National Leadership Program, Fall 2023
Vanessa Bliss
Vanessa Bliss was a Communications Fellow in RespectAbility’s National Leadership Program for Fall 2023. RespectAbility is a nonprofit organization fighting stigmas and advancing opportunities so that people with disabilities can fully participate in all aspects of community.
Bliss was born and raised in Reston, VA and currently resides there. She is a 2021 graduate of McDaniel College where she received a BA in Theatre Arts and minored in Communications. When Bliss got a marketing and communications internship at BroadFutures this past winter, she knew that she would gain valuable job skills and work experience, but she did not expect to discover a passion for disability advocacy. BroadFutures granted Bliss an opportunity to speak about her experiences as a neurodivergent person in the workforce on a panel hosted by Disability:IN.
While disability advocacy as a whole is important to Bliss, she has a special interest in advocating for more inclusive and accessible workplaces and disability representation in the media. Coming from a stage background, Bliss particularly hopes to see more disabled talent working on Broadway and in regional theater companies. Since completing her internship, Bliss has partaken in several projects pertaining to disability advocacy: her writing was published by the Organization for Autism Research, she became a Project Social Ambassador for The NVLD Project, and she was invited back to BroadFutures to speak to current interns on an alumni panel.
Bliss spends her free time auditioning for and performing in local theatrical productions. She also loves teaching herself how to crochet and cross stitch and enjoys binge watching TV shows.
What an impressive young woman. I’ve seen her perform and heard her sing. She is a force for the good of all of us with disabilities.