RDA Strategies

On June 18, 2025, I shared remarks during an Autistic Pride Day webinar hosted by the Department of Aging and Disabilities and L.A. Found.

The discussion explored wandering prevention and supports for autistic individuals and people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, highlighting how health systems, policy, education, and communities intersect.

Every person deserves safety, inclusion, and dignity without stigma. Families should never feel isolated navigating systems intended to support them.

Autistic Pride Day reminds us that neurodivergent people bring strengths, perspectives, and values that deserve recognition and respect.

Building safer communities requires shared responsibility and continued collaboration across systems.

On May 6, 2025, I represented Inclusive Sol at the Early Start to Early Childhood Transition Resource Fair hosted by Frank D. Lanterman Regional Center.

The event served as a reminder that while services matter, community often sustains families navigating transitions. Across California, Regional Centers play an important role in connecting individuals with developmental disabilities and their families to supports, services, and resources throughout different stages of life.

At the same time, national conversations around Medicaid funding highlighted how policy decisions directly affect children, caregivers, providers, and communities.

Local gatherings make policy personal.

Behind every funding decision are families seeking support, connection, and opportunities to thrive.

These moments reinforce why advocacy matters and why systems change begins with people. They also serve as a reminder that strong systems require continued investment in the services, partnerships, and communities families rely on.

On April 29, 2025, I attended RENEW 2025: LA Cultural Forum, focused on disability, culture, accessibility, and community futures.

The day felt like both a reunion and a reminder of what’s possible when disability communities lead conversations shaping policy, culture, and public life. These gatherings create momentum for change that carries into future actions.

One message that stayed with me came from disability advocate and artist Coco Atama, also known as Blind Thrasher:

“When you are at your lowest, look at what broke you down. Weather the storm. You are not less than.”

The reflection stayed with me because it spoke to resilience, perspective, and the power of communities to reframe narratives.

The forum discussed accessibility and the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Inclusion demands investment, accountability, and community voice, not just visibility.

On August 14, 2024, the Los Angeles County Commission on Disabilities, in collaboration with the Aging & Disabilities Department, hosted its inaugural webinar on cerebral palsy, which became the department’s most attended webinar to date.

The event went beyond awareness, highlighting stronger recognition of cerebral palsy and the need for accessible information and support.

Earlier that year, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors unanimously passed the County’s first motion dedicated to cerebral palsy, initiated through Inclusive Sol. The webinar became an early step in translating policy into action.

Since 2022, Inclusive Sol and County partners have collaborated to support families navigating cerebral palsy. These efforts reinforce a larger goal: building stronger systems that make information easier to access and help families feel less isolated.

For Los Angeles County, where hundreds of babies are born with cerebral palsy annually, sustained awareness and coordinated support remain important.

On March 6, 2024, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors passed the first motion dedicated to cerebral palsy in County history, introduced by Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell and advanced in partnership with Inclusive Sol.

The motion aimed to strengthen cross-department coordination, increase access to resources, and elevate awareness of cerebral palsy across County systems. The effort reflected a broader opportunity: ensuring disability is more visible within public planning, services, and community conversations.

Inclusive Sol was created to expand access to information, strengthen community connection, and help improve how systems respond over time. What began through resource sharing evolved into efforts advancing awareness, partnerships, and systems level change.

A meaningful moment was seeing all five Supervisors wear green ribbons during Cerebral Palsy Awareness Month, signaling visibility for a community often overlooked.

This milestone reinforced something I continue to see: Systems evolve when communities, public leaders, and organizations work together to turn awareness into action.

On February 17, 2024, I was honored to receive the Pow(HER)ful Nonprofit Leader Award, presented by Councilmember Heather Hutt and Los Angeles City Council District 10 in recognition of nonprofit leadership and community impact.

Recognition matters, but the most important work is often done by people impacting communities without acknowledgment.

The event brought together leaders, advocates, and changemakers committed to strengthening communities in different ways. Reflections shared by Tammi Mac, award-winning radio host, actress, and community advocate, on civil rights pioneer Claudette Colvin served as a reminder that courage often begins long before recognition follows.

Likewise, the event was filled with unsung heroes contributing every day in their homes, workplaces, and communities. As Tammi Mac shared:

“Heroes don’t have to shine bright, just a little.”

The Love Hutt event, hosted in the Baldwin Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles, was a celebration of self-love, empowerment, and community. Women from diverse backgrounds gathered for an afternoon centered on inspiration, wellness, and connection.

Leadership is rarely individual. Progress happens through communities that continue to show up for one another.

As Maya Angelou once said: “Try to be a rainbow in someone else’s cloud.”

“We have to be more humane, empathetic, and beyond charitable.” ~ will.i.am

To will.i.am’s reflection: absolutely.

On June 6 and 7, 2023, I attended the Social Innovation Summit, hosted by Landmark Ventures, which brought together leaders exploring the future of work, artificial intelligence, social impact, and economic mobility.

The conversations reinforced a growing need for continued collaboration across sectors to address increasingly complex challenges affecting communities.

One takeaway remained clear: meaningful impact requires moving beyond charitable intentions toward systems designed for long-term equity, opportunity, and belonging.

At a time of rapid change, questions about how we strengthen communities, expand access, and create lasting impact require more than isolated efforts. They call for partnership, innovation, and willingness to rethink traditional approaches.

The summit served as a reminder that social impact is strongest when empathy is paired with action and systems evolve alongside the communities they intend to support.

I have long supported the Downtown Women’s Center and deeply value its mission.

Conversations at the Social Innovation Summit, including the panel Housing Is Health: Housing as a Determinant of Health Equity & Outcomes, reinforced the important reality that health, housing, and economic stability are deeply interconnected.

We must continue challenging assumptions about people experiencing homelessness. One common misconception is that employment alone resolves housing instability. In reality, many people experiencing homelessness are employed, some working multiple jobs, while continuing to face barriers related to affordability, health, and systemic inequities.

These conversations served as a reminder that health outcomes, opportunity, and stability are shaped by multiple conditions beyond healthcare alone. Addressing disparities requires approaches grounded in dignity, evidence, and collaboration.

Furthermore, on June 14, 2023, a presentation developed with the Downtown Women’s Center for the California Behavioral Health Planning Council provided an opportunity to highlight the role of employment social enterprises and programs such as LA:RISE in supporting pathways toward stability and opportunity.

The work continues, reminding us that housing is not separate from health. It is one of the conditions shaping it.