Nonprofits Are Messy: Lessons in Leadership | Fundraising | Board Development | Communications Ep 223: Activating Change: Fighting Ableism and Building Accessible Nonprofits (with Nancy Smith)
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Mar 1, 2025 Nancy Smith, executive director of Activating Change who has long worked to end victimization and mass incarceration of people with disabilities and Deaf people. She discusses how ableism shows up in nonprofits. She outlines accessibility audits, why Deaf communities need explicit naming and ASL access, the importance of compensating lived experts, and partnering across systems for inclusion.
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A Turning Point Inclusion Realization
- Nancy Smith describes meeting a Center for Independent Living leader who revealed over 90% of their clients had experienced abuse.
- That moment shifted her focus to include people with disabilities in violence-prevention work.
Ableism Is Often Invisible And Ingrained
- Nancy explains we breathe in ableist and audist norms like smog, shaping nonprofit practice unconsciously.
- Relying on visible disability overlooks many people with invisible disabilities and neurodivergence.
Audit Your Accessibility Proactively
- Conduct an accessibility audit of your physical space and website using available tools like Accessibility Checker.
- Include and compensate people with disabilities in the review to capture lived experience and creative solutions.