Pioneering SMA champion to be honored for her disability advocacy
A woman with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) who has become a champion for those living with disabilities — as an author, a podcast host, and a vice president of the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) — will be honored for her advocacy work as a recipient of this year’s Disability Impact Awards.
The awards, which spotlight individuals “who are making an indelible impact for the disability community,” are presented by Disability Belongs, a nonprofit that works to empower people with disabilities and create systemic change in how society views and values disabled individuals, according to a press release announcing this year’s honorees.
Now in their fifth year, the awards are designed to celebrate people who are driving progress and promoting change to make the world a better place for those with disabilities, the nonprofit stated.
This year’s recipients are Mindy Henderson, who serves as vice president for disability outreach and empowerment at the MDA, and another author and disability advocate known professionally as Sarah Todd.
Henderson, who lives with type 2 SMA, will be honored with the Steve Bartlett Award, named for the principal author of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Ariel Simms, president and CEO of Disability Belongs, said all of the Impact Awards “are a testament to the power of advocacy, allyship, and authentic storytelling in driving societal change.”
“We are honored to bring together voices and visionaries from across the disability community to celebrate their profound contributions,” Simms said.
An award ceremony will be held tomorrow, July 16, in Washington, D.C. — during Disability Pride Month, the organizers noted. Additional event information and tickets are available online. Several other awards are also being presented.
Award winner is ‘renowned leader’ in disability rights
Henderson’s MDA job follows a decades-long career in high tech. According to Disability Belongs, she is a “renowned leader in disability rights” and fierce advocate for people with SMA and other conditions.
She’s also the editor-in-chief of the MDA’s adaptive lifestyle Quest magazine, part of its Quest Media platform, as well as a motivational speaker, podcast host, and author. Her book The Truth About Things that Suck and How to Make Them Suck Less was published in 2022.
Henderson has been instrumental in advocating for change in many facets of society that impact people with disabilities, from air travel and product design to healthcare, employment, and even fashion. According to Henderson’s website, her advocacy mission “is to show up as an example of positivity, hope, bravery, and possibilities, and to help individuals to own their adversity, to stop making excuses, to see their fullest potential, and to give them the tools to reach for it.”
Per the nonprofit, the Steve Bartlett Award “recognizes an outstanding individual in the public or private sector who demonstrates a strong commitment to using the political system to advance policies that expand opportunities for people with disabilities.” It’s named a former member of the U.S. Congress, who also previously served as a Dallas mayor and chairperson of Disability Belongs.
The award ceremony will also honor Sarah Todd Hammer, a 24-year-old disability advocate who lives with partial paralysis due to spinal cord damage that developed as a result of a neurological disorder she had as a child. She has used her online platform to share her experiences as a disabled individual and foster awareness and positivity.
The post Pioneering SMA champion to be honored for her disability advocacy appeared first on SMA News Today.
