Bio – Fellow – Past Fellows

National Leadership Program, Spring 2018

Sarah Bram

Sarah Bram was a Communications Fellow in the National Leadership Program at RespectAbility. Bram graduated from Edinboro University in Pennsylvania in December 2016 with a degree in Speech and Hearing Sciences and a minor in Special Education. The doctors told her parents when she was born that she would never talk. Ironically, speech therapy was the only therapy that she never needed. Later on, that inspired her to study speech pathology to give others like her a “voice.”

As a person with cerebral palsy, she deals with challenges every moment of every day. She has been a pathfinder all of her life. She was the only person in a wheelchair in grade school, the first person in two decades at her high school in a wheelchair and the first person at her camp in a wheelchair, paving the road for those after her.

Bram is passionate about nonprofit organizations. She was inspired to work for a nonprofit herself after getting involved with Canine Companions for Independence (CCI) in 2006. This organization provides highly trained service dogs to those with disabilities. As her Bat Mitzvah project, she fundraised for CCI and attended weekly local training classes for puppy raisers to help the dogs get used to wheelchairs and walkers. More than ten years later, Bram has applied for a service dog and continues to fundraise and volunteer with CCI.

As a Communications Fellow with RespectAbility, Bram learned more about social media management for nonprofit organizations. She is considering graduate school in speech-language pathology or assistive technology and wants to teach those who cannot speak to speak freely.

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National Leadership Program, Spring 2018

Stephanie Farfan

Stephanie Farfan was a Policy Fellow in the National Leadership Program at RespectAbility. She always has been committed to disability rights, particularly for the dwarfism community as she is a little person. She has experienced firsthand the discrimination many people with disabilities face. This discrimination led to her commitment to fight the stigmas and social barriers that people with disabilities have to contend with to be taken seriously. Farfan has been a part of Little People of America (LPA) since she was 16 years old and volunteers her time as a co-chair for the Hispanic Affairs Committee. Her fluency in Spanish enables her to help Spanish-speaking little people and their families get the resources and support they may otherwise not have access to.

Farfan completed her undergraduate studies with a major in Peace and Conflict Studies and a minor in French at Juniata College in Pennsylvania. While there, she was the only little person on her campus – so naturally, it was quite difficult looking up all the time. Farfan had the opportunity to study abroad in Lille, France while at Juniata. She loved the experience and was grateful that the opportunity allowed her to improve her French. After graduation, Farfan moved back home to Florida. There, she worked at a number of interesting places – most notably a karate studio and a security and detective agency. Unfortunately, she does not know karate and also is not a private investigator, so please do not ask.

Tired of the Florida sun, Farfan came to Washington, DC, hoping to continue her studies. She was accepted to American University’s School of International Service, where she is studying International Peace and Conflict Resolution. She hopes to combine the experience she has working with the Latino community and her academic work in peace studies into a career that can help the international disability community. Eventually, she aspires to earn a Ph.D. in the peace field and hopes to open doors in academia for people with disabilities and foster intersectional inclusivity through her social activism.

In her spare time, Farfan loves to cook and always is looking to expand her repertoire of recipes. She also loves comic books: the X-Men and Birds of Prey are among her favorite superhero teams because they both provide examples of intelligent and heroic people with disabilities fighting evil. Farfan always is willing to chat about comics.

Farfan wrote 22 pieces during the Spring 2018 Fellowship for the main website and The RespectAbility Report:

• Donna Meltzer: An Advocate for Community-Living (February 6, 2018)
• South Dakota Gov. Dennis Daugaard Makes New Commitments on Jobs for People with Disabilities
  (October 4, 2018)
• Texas Gov. Greg Abbott Makes New Commitments on Jobs for People with Disabilities
  (October 4, 2018)
• West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice Makes New Commitments on Jobs for People with Disabilities
  (October 4, 2018)
• Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker Affirms Continuing Commitment to Jobs for People with Disabilities
  (October 4, 2018)

She also wrote 17 pieces for the RespectAbility Report:

• 5,531 people with disabilities lose jobs in Alabama as State Ranked 49th in America
  (March 9, 2018)
• 2,305 new jobs for people with disabilities in Maine (March 9, 2018)
• 19,978 new jobs for people with disabilities in Michigan (March 9, 2018)
• 8,349 new jobs for people with disabilities in Kentucky (March 9, 2018)
• 12,662 new jobs for people with disabilities in Massachusetts (March 9, 2018)
• 715 new jobs for people with disabilities in Hawaii (March 9, 2018)
• 28,642 new jobs for people with disabilities in Georgia (March 9, 2018)
• 7,198 new jobs for people with disabilities in Connecticut (March 9, 2018)
• 931 new jobs for people with disabilities in Vermont (March 13, 2018)
• 6,707 new jobs for people with disabilities in Ohio (March 13, 2018)
• Iowa Lost 2,975 Jobs for People with Disabilities but Still Leads Most States (March 15, 2018)
• 4,966 new jobs for people with disabilities in Idaho (March 15, 2018)
• 945 new jobs for people with disabilities in New Mexico (March 15, 2018)
• 9,550 new jobs for people with disabilities in Illinois (March 19, 2018)
• 5,944 New Jobs for Marylanders with Disabilities (March 27, 2018)
• 3,838 New Jobs for People with Disabilities in Nebraska (March 27, 2018)
• National Voter Registration Day 2018 – Reflections from a Voter with a Disability
  (September 25, 2018)

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National Leadership Program, Spring 2018

Tameir Yeheyes

Tameir Yeheyes was a Communications Fellow in the National Leadership program at RespectAbility. She is the youngest of three siblings. She was born in Washington, D.C., but was raised and currently resides in Silver Spring, Maryland. She is a senior in college who anticipates graduating in the summer of 2018 with a Bachelor’s of Science in Communications from Bowie State University in Bowie, Maryland. Upon graduation, she hopes to go into either nonprofit work or government agency employment.

Yeheyes is passionate about serving the community, making a difference in the world and working hard on behalf of people with disabilities. She believes a positive attitude is the key to achieving a fulfilling life.

In her free time, Yeheyes enjoys gardening, decorating and attending church to learn about the gospel of Jesus Christ. Outreach and evangelism are something she would like in her community. She has traveled to various states across America and hopes to go oversees one day. She also hopes to adopt a dog.

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National Leadership Program, Fall / Winter 2016

Dionne Joseph

Dionne Joseph was a Stigma and Communications Fellow with RespectAbility where she worked on the #RespectTheAbility stigma campaign that spotlights model employers demonstrating how hiring workers with disabilities benefits the employer, the employee and society. Joseph was passionate about working at RespectAbility because she wants to break the stigma that society has regarding individuals with disabilities. Joseph also kept RespectAbility’s Facebook and Instagram accounts updated and assisted with the #PwDsVote Senate and Gubernatorial Campaign Questionnaire.

She has a great passion for working with individuals with disabilities because she knows from personal experience how difficult it can be getting by on an everyday basis. She was born with a visible hip condition – Hip Dysplasia, which gives her a lot of mobility issues during the cold winter, as well as a heart condition that had her in and out the hospitals since she was young. In addition, she was diagnosed with some learning disabilities as well.

Before joining RespectAbility, Joseph worked with the Arc of Opportunity, a nonprofit organization empowering individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. She wants to go to graduate school to become a Medical Social Worker to empower others who have disabilities to keep pushing forward. She wants to provide them with resources to be successful.

As of 2018, Joseph was a senior at Fitchburg State University in Massachusetts studying Human Services and minoring in Psychology.

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National Leadership Program, Summer 2013

Hillary Steen

Hillary Steen was a Nonprofit Management Fellow in RespectAbility’s National Leadership Program in the summer of 2013. After graduating from college, she returned to RespectAbility in January 2015 as our Development and Inclusion Associate.

Her first professional work in the disability space was in high school when she volunteered at the Daisy Recreation Program as a camp counselor for children with disabilities. With that experience and others – like her synagogue’s inclusion initiative for people with disabilities – Steen became committed to supporting, including, and welcoming people with disabilities in all areas of life.

As the development and inclusion associate, Steen mainly worked on fundraising especially grant writing, research, reporting and donor database management. She also assisted with our Jewish inclusion work and supervised the development and Jewish inclusion Fellows.

Steen previously interned at Bend the Arc: A Jewish Partnership for Justice and worked at Eisner Camp. An avid volunteer, she spent time with Elijah’s Promise, Hebrew Union College Soup Kitchen and NYU La Pietra Dialogues. Steen held various leadership positions at the Bronfman Center for Jewish Student Life at NYU, Temple Beth Torah Senior Youth Group and NFTY-GER. She graduated from New York University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology with Honors in 2014.

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National Leadership Program, Summer 2016

Cara Liebowitz

Cara Liebowitz was a Social Media and Communications Fellow at RespectAbility. She joined RespectAbility in the Summer 2016 cohort and remained on the team throughout the fall, organizing the Born This Way #BTWchat weekly Twitter chats. During the summer, she also managed the organization’s Facebook page and contributed to its Twitter account. A native New Yorker, Liebowitz holds a Master’s Degree in Disability Studies from the CUNY School of Professional Studies. As an activist and a writer, she focuses on disability issues large and small, with an emphasis on pride, culture and education.

Liebowitz has worked with a variety of disability and social justice organizations, including Everyday Feminism, DREAM (Disability Rights, Education, Activism, and Mentoring), The RAISE Center, and the Youth Council of the NYC Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities. In January 2016, she was honored to co-facilitate a writing workshop for women and girls with disabilities at the White House.

In addition to her work with RespectAbility, Liebowitz interned at 2gether International, where she created content and recruited participants for 2gether International’s campaigns focused on youth with disabilities. She blogs at http://www.thatcrazycrippledchick.com.

Below are the pieces Liebowitz wrote for RespectAbility publications:

• Disability Rights Advocate Anastasia Somoza Takes Center Stage at DNC (September 26, 2016)

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National Leadership Program, Fall 2015

Bonni Berger

Bonni Berger was a Communications Fellow with RespectAbility. Her duties included researching and writing articles for the #RespectTheAbility campaign, which highlights those companies using best practices for employees with disabilities.

Previously, Berger worked as an Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Specialist in the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice. She has worked as a Vocational Rehabilitation counselor in New York and Paraeducator in Montgomery County, MD. Berger is conversant in American Sign Language and has been studying Hebrew for several years. Her personal essays have been published in Bethesda Magazine and The Washington Jewish Week. She holds a Masters Degree in Linguistics and a BS in Speech and Hearing Sciences. This Fellowship opportunity combined her passion for advocacy and the written word.

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National Leadership Program, Summer 2016

Christina Sturgeon

Christina Sturgeon was a Nonprofit Management Fellow at RespectAbility. She was thrilled to spread the mission of RespectAbility to empower people with disabilities to achieve the American Dream. Having grown up with an older sister with intellectual and developmental disabilities, Sturgeon found this clear passion at a young age.

During her Fellowship, Sturgeon thoroughly enjoyed pitching RespectAbility’s work on criminal justice reform to staffers on Capitol Hill. In addition, she assisted with research and writing of LOIs and proposals to foundations as well as building lists.

Sturgeon is a rising junior at Furman University where she is majoring in Philosophy. At Furman, Sturgeon started a program to foster intergenerational relationships between the university and a local retirement center, founded and is president of the college’s Best Buddies chapter, and led the Dance Marathon morale committee for the past two years. A self-described “theater kid,” she thrives on the stage acting, singing and dancing.

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Nation Leadership Program, Fall 2017

Christopher Coleman

Christopher Coleman was a Public Policy and Employment Fellow in RespectAbility’s National Leadership Program. As a result of his interests in holistic care, acknowledging the interconnectedness of mental and physical health, he has made it his mission to advocate for disadvantaged populations.

Coleman has held multiple internships during his scholastic career, including at Green Door, a behavioral therapy health clinic for low-income mentally ill individuals, many of whom had multiple disabilities. At Green Door, he witnessed how the social service system dehumanized people with psychiatric disabilities. The government that was supposed to help them, had failed them. Through this experience at Green Door, he developed his interests in public policy, enacting change that has a wide sweeping effect.

Coleman is a recent graduate of Morehouse College with a B.A in Psychology and a minor in Public Health. After his time at RespectAbility, he plans to attend graduate school for health policy.

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