Emily Ladau
Emily Ladau is a passionate disability rights activist, writer, storyteller, and digital communications consultant. She is the author of Demystifying Disability: What to Know, What to Say, and How to be an Ally, published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of Penguin Random House. Named one of the best books of 2021 by NPR and a 2021 Booklist Editors’ Choice, Demystifying Disability is an approachable guide to being a thoughtful, informed ally to disabled people, with actionable steps for what to say and do (and what not to do) and how you can help make the world a more inclusive place.
Emily’s career began at the age of 10, when she appeared on several episodes of Sesame Street to educate children about her life with a physical disability. A native of Long Island, New York, Emily graduated with a B.A. in English from Adelphi University in 2013 and now serves on their Board of Trustees. In 2017, she was named as one of Adelphi’s 10 Under 10 Young Alumni. In 2018, she was awarded the Paul G. Hearne Emerging Leader Award from the American Association of People with Disabilities. In 2022, the Jewish Federations of North America honored her with their Disability Advocate of the Year Award.
Emily provides communications and social media strategy consulting as well as editorial services for multiple disability-related organizations and initiatives. She is the Digital Content and Community Manager for the Disability & Philanthropy Forum, an emerging philanthropy-serving organization committed to expanding philanthropic commitment to disability inclusion. Previously, she served as the founding Editor in Chief of the Rooted in Rights Blog, a platform dedicated to amplifying authentic narratives on the disability experience through an intersectional lens.
Emily’s writing has been published in outlets including The New York Times, SELF, Salon, Vice, and HuffPost and she has served as a source for outlets including PBS NewsHour, NPR, Vox, and Washington Post. She has spoken before numerous audiences about disability issues, from Microsoft and Comcast/NBCUniversal, and from the U.S. Department of Education to the United Nations. And, she co-hosts The Accessible Stall Podcast, a show that dives into disability issues. Central to all of Emily’s work is harnessing the power of storytelling as a tool for people to become engaged in disability and social justice issues.
Follow Emily on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. More about her work can be found on her website, EmilyLadau.com.
The Americans With Disabilities Act, signed into law 30 years ago, should be celebrated as a landmark piece of legislation. But there Is much more work to be done to realize its promise in all facets of society.
