender justice, reproductive justice, and more, giving them the media and leadership tools to shape the stories our movements need.

About the program

The 6 week curriculum included topics such as Body Language, Vocal Varity, Storytelling, Messaging Frameworks, Speech giving considerations.

Then monthly learning sessions which include:
Disability Narrative Building and The Media with Cara Reedy
Digital Organizing and Audience Building (Part 1) with Mani Vinson
Digital Organizing and Audience Building (Part 2) with Mani Vinson
Op-Eds, Essays and Advocacy Writing Workshop with Ari Bloomekatz
Digital Safety, Security and Harm Reduction with Mani Vinson
Personal Disability Storytelling with Ly Xīnzhèn M. Zhǎngsūn Brown

This program is not over yet! Jesenia will be heading to an in-person, covid conscious recording studio to provide Access support to the fellows as they get to practice their training in a live studio, with cameras, mics, the works! Check back in after April 2026 for updates.

Visual Description: Jesenia, a native brown skin woman, standing wearing a black pullover hoodie that reads Cure Ableism 5 times in rainbow colors, sold by Disability Culture Lab.