Los Angeles, CA, Oct. 15 – Nelly Nieblas has been going against the grain her entire life. As a first-generation Latina with a physical disability, Nieblas was raised to be independent and speak up for herself by her family, yet she found herself consistently being met by society’s low expectations of her due to false and negative stigmas attached to her intersectional identities of being both Latinx and Disabled. Through years of hard work and exceeding those societal expectations, Nieblas has made it her life mission to not only “make the outsider become the insider,” but to ensure people with disabilities have opportunities to be fully involved in the community.
At the core of Nieblas’ policy work is her commitment to bringing more inclusion and equity to the education system. Emphasizing that a wholistic education is a key element to success, Nieblas advocates for people with disabilities to have full access to the support systems they need to complete their education and set themselves up for success to enter the workforce and have their own self-determined reality. In addition, Nieblas underscored the importance of being active members in their lives and not being dependent on the social safety net. [continue reading…]