By Allyson Mills | Staff
Leadership Program Fellow Spotlight: Alejandra’s Story
Your generosity helps us build pathways to leadership and belonging for the disability community and our allies. Alejandra’s story shows what that looks like in action.
When Alejandra graduated with her bachelor’s degree, she knew she wanted to make a difference through nonprofit work but wasn’t sure where to start. Then she found Disability Belongs™’ Leadership Program.
“I loved the idea of getting to work alongside individuals with a wide array of disabilities. That’s what drew me to apply, and I’m really glad I applied,” she shared.
Now with a Master of Public Administration, Alejandra remembers how empowering it was to connect with others during her fellowship.
“I walked away with great relationships and friends that I still actively communicate with. I got to meet other individuals with my same or a similar disability…It’s really great not to feel alone in our sphere of lack of inclusivity that the world has sadly given us.”
“You know, a lot of [the disability community] get a higher education. We all get degrees, and we're kind of parted from the rest of the student body because of our disabilities, because of our differences, because of our uniqueness, but while here [at Disability Belongs™], we're one. And I know that sounds cheesy, but it's very much that community that I think a lot of us long for and that acceptance of a world that's fully accessible.”
For Alejandra, the Disability Belongs™ Fellowship was a launchpad to a thriving career. Today, she works at the Make-A-Wish Foundation, where she draws on the lessons she learned in the program every day. Alejandra often works with children who use different methods of communication, including non-speaking forms of expression, and found her fellowship prepared her to connect across communication styles.
She said: “I accredit a lot of that to my fellowship, finding the different avenues of communication with my different fellows, with my coworkers, hearing their stories.”
Your support makes stories like Alejandra’s possible.
Help develop the next generation of leaders today.
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Ways To Give
Disability Belongs™ makes sure that your gifts are being used to support the critical work we are doing in disability inclusion, accessibility, advocacy, and authentic representation. We try to make it easy to make a tax-deductible contribution to our work. Here are just a few of the ways you can show your support today:
1) Make a Tax-Deductible Gift Online
You can make a one-time or recurring gift in the amount of your choice at Give.DisabilityBelongs.org.
2) Make a Pledge of Support
You can make a pledge to support the organization in writing with an amount and acknowledgement. Then you decide when you would like your payment actualized. Please reach out to Ally Mills at AllyM@DisabilityBelongs.org to make a pledge.
3) Leave a Legacy
Planned giving to Disability Belongs™ is a meaningful way to donate assets such as stocks, bonds, or property to support people with disabilities and challenge harmful stigmas. You can also name Disability Belongs™ as the beneficiary of any of these types of accounts:
Learn more about planned giving on our website. All donations will receive a receipt with Disability Belongs™’ tax information and the amount of your generous gift, pledge, or stock donation.
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