Participants 2026

Meet our amazing participants (sorted alphabetically by first name)

Photo of Abebe, a black man with short hair wearing a dress shirt and jacket
Abebe Assefa Alemu

Post-doc, Queen’s University (Canada)

My name is Abebe Assefa Alemu. I earned a PhD in Law from Queen’s University, Canada, in November 2025, and hold a certificate in AI and Law. I currently work part time at Queen’s Faculty of Law, previously serving in senior academic and leadership roles at the University of Gondar.

Photo of am sitting in wheelchair sitting i n his wheelchair wearing a striped top and wearing jeans.
Abhijit Ashok Mali

Maya CARE Foundation (India)

I am Abhijeet from Sangli Maharashtra India country. I have completed my graduation in physics and post graduation in economics. Due to bike accident 14th April 2014 I had a spinal cord injury so last 12 years I am using wheelchair . Now I am working in Maya Care organisation as the National coordinator.

Photo of Alan Santinele Martino, a black man wearing a blue shirt with patterns on it. He also wears glasses and a cap
Alan Santinele Martino

Associate Professor, University of Calgary (Canada)

Dr. Alan Martino (he/him) is an Associate Professor in the Community Rehabilitation and Disability Studies program at the University of Calgary. His main research interests are in disability and sexualities, and qualitative and community-based research (particularly participatory and inclusive research methodologies). He is the lead of the Disability & Sexuality Lab.

Headshot of Bongani Mapumulo. He is a black man with closely cropped hair and light facial hair. He is smiling and wearing a light blue striped button-down shirt. The background is plain and neutral.
Bongani Mapumulo

Master Student, University of Cape Town (South Africa)

Bongani Mapumulo is a purpose-driven, emerging interdisciplinary researcher. He is a Bertha Scholar at the Bertha Centre for Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship, currently pursuing a Master of Philosophy(MPhil) specializing in Inclusive Innovation at the University of Cape Town, Graduate School of Business. His research focuses on disability inclusion, design ethics, and assistive technologies in low- and middle-income contexts. His work is located at the intersection of health equity, ethical governance of emerging and assistive technologies, and interrogating how technologies reshape embodiment, agency, and personhood for persons with disabilities. He’s particularly interested in contributing African relational and justice-oriented ethical frameworks to global debates on technological future, accessibility, and exploring how emerging technologies can support human dignity.

HEADSHOT OF CHRISTEL TESSIER DARGENT. SHE IS A WHITE WOMAN WITH GREY MEDIUM LONG HAIR AND BLUE EYES. SHE WEARS A METAL AND BLUE NECKLACE, A BLACK BLOUSE AND A FLOWERLY JACKET. THE BACKGROUND IS BEIGE.
Christel Tessier Dargent

Professor, Université Jean Monnet, Saint-Etienne (France)

A graduate of ESCP Business School, Paris, PhD in Entrepreneurship, I first pursued an international career in strategy and IS consulting for multinational companies before moving on to supporting entrepreneurs. My research focuses on inclusive entrepreneurship, especially by people with disabilities, and responsible entrepreneurial education, using qualitative approaches.

Photo of Dessalagn a black man with short hair and a bear wearing a grey top.
Dessalegn Bizuneh Ayele

PhD Student, Queen’s University (Canada)

Dessalegn Bizuneh Ayele is a historian and educator currently completing his PhD at Queen’s University in Kingston, Canada. His research investigates the historical intersections of social welfare, disability, and state-building in the Horn of Africa. Prior to his doctoral studies, Dessalegn served as an Assistant Professor and the Head of the Department of History and Heritage Management at the University of Gondar, Ethiopia.

Headshot of Elna Schmidt. She is a white woman with light brown, slightly curly hair and black glasses. She is wearing a multi-coloured scarf over a green coat and a deep-red shirt. In the blurry background there is gras and fall-coloured trees.
Elna Schmidt

PhD student, Faculty of Business Economics, Hasselt University (Belgium)

Elna (she/her) is a 1st year PhD researcher at UHasselt with a background in psychology and comparative social and cultural research. Her work investigates the role of technology in the inclusion of PWD in the workplace of the future. She is passionate about co-creation and critical AI literacy.

eadshot of Eunice Tunggal. She is a woman with light skin, dark brown hair, and light brown eyes. She wears a pink and white striped collared shirt and black glasses. The background is a white wall.
Eunice Tunggal

Researcher,, Toronto Metropolitan University (Canada)

Eunice is a researcher with the CERC of Health Equity and Community Wellbeing, whose work prioritizes the gendered-disability experience of violence, health equity, and digital spaces. Moreover, she focuses on co-design and access-oriented knowledge dissemination.

Photo of Joanna Vogeley, woman with brown long hair wearing a dark top
Joanna Vogeley

Lecturer, Australian Catholic University (Australia)

Joanna Vogeley (PhD, Macquarie University; PhD, University of Sydney) holds dual doctorates and brings an interdisciplinary perspective spanning anthropology, psychology, impact investing, social entrepreneurship, and Balinese critical texts. She is a Lecturer in Social Entrepreneurship in Sydney at the Australian Catholic University.

person with long brown hair is shown from the shoulders up, wearing a light pink cardigan over a white top, against a plain grey background.
Josie Elliker

Recent, Master Graduate, Silver School of Social Work, University of New York (USA)

Josie Elliker, LMSW, is a social worker and recent graduate of NYU’s Silver School of Social Work, specializing in higher education. Her work focuses on disability access, academic accommodations, and systems-level change to promote equity for students, staff, and faculty.

Headshot of Kayla N. Kozak. She is a white woman with long blonde hair and glasses. She wears a brown jacket and a necklace with a fleur-de-lis symbol. The background is a set of blurred windows.
Kayla Kozak

PhD student, University of South Carolina (USA)

Kayla N. Kozak is a 2nd year doctoral student in management and organizational behavior at the University of South Carolina’s Darla Moore School of Business. Her research interests include neurodiversity, workplace mistreatment, and deviance. Kayla was a former full scholarship D1 golfer at the University of Central Florida.

Headshot of Kyra Rodrigues. She is a mixed race Puerto Rican woman with brown curly hair. She wears a white button down, black glasses, and gold septum, nose, and necklace jewlery. The background is a blurred white room with a window.
Kyra Rodriguez

PhD Student, Haas School of Business, UC Berkley (USA)

Kyra Rodriguez is a second-year Micro Management of Organizations PhD student at Berkeley Haas. She completed her BA in Psychology in 2022 at NYU, and spent 2 years as a research associate at MIT Sloan. She studies the treatment of people with disabilities by organizations, as well as gender differences.



Headshot of Lauren Gilbert. She is a white woman with dark brown hair that is largely straight but curls near the ends. She wears glasses and a green sweater.
Lauren Gilbert

PhD Student, School of Management and Labor Relations, Rutgers University (USA)

Lauren Gilbert is a Ph.D. candidate at Rutgers University who studies the careers of people with disabilities and how to balance the needs of employees with disabilities and employers. She is currently doing research on vocational rehabilitation services and how people with disabilities understand career success.


Headshot of Marianna Tarvainen. Softly lit portrait of a person with short hair and glasses resting on their head, wearing a grey turtleneck and gold earrings, looking calmly toward the camera.
Marianna Tarvainen

Researcher, Is It A BIRD (Denmark)

Marianna is a qualitative researcher with a background in anthropology working on health, care, and disability in everyday life. Her research explores how people living with chronic conditions and different abilities create workable, meaningful lives through everyday adaptations and the use of digital technologies. She is also a therapist in training, which informs her sensitivity to lived experience and care practices, and she works across research, industry, and policy to challenge medicalised views of (dis)ability and foreground humanness and agency.

Headshot of Maura Danehey. She is a white woman with brown-blonde hair wavy hair, blue eyes, freckles, and a smile. She is wearing a bright blue sweater with dark-blue flowers, a silver necklace over a black dress. She is leaning on a pillar, in front of a tan background.
Maura Danehey

Researcher, New York University & Stanford University (USA)

Maura Danehey is an early career researcher at NYU Wagner and Stanford Medical School. Her work focuses on healthcare management, disability rights, accessibility, and inclusive team building. She collaborates nationally on neurodiversity, voice, and psychological safety literature, has published in leading journals, and advances disability-centered research in healthcare.

Headshot of a Naomi Folb, a white woman with fair skin and dark brown hair tied back in a low ponytail. She wears a light blue, fine-striped blouse and faces the camera with a calm expression. The background is an off-white wall with soft green leaves visible to one side.
Naomi Folb

External Lecturer, Economics, government and business, Copenhagen Business School (Denmark)

I hold a PhD from Goldsmiths and am a Research Fellow at the University of London and an External Lecturer at Copenhagen Business School. As founder of Access Archer, I work with institutions to redesign collaboration through epistemic justice, valuing neurodivergent ways of knowing as part of interdependent, equitable practice.

Headshot of Natalia Lorinkova. She is a White woman with long dark hair. She wears a black dress and smiles.
Natalia Lorinkova

School of Labor and Employment Relations, Penn State University (USA)

Dr. Natalia Lorinkova studies leadership and workplace diversity issues (with emphasis on dynamic and multi-level leadership processes and invisible disability in organizations), with the ultimate goal to make workplaces better. Her research has appeared in leading academic journals such as Academy of Management Journal, Personnel Psychology and Journal of Management.

Headshot of Nazarene Makena, a Black woman, smiling while seated in an office chair. She has shoulder-length dark hair and wears glasses and pearl earrings. She is dressed in a white sleeveless dress with a soft pink and green floral pattern and a dark wristwatch on her left wrist. Her hand rests near her chin, and the background is plain and uncluttered.
Nazarene Makena

Lecturer, Tangaza University (Kenya)

Nazarene Makena is an academic professional specializing in Ethics, Leadership, and Communication. Her work focuses on fostering ethical and inclusive environments in higher education. She has extensive experience in qualitative research, with a strong commitment to participatory and community-engaged projects that amplify marginalized voices.

Headshot of Neva Bojovic. She is a light-skinned woman with long dark brown hair. She is smiling, wearing pink lipstick, a dark jacket, and a layered silver necklace. The background is plain gray.
Neva Bojovic

Assistant Professor, Kedge Business School (France)

Neva Bojovic examines how marginalized groups gain empowerment and recognition in domains such as disability, women’s health, and sexual wellness. Her research connects innovation, entrepreneurship, and organization theory. Her work has been published in Research Policy, Journal of Business Venturing, Journal of Business Ethics, Social Science & Medicine, etc.

Headshot of Ren Lovegood. They are a white, woman presenting person with dark brown hair that goes to their chin. They are wearing large glasses and gold earings, The background is muted.
Ren Lovegood

PhD student, University of Massachusetts (USA)

Ren is a legally blind and multiply disabled 3rd year PhD candidate in Organizations and Social Change at UMass Boston. Their research focuses on professional ethics, the history of disability employment, mutual aid, and care as a social and institutional practice.

Headshot of Ssreejith Alathur, an Indian man with short dark hair wearing glasses.
Ssreejith Alathur

Professor, Indian Institute of Management Kozhikide (India)

Dr. Sreejith Alathur is a consultant in public policy, rights compliance, and digital governance. He holds a PhD in Management (e-Governance) from IIT Delhi, recognised for outstanding doctoral research. His work focuses on the legal and institutional dimensions of technology, spanning Assistive Technology, governance, and disability. He has supervised numerous PhD scholars, served in statutory and grievance-redressal roles, and published extensively at the intersection of law, technology, and governance.

eadshot of Vasiliki Mylonopoulou. She is a white woman with dark red short straight hair. She wears a black t-shirt and glasses. The background is white and blurred.
Vasiliki (Vaso) Mylonopoulou

Associate Professor, University of Gothenburg (Sweden)

Assoc. Prof. Vaso, Ph.D., researches Digital Health design and Inclusion. She collaborates with people with diverse abilities to support independent living, and connection with loved ones and healthcare professionals, without compromising privacy or autonomy. As a dyslectic academic, she participated in and initiated awareness events for diverse minds in academia

headshot of Walker Ray Dornisch, a light skin person with long dark hair tied back in a pony tail. Walker wears glasses
Walker Ray Dornisch

Phd Student, Royal Holloway University of London (UK)

Walker Ray Dornisch is a Ph.D. Student in Business and Management at Royal Holloway, University of London with a research focus in neurodiversity at work. He earned his M.S. in Organizational Dynamics from the University of Pennsylvania, B.S. in Applied Psychology from New York University, and Certification of Professional Achievement in Enterprise Risk Management from Columbia University.