Demystifying Disability With Emily Ladau

Leading With Empathy & Allyship

In Episode 59, Emily Ladau, Disability Rights Activist, Author, and Communications Consultant at Words I Wheel By, introduces the topic of disability through an insightful discussion with Melinda on systemic ableism, disability history, representation, and rights. Emily explains why it's alright to use the term 'disabled', how accommodation and inclusion should be viewed upon, and how we can build allyship within the disability community.

About Emily
Emily Ladau is a passionate disability rights activist, writer, storyteller, and digital communications consultant whose career began at the age of 10 when she appeared on several episodes of Sesame Street to educate children about her life with a physical disability. She serves as the Editor in Chief of the Rooted in Rights Blog, a platform dedicated to amplifying authentic narratives on the disability experience through an intersectional lens.

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Production Team

Creator & Host: Melinda Briana Epler

Project Manager: Emilie Maas

Finance & Operations: Renzo Santos

Marketing Communications Coordinator: Christina Swindlehurst Chan

Creative Director @ Podcast Rocket: Rob Scheerbarth

[Image description: Leading With Empathy & Allyship promo with the Empovia logo and photos of Emily Ladau; a White woman who is wearing glasses and has curly brown hair pulled back halfway, with the rest framing her face. She is wearing a black dress dotted with red flowers and green leaves. She is sitting in a power wheelchair, facing the camera, and smiling. One of her hands is resting in her lap and the other hand is resting on the joystick of her wheelchair, turned so that a tattoo of a peacock feather is visible on her inner arm; and host Melinda Briana Epler; a White woman with red hair, glasses, and orange shirt holding a white mug behind a laptop.]

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