Emily Ladau
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When I was 10, I appeared on several episodes of Sesame Street to educate children about life with a physical disability, so my passion for advocacy blossomed quite early. In the years following my time with Big Bird and Elmo, I worked towards embracing my voice as a disability rights and body positivity advocate.
After graduating summa cum laude with a B.A. in English from Adelphi University and completing an advocacy-based internship in Washington, D.C., I rolled right into pursuing disability rights activism as a career. My love of writing has become my outlet to spark change by advocating against prejudice and injustices towards the disability community, such as accessibility barriers and use of stigmatizing language. For instance, I firmly believe in using the term "wheelchair user" instead of "wheelchair bound" or "confined to a wheelchair." To me, a wheelchair is an empowering source of freedom and independence. Through my blog, Words I Wheel By, I inspire others to understand the disability experience in more positive ways. My goal is to encourage people with all types of disabilities to develop their advocacy skills by embracing the power of communication and social media. I believe we can all learn to love ourselves exactly as we are. |

Carey Wagner
Carey is a photojournalist based in Brooklyn. After ten action-packed years as a staff photographer at newspapers in California and Florida, she bravely went independent to pursue work about women around the world. Through her photography and cinematography, she has told stories about gender-based violence in Papua New Guinea, sex trafficking in Seattle, street harassment in New York and domestic violence in Florida. She has lived in Chile and Australia and has photographed extensively throughout the Caribbean, South America, and Southeast Asia. Her clients include The New York Times, NBC News, the Los Angeles Times, CARE, and Sports Illustrated. Carey is fluent in Spanish, has experience diving as an underwater photographer, and loves the outdoors and dancing. She is committed to telling the stories of women who might not otherwise be heard. See more of her work at Carey Wagner Photojournalist
Carey is a photojournalist based in Brooklyn. After ten action-packed years as a staff photographer at newspapers in California and Florida, she bravely went independent to pursue work about women around the world. Through her photography and cinematography, she has told stories about gender-based violence in Papua New Guinea, sex trafficking in Seattle, street harassment in New York and domestic violence in Florida. She has lived in Chile and Australia and has photographed extensively throughout the Caribbean, South America, and Southeast Asia. Her clients include The New York Times, NBC News, the Los Angeles Times, CARE, and Sports Illustrated. Carey is fluent in Spanish, has experience diving as an underwater photographer, and loves the outdoors and dancing. She is committed to telling the stories of women who might not otherwise be heard. See more of her work at Carey Wagner Photojournalist