NAMED Advocates’ programs are grounded in Disability Justice and led by Black and brown disabled people whose lived experiences shape every aspect of the work. Together, these programs confront ableism as it shows up in policy, culture, and everyday systems that too often exclude disabled communities from power and decision-making. Through education, advocacy, organizing, and cultural storytelling, we challenge harmful narratives while creating space for disabled leadership to be visible, resourced, and influential. Each program reflects a commitment to collective care, community accountability, and the belief that liberation is built when disabled people define their own futures.
Building power, culture, and justice through community.
Ableism & Democracy
Ableism and voter suppression are deeply connected. This program addresses the systemic barriers Black and brown disabled people face in civic participation — from inaccessible voting systems to policies created without disabled voices.
Ableism & Democracy centers education, advocacy, and narrative change to push toward a democracy that includes all of us.
Our Presence Is Our Power
Visibility is not enough — power is the goal. This program centers disabled leadership, collective presence, and community organizing as essential to systemic change.
Through convenings, campaigns, and public advocacy, we affirm that disabled people of color belong everywhere decisions are made.
Decolonizing Dreams
Decolonizing Dreams uplifts disabled creativity, imagination, and cultural leadership as tools for resistance and liberation. This program challenges colonial frameworks that limit how disability, success, and worth are defined.
We honor storytelling, art, and culture as critical to movement-building and collective healing.
Rethinking Language in Science
Rethinking Language in Science is a community-centered initiative challenging harmful language in science, healthcare, and research while promoting more accurate, dignified representations of disability and rare conditions.