Imani Barbarin
Imani Barbarin is a disability rights and inclusion activist and speaker who uses her voice and social media platforms to create conversations engaging the disability community. Born with cerebral palsy, Imani often writes and uses her platform to speak from the perspective of a disabled black woman.
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Living, Working and Thriving with Chronic Illness
In a world built on ableism and setup for a very specific type of person to thrive and win, what does work look like when brands and individuals make space for the entire human experience? Imani explores the realities of navigating work while living with a chronic illness and/or a disability, how to advocate for yourself while achieving your work goals and how companies can create a work environment that supports every body.
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Ableds Are Weird
In this talk, Imani recounts her personal experiences with ableist microaggressions and how those interactions informed her of how she was seen as a disabled person moving through society. Connect the dots from everyday interactions to public policy and how one may unlearn these biases.
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Things Disabled People Know
Imani created the tag #ThingsDisabledPeopleKnow to explore media representations of disabled people they often don’t have in making. Stereotypes form that disabled people have to live by and for accurate representation, disabled people must be involved in every level of media and entertainment production. There is no substitute for the things disabled people know.
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Patients Are Not Faking
In response to a viral video poking fun at patients, Imani started this hashtag to address the many ways in which medical professionals discount their patients and put them in harm’s way. This is especially true of black and disabled people for whom access to care is difficult and when they are able to receive it, they are often not believed by providers. Imani discusses her own story in medicine and challenges the non-disabled people to hold providers and themselves accountable.
See Imani Barbarin in action.
Crutches & Spice
In the last few years she has created over a dozen trending hashtags that allow disabled folk the opportunity to have their perspectives heard while forcing the world to take notice. #PatientsAreNotFaking, #ThingsDisabledPeopleKnow, #AbledsAreWeird and others each provide a window into disabled life while forming community.
Imani is from the Philadelphia area and holds a Masters in Global Communications from the American University of Paris, her published works include those in Forbes, Rewire, Healthline, BitchMedia and more. She runs the blog CrutchesAndSpice.com and a podcast of the same name.
Our speakers get attention.
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Why Disability TikToker Imani Barbarin Pushed Back On COVID RestrictionsTikTok creator Imani Barbarin has made a name for herself as a witty and vocal advocate for the disabled community, and she won’t stop now even though COVID-19 restrictions have…
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Disability rights activist Imani Barbarin on the systemic obstacles facing the disabled communityWriter discussed social media and the effects of the pandemic at virtual event
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Trolls Can’t Stop This Black and Disabled Activist From Taking Over TikTokImani Barbarin is ready for uncomfortable but necessary conversations.
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Disabled and worthy with Imani BarbarinHear from advocates on the front lines of seeking racial justice, disability inclusion and to be seen as their whole selves.
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People with disabilities are sharing their uncomfortable experiences with able-bodied people on TwitterImani Barbarin is a vocal advocate for getting disabled people more visible in the media.
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Imani writes about disabled people for Forbes MagazineAs a communications professional, public speaker, writer and blogger, I explore disability culture as well as society and business’s perceptions of disabled people from the perspective of...
"Imani was incredible, from beginning to end, we're so, so grateful for her speaking."
