One in four people have a disability in the United States. That’s 60 million people.
People with disabilities have the same interests and the same needs as everyone else, in addition to unique needs because of their lived experience with disability. People with disabilities come from all communities—even historically marginalized ones like communities of color and LGBTQIA+.
You know that inclusion is at the heart of everything I do.
That’s why I invite you to meet Nancy Smith, Executive Director of Activating Change.
Her work focuses on ending two common injustices in the lives of people with disabilities and deaf people: widespread victimization and mass incarceration. She teaches others how to recognize the intersectionality of identity, including people with disabilities and deaf people.
In this episode, together with Glennda Testone, they explore the often-overlooked intersection of disability, inclusion, and nonprofit leadership. Nancy shares her journey into disability advocacy, insights into combating ableism, and practical strategies for making nonprofits more inclusive and accessible.
Nancy’s expertise and actionable advice—like conducting accessibility audits and building partnerships with disability organizations—offer a clear roadmap for creating spaces where everyone feels valued. Whether you’re new to this conversation or ready to deepen your commitment to accessibility, this episode provides the tools and inspiration to help you become a more inclusive leader.
TUNE IN TO LEARN:
- Everyone is included. Everyone has a role to contribute to inclusion. “You cannot do this work without doing it alongside people with disabilities and deaf people.” (Nancy Smith)
- Identify systemic bias. We must identify our inherited biases so that we can overcome them. “We grow up in a society that is very ableist, that very much believes that people without disabilities are superior to those with disabilities.” (Nancy Smith)
- Disability affects many people in different ways. “Disability is incredibly ordinary… more than 60 million people in the United States have a disability.” (Nancy Smith)
- The importance of collaboration. There is an opportunity to rethink where value is placed and honor the experiences of all. “We need to unlearn that work experience is more valuable than lived experience.” (Nancy Smith)
- Take a tiny step. “One of the best things you can do is involve people with disabilities in your work and decision-making.” (Nancy Smith)
- The sneakiness of Saviorism. Nancy shares how many nonprofits unintentionally approach disability with a charity mindset, treating people with disabilities as dependent rather than centering them as experts in their own lives.
ABOUT GUEST:
Nancy Smith is the Executive Director of Activating Change – a national non-profit that spun off from the Vera Institute of Justice in 2022. She led the spin-off process and the founding of Activating Change. Under her leadership, Activating Change expanded its mission to include ending criminalization and incarceration, developed its communications capabilities to increase visibility and engagement with its work, almost doubled its budget, and strengthened its financial and administrative infrastructure to sustain its impact.
She previously served as the Director of the Center on Victimization and Safety at the Vera Institute of Justice from 2004 to 2022. Under her leadership, the Center’s work to increase survivors with disabilities and Deaf survivors’ access to victim services grew substantially. She fostered relationships with Deaf leaders in survivor advocacy, and together, they launched the first-of-its-kind national training program for victim services delivered in American Sign Language. She also worked closely with 7 culturally specific organizations to launch and co-directed a $10 million program to build the capacity of the crime victim’s field to serve crime survivors from marginalized communities.
Through her leadership, Nancy was responsible for the development of an online assessment tool to measure organizational capacity to serve survivors with disabilities and Deaf survivors using performance indicators. She also worked closely with Deaf advocates to create a five-year plan to expand “for Deaf, by Deaf” anti-violence services nationwide and to design a national interpreter service that provides free American Sign Language interpretation services to victim service providers nationwide.
RESOURCES:
- Nancy Smith LinkedIn
- Activating Change Instagram
- Activating Change Facebook
- Nonprofit Leadership Lab
- Joan Garry’s Guide to Nonprofit Leadership – 2nd Edition by Joan Garry
- FREE WORKSHOP: Let’s Build the Nonprofit Board of Your Dreams!
- FREE WORKSHOP: The 5 Practices of Outstanding Nonprofit Leaders
- Music by Jukebox the Ghost
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