Disabled, Trans, and Queer: Intersectional Conversations in the Workplace

“If you have come here to help me, you are wasting your time. But if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together.” – Lilla Watson

These words were used by Lilla, Aboriginal Elder and Activist to set out a challenge for people working towards equity and human rights. For us, we use them as a reminder that social services are best done when no one is left behind—when we center the most vulnerable among us and bloom outward. Too often people with disabilities and LGBTQIA+ individuals are left out of important conversations— diversity, inclusion, equal access, and discrimination to name a few—even though we are deeply impacted by these topics on a daily basis.

We can all begin to heal as a community by embracing and honoring our differences. Advocacy can help us develop compassion for ourselves and others.  Listening deeply and taking action can give us true strength. Our collective efforts will enable us to better understand how our lives are shaped by our lived experiences, to raise our awareness of experiences outside our own, and see the connections between our lives and those of others.

In this presentation we will seek to:

• Define the terminology of microaggression, intersectionality, intersectional microaggressions, and reclamation by highlighting experiences of Disabled, Trans, and Queer people.
• Discuss the presenter’s firsthand lived experiences as working professionals and share experiences of other Disabled, Neurodivergent, Transgender, BIPOC, and Queer folks.
• Describe how support personnel can begin to raise awareness and advocate for disability, neurodiversity, AND LGBTQIA+ inclusion within their employment support processes.

Certificate of Participation

**Must be: registered; attendance verified for the webinar (live or archive); and Post Test with Evaluation completed to receive Certificate of Participation for the webinar. Attendance will be verified.

Hosted by: Southeast ADA Center, Burton Blatt Institute at Syracuse University