Picture of a family with caramel skin and dark brown hair; the tallest adult is wearing glasses with short hair and a light grey zip up sweater holding one child wearing a maroon shirt smiling. Second adult with long hair a black shirt and white blazer smiling with hand on shoulder of second child who is standing with a maroon shirt on. Family against a colorful mural.

LEAD Program

Leadership Engagement and Advocacy Development

Empowering people of color with disabilities and their parents through training and engagement opportunities.

The LEAD program provides communities of color with increased access to disability education and resources to account for the significance of institutionalized oppression and white supremacy on their outcomes.

LEAD Program

Leadership Engagement and Advocacy Development

Empowering people of color with disabilities and their parents through training and engagement opportunities.

The LEAD program provides communities of color with increased access to disability education and resources to account for the significance of institutionalized oppression and white supremacy on their outcomes.

Strategic Priorities

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Building Efficacy and Capacity

Build the efficacy and capacity of MDRC to be a leader in the development and implementation of work to dismantle institutionalized white supremacy and cultivate a culture of equitable transformation for the sector.

silhouette of seed sprouting from soil with a human silhouette at the top of the stem

Cultivate and Strengthen

Cultivate and strengthen individuals, through relationship-based activity and topic-based workshops, to serve as advocates for themselves and others.

silhouette of human with circle radiating out from the head

Enhance Visibility

Enhance the visibility of people of color in disability rhetoric, training, and storytelling.

Strategic Priorities

Purple circle with a white outline image of 3 open palm hands

Building Efficacy
and Capacity

Build the efficacy and capacity of MDRC to be a leader in the development and implementation of work to dismantle institutionalized white supremacy and cultivate a culture of equitable transformation for the sector.

silhouette of seed sprouting from soil with a human silhouette at the top of the stem

Cultivate and Strengthen

Cultivate and strengthen individuals, through relationship-based activity and topic-based workshops, to serve as advocates for themselves and others.

silhouette of human with circle radiating out from the head

Enhance
Visibility

Enhance the visibility of people of color in disability rhetoric, training, and storytelling.

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Visit Our Video Library

Learn more about conversations at the intersection
of disability by checking out our video library.

Visit Video Library

Disability Identity

Disability Identity

Watch More LEAD Videos
MDRC/Icons/SVG/VideoPlay-LEAD-White

Visit Our Video Library

Learn more about conversations at the intersection of disability by checking out our video library.

Visit Video Library

LEAD Program Staff

A woman with brown skin and long dark brown braids positioned with her hands crossed and smiling while standing in front of a brick wall. She is wearing black glasses and a black long sleeve blouse.

Ajaunè Thomas

Director of Leadership Programs
Black and white headshot of Feliece Turner, a Black woman with short black hair in an afro style. Feliece is sitting on steps with a plant behind her. Feliece is facing the camera with one hand on her chin and is smiling. She is wearing a t-shirt, cardigan and silver hoop earrings

Feliece Turner

Disability Specialist
[Image description: a latina woman with long dark blue hair. Priscilla is looking directly at the camera, smiling. She is wearing black framed glasses. End of image description.]

Priscilla Cano

Bilingual Disability Advocate (Spanish/English)
A person with dark brown skin and curly black hair smiling in front of a white background. They are wearing a white turtleneck sweater and a light blue denim jacket

Tameka Citchen-Spruce

LEAD-IN Program Director
A woman with brown skin and long dark brown braids positioned with her hands crossed and smiling while standing in front of a brick wall. She is wearing black glasses and a black long sleeve blouse.

Ajaunè Thomas

Director of Leadership Programs
Black and white headshot of Feliece Turner, a Black woman with short black hair in an afro style. Feliece is sitting on steps with a plant behind her. Feliece is facing the camera with one hand on her chin and is smiling. She is wearing a t-shirt, cardigan and silver hoop earrings

Feliece Turner

Disability Specialist
[Image description: a latina woman with long dark blue hair. Priscilla is looking directly at the camera, smiling. She is wearing black framed glasses. End of image description.]

Priscilla Cano

Bilingual Disability Advocate (Spanish/English)
A person with dark brown skin and curly black hair smiling in front of a white background. They are wearing a white turtleneck sweater and a light blue denim jacket

Tameka Citchen-Spruce

LEAD-IN Program Director

Our Funding

LEAD was established by funding from the Michigan Developmental Disabilities Council. LEAD work is currently funded by the Michigan Developmental Disabilities Council and the Centers for Disease Control in partnership with Community Catalyst.

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MDRC is partnered with
Network For Good.
Network For Good allows you
to choose how and when to donate.

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Donate

MDRC is partnered with
Network for Good.

Network for Good allows you
to choose how and when you donate.

Donate Now

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