Cara Reedy is the Founder and Director of the Disabled Journalists Association. She spent ten years of her career at CNN producing documentaries as well as writing for various verticals including Eatocracy and CNN Business. In 2019, she produced Dwarfism and Me for The Guardian, which was an exploration of the treatment of Dwarfs in American society. She has spent the last four years studying disability and its coverage in the media. As part of her work, she trains newsrooms to tell more robust and investigative stories about disability. In addition to her work in the journalism industry, she also works in narrative change in the film and tv industry and is a member of the TV Academy Diversity Committee. Her latest short documentary about the life of Brad Lomax, Black Panther and Disability Rights activist is set to air on PBS later this year.
Jen Deerinwater is a bisexual, Two-Spirit, multiply-disabled, citizen of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma and an award-winning journalist and organizer who covers the myriad of issues hir communities face with an intersectional lens. Jen is the founding executive director of Crushing Colonialism and a 2019 New Economies Reporting Project and 2020 Disability Futures fellow.
Jen is a contributor at Truthout and hir work has been featured in a wide range of publications, including several anthologies, such as Disability Visibility: First Person Stories from the Twenty First Century and Crip Authorship: Disability as Method. Jen is the co-editor of the anthology Sacred and Subversive and is currently hard at work on hir own book.
Martha Valenta is a social media manager with a diverse background in experience design, art, and advocacy. With over a decade of experience in UX and Product Management for Fortune 500 corporations and startups, she brings a user-centric approach to creating engaging, impactful content that resonates with audiences across various platforms.
Prior to managing social media for Disabled Journalists Association (DJA), Martha successfully managed the online presence of several organizations, including St. Louis Experience Design professional organization (STLX), I Need That Art gallery, DangerSloth designs, and her own fine art account. Her ability to craft compelling narratives, foster community engagement, and develop effective strategies has been instrumental in promoting the missions and values of these organizations.
As an artist with ADHD, Martha creates accessible, abstract, sensory-based pieces that convey aspects of living with the condition, aiming to build empathy and acceptance.
Through her social media management at DJA and her strong background in accessible User Experience design, she advocates for greater inclusivity in the media industry and beyond, raising awareness about the unique perspectives and strengths that individuals with disabilities bring to their work.
Russell Midori is a Hispanic-American photojournalist and documentary producer from New York City. He shoots and edits local breaking news for WPIX and has worked around the world for nearly 20 years telling stories focused on conflict, crime, and civil unrest. Midori first became interested in improving accessibility for disabled reporters after founding Military Veterans in Journalism, where he regularly worked with disabled veterans pursuing careers in news media. Midori continues to serve on the board of MVJ, as well as that of Overseas Press Club Foundation. He is a veteran Marine who used the GI Bill to earn masters degrees from John Jay and Columbia University in criminal justice and investigative journalism. Learn more about his professional journey and personal passions at www.russellmidori.com
Leezel Tanglao is a bridge journalist at the intersection of editorial, product and business development. She has worked at several media companies including The Points Guy, HuffPost, Associated Press, CNN, CBSNews.com, VICE News, NowThis, ABCNews.com, KCBS/KCAL and Press-Enterprise. She is currently the Assistant Managing Editor for Digital at Dallas Morning News. She is Immediate Past President of the Filipino Young Leaders Program (FYLPRO) and cofounder and project director of FYLPRO’s Tayo, a data innovation hub and media literacy initiative.