Bio – Fellow – Past Fellows

National Leadership Program, Summer 2021

John McSween

John McSween was a Nonprofit Management Fellow in RespectAbility’s National Leadership Program for Summer 2021. RespectAbility is a nonprofit organization fighting stigmas and advancing opportunities so that people with disabilities can fully participate in all aspects of community.

McSween was a rising senior at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he is majoring in Community Health with a concentration in Health Planning and Administration. He is also pursuing a business minor. After graduation, McSween intended on attending a graduate program in healthcare administration with the hopes of mitigating health disparities among all minorities, but especially among people with disabilities. McSween is passionate about making the healthcare system more accessible to those with disabilities who are in need of care. [continue reading…]

National Leadership Program, Summer 2021

Jill Feder

Jill Feder (she/her) was a Nonprofit Management Fellow in RespectAbility’s National Leadership Program for Summer 2021. RespectAbility is a nonprofit organization fighting stigmas and advancing opportunities so that people with disabilities can fully participate in all aspects of community.

Feder enrolled in RespectAbility’s Fellowship program so that she could be part of the solution in ending discrimination and biases against people with disabilities. She is excited to help RespectAbility earn the grants and donations it needs to maintain its life-enhancing services. [continue reading…]

National Leadership Program, Summer 2021

Gabriella Marquez

Gabriella Marquez was a Public Policy Fellow in RespectAbility’s National Leadership Program for Summer 2021. RespectAbility is a nonprofit organization fighting stigmas and advancing opportunities so that people with disabilities can fully participate in all aspects of community.

Marquez earned her Bachelor’s degree in Exercise Physiology from Florida State University and will be attending American University Washington College of Law in August where she plans to devote her studies to public interest law. [continue reading…]

National Leadership Program, Summer/Fall 2021

Finn Bradley

Finn Bradley (they/them) was a Communications Fellow in RespectAbility’s National Leadership Program for Summer and Fall 2021. RespectAbility is a nonprofit organization fighting stigmas and advancing opportunities so that people with disabilities can fully participate in all aspects of community.

Bradley is nonbinary, bipolar, has dyslexia and chronic pain. They lives in Chicago. They graduated from University of Illinois at Chicago in Fall 2021. They has experience in social media management working for CircusTalk, an independent online resource center for the international circus community. [continue reading…]

National Leadership Program, Summer 2021

Krista Ramirez-Villatoro

Krista Ramirez-Villatoro was an Entertainment Media Fellow in RespectAbility’s National Leadership Program for the Summer and Fall of 2021. RespectAbility is a nonprofit organization fighting stigmas and advancing opportunities so that people with disabilities can fully participate in all aspects of community. [continue reading…]

National Leadership Program, Spring 2021

Taylor Ragano

Taylor Ragano was a Community Outreach & Impact Fellow in RespectAbility’s National Leadership Program for the Spring of 2021. RespectAbility is a nonprofit organization fighting stigmas and advancing opportunities so that people with disabilities can fully participate in all aspects of community. [continue reading…]

National Leadership Program, Spring 2021

Samantha Haas

Samantha Haas was a Jewish Inclusion Fellow for 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. [continue reading…]

National Leadership Program, Spring/Summer 2021

Kelley Cape

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

Cape has spent her professional and academic career galvanizing inclusive cultures everywhere she goes. From creating access to domestic independent agency, diverse STEM workforces and representation on Hollywood’s screens, to directing research studies that challenge ideas of ableism and promote intersectionality, her dedication and passion for DEI is the center. [continue reading…]

National Leadership Program, Spring 2021

Jake Stimell

Jake Stimell was a Community Outreach & Impact Fellow in RespectAbility’s National Leadership Program for the Spring of 2021, and is now the Disability Training and Consulting Bureau Associate at RespectAbility. RespectAbility is a nonprofit organization fighting stigmas and advancing opportunities so people with disabilities can fully participate in all aspects of community.

Stimell graduated from Franklin & Marshall College with a BA in Psychology and a minor in Sociology. Through his coursework, he conducted extensive academic research focused on the psychosocial effects of disabilities, as well as on the prevalence of ableism in student athletes. Through a college fellowship, Stimell worked in disability advocacy at the Invisible Disabilities Association, where he played a significant role in the introduction of disability legislation in New York, Pennsylvania and Alabama. For his work, Stimell was awarded the 2020 Invisible Disabilities Association Volunteer Award for his efforts.
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