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Bio – Fellow – Past Fellows

Chinyere B. Azike, Policy Fellow

National Leadership Program, Fall 2020 – Spring 2021

Chinyere Azike smiling black and white headshot

Chinyere Azike

Chinyere B. Azike was a Public Policy Fellow in RespectAbility’s National Leadership Program for Fall 2020 through Spring 2021. RespectAbility is a nonprofit organization fighting stigmas and advancing opportunities so that people with disabilities can fully participate in all aspects of community.

Azike, a Nigerian, began her journey advocating for persons with disabilities in 2014 following her experience with a very young boy who had Down syndrome. At such a formative age, this boy, who was supposed to be getting an education, was a mistreated apprentice in a cobbler’s shop. Chinyere leveraged this experience to research disability, including congenital disabilities like Autism, Cerebral Palsy, and Dyslexia. [continue reading…]

Tyler Hoog, Entertainment Media Fellow

National Leadership Program, Winter 2020 – Spring 2021

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Tyler Hoog

Tyler Hoog was an Entertainment Media Fellow in RespectAbility’s National Leadership Program for Winter 2020 – Spring 2021. RespectAbility is a nonprofit organization fighting stigmas and advancing opportunities so that people with disabilities can fully participate in all aspects of community.

Hoog started telling stories at a very young age, though most just called him talkative back then. At 17, a spinal cord injury left Hoog paralyzed from the neck down. Stuck in a hospital room with nothing to do, he learned the art of storytelling. As film and television became a source of comfort for him and his ever-changing world, he grew fascinated with the art. [continue reading…]

Roque Renteria, Entertainment Media Fellow

National Leadership Program, Winter 2020 – Spring 2021

Roque Renteria headshot smiling

Roque Renteria

Roque Gregorio Renteria was an Entertainment Media Fellow in RespectAbility’s National Leadership Program for Winter 2020-2021. RespectAbility is a nonprofit organization fighting stigmas and advancing opportunities so that people with disabilities can fully participate in all aspects of community.

Renteria was born in Los Angeles, California. Growing up he was glued to the television screen and quickly developed a love for storytelling. Since both his parents are originally from Mexico, he was able to enjoy stories in both English and Spanish, which helped him appreciate foreign films early on. [continue reading…]

Lizzy Francis, Communications Fellow

National Leadership Program, Summer 2020

Lizzy Francis smiling headshot with her hand on her chinLizzy Francis was a Communications Fellow in RespectAbility’s National Leadership Program for Summer 2020. RespectAbility is a nonprofit organization fighting stigmas and advancing opportunities so that people with disabilities can fully participate in all aspects of community.

Francis is a screenwriting major studying to create safe spaces for all groups of people, regardless of identity or ability.

She was born in Wayland, Massachusetts as a second-generation immigrant. At the age of 17, she was diagnosed with Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Anorexia, resulting in numerous hospitalizations and a revelation that led to a passion of storytelling and activism through film, especially regarding mental illness and racial issues.

In 2017, Francis worked on an SXSW award-winning film in Vermont that aimed to integrate a crew and cast of people both with and without disabilities. [continue reading…]

Autumn Blalock, Community Outreach Fellow

National Leadership Program, Summer/Fall 2020

Autumn Blalock smiling headshotAutumn Blalock was a Community Outreach Fellow in RespectAbility’s National Leadership Program for Summer and Fall of 2020. RespectAbility is a nonprofit organization fighting stigmas and advancing opportunities so that people with disabilities can fully participate in all aspects of community.

Blalock has always believed that where inequity creates limits, art creates answers. She truly fell in love with the words of Anne Bogart, who said that “Limits are a necessary partner in… the crafting of a successful life.” These words turned the world she always saw as a closed box into a steppingstone to opportunity. Autumn comes from a low-income background with a big family that endured not only financial limits, but the limits that physical and intellectual disabilities placed on herself and members of her family, especially her father. Watching and helping him throughout her life brought to Blalock’s attention the need to advocate for better representation of all creeds, colors, and abilities. [continue reading…]

Ben Rosloff, Communications/Jewish Inclusion Fellow

National Leadership Program, Summer 2020 – Spring 2021

Ben Rosloff smiling headshotBen Rosloff was a Jewish Inclusion Fellow in RespectAbility’s National Leadership Program for Fall 2020 and Spring 2021. RespectAbility is a nonprofit organization fighting stigmas and advancing opportunities so that people with disabilities can fully participate in all aspects of community.

Rosloff was previously a Communications Fellow in the National Leadership Program for Summer 2020. He grew up in Great Neck, NY and earned a BFA in Electronic Media from Long Island University. In 2016 he joined Maslansky + Partners as a production assistant. As a production assistant he set up the studio, filmed readers using a DSLR camera while coordinating a teleprompter, and edited all selected footage using Premiere Pro. He has made films for a variety of organizations, including; his documentary short “Can I Call You?!” It was screened in the United States and Russia during an internship with Downtown Community Television Center. He has also co-produced, edited and screened multiple films for the United Nations. These include a film for World Autism Awareness Day, where Ben interviewed then-Secretary General Ban-Ki Moon, and “#Envision 2030” for Disability Awareness Day. [continue reading…]

Blair Webb, Jewish Inclusion Fellow

National Leadership Program, Summer/Fall 2020

Blair Webb smiling headshot seated in a chairBlair Webb was a Jewish Inclusion Fellow in RespectAbility’s National Leadership Program for Summer and Fall of 2020. RespectAbility is a nonprofit organization fighting stigmas and advancing opportunities so that people with disabilities can fully participate in all aspects of the community.

Webb graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, with her Bachelors of Arts in Sociology. As a person with Cerebral palsy, she started on her path of disability advocacy in 2009. After finishing high school, she was selected to be a delegate at the California Youth Leadership Forum for Students with Disabilities. There, she learned about disability etiquette, and the history of the Disability Rights Movement. While attending the forum, Webb was given the incredible opportunity to listen to Richard Pimentel, one of the pioneering advocates for the Americans with Disabilities Act, speak. This ignited a spark of inspiration to also become a leader in her disability community. Upon returning, Webb became a co-chair of the Disability History Week campaign and helped implement curriculum into her local schools. [continue reading…]

Chiquita Jackson, Policy Fellow

National Leadership Program, Summer 2020

Chiquita Jackson smiling headshot in front of a brick wallChiquita Jackson was a Policy Fellow in RespectAbility’s National Leadership Program for Summer 2020. RespectAbility is a nonprofit organization fighting stigmas and advancing opportunities so that people with disabilities can fully participate in all aspects of the community.

Jackson studies Political Science, Social Justice, African-American Studies, and Pre-Law at the Columbia College of Missouri. As a student, Jackson held numerous leadership roles, including Black Prelaw Society President, Student Senator, the Student Legislative Awareness Board Outreach Director, and the Multicultural Student Government President. As a Student Senator, she wrote and passed legislation in the Student Senate to address the resource needs of students with marginalized identities. Jackson has several siblings with developmental disabilities. Jackson is passionate to ensure that her brothers and sisters voices are heard, and their rights protected. She is excited to work with RespectAbility to continue being a positive ally to the disability community. [continue reading…]

KiAnna Dorsey, Communications Fellow

National Leadership Program, Winter 2020-21

Kianna Dorsey smiling headshot on a television setKiAnna Dorsey was a Communications Fellow in RespectAbility’s National Leadership Program for Winter 2020-21. RespectAbility is a nonprofit organization fighting stigmas and advancing opportunities so that people with disabilities can fully participate in all aspects of community.

Dorsey previously worked with RespectAbility in Summer 2020. Whether it’s a stage or a set, Dorsey loves the arts and the influence it holds. Therefore, it is no surprise that she currently studies at the University of Miami to earn her Bachelor of Arts degree in Motion Pictures on the Production Track. [continue reading…]

Stephanie Santo, Policy Fellow

National Leadership Program, Summer 2020 – Spring 2021

Stephanie Santo smiling in front of a brick wallStephanie Santo was a Public Policy and Employment Fellow in RespectAbility’s National Leadership Program for Summer 2020 – Spring 2021. RespectAbility is a nonprofit organization fighting stigmas and advancing opportunities so that people with disabilities can fully participate in all aspects of community.

Santo earned her Bachelor’s degree in psychology and communication with a minor in sociology (and certificates in criminology, society, and law, leadership, diversity, and pre-health) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She has a certificate in human rights from Columbia University and a Master’s in counseling for mental health and wellness from New York University. She is currently a mental health counselor and hopes to start her post-baccalaureate so that she can attend medical school and pursue policy or law alongside her medical degree. One of her goals is to learn as many sign languages as she can. As a health professional she feels a responsibility to communicate with her clients and is saddened by the lack of health care access many people have in the Deaf community. [continue reading…]

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