Meet Disability Rising’s 2026 Cohort

He/Him

Chime Asonye is a health policy advisor and Nigerian American working at the intersection of psychosocial disability, criminalization, and health access. He founded Nigerian Mental Health — Nigeria's largest multidisciplinary mental health and disability network and serves as Health Equity Co-Chair, Illinois Suicide Prevention Strategic Plan.

She/Her

Camille Bennett is the Founder and Executive Director of Project Say Something (PSS), an Alabama-based organization confronting anti-Black systems and ideologies, advancing reproductive justice, and challenging patriarchal violence through education, community empowerment, and advocacy.

She/Her

Vanessa Caraveo is a disability and human rights leader who brings an intersectional perspective to diverse platforms. She has served various affinity groups and non-profit organizations at all levels.

They/She

Kiana Elkins is a heart-centered facilitator, community builder, writer, and economic justice advocate living in Lansing, MI. They are the Executive Director of Solidarity Mail Club, an art-based community resilience practice for overwhelmed worldbuilders.

She/Her

Raynisha Renee Latrice Jackson is a Black Deaf disability justice leader, storyteller, and project manager who cares deeply about Black representation and the Deaf community.

They/Them

Johnnie Jae is an Otoe-Missouria and Choctaw journalist, media critic, and multidisciplinary artist based in Los Angeles. Jae is the founder of Red POP! News and a Coordinating Council Member and Co-Lead of the Sharing the Story Committee for Walking in the Footsteps of Our Ancestors.

She/They

Dr. Nadia Naomi Mbonde is a Black mother, medical anthropologist, and multimedia artist trained at New York University, whose work centers Black reproductive mental health, from menarche to menopause. She serves as an Implementation Specialist at Crisis Response Engagement and Skills Training New York.

He/They

Sy’Aire Russell is an autistic community builder, consultant, and speaker based in Brooklyn. They are the founder and executive director of Autistic Adults NYC, an autistic-run nonprofit dedicated to serving NYC’s autistic community.

They/He

Cielo Sunsarae is a Trans and nonbinary organizer based in Jacksonville, Florida. They are the Founder and Executive Director of The Queer Trans Project, a nationally recognized nonprofit they launched at just 22 years old.