The Center for Leadership in Disability (CLD) is a beacon for disability advocacy at Georgia State University and across Georgia, with an increasing focus on intersectionality and justice. We are committed to deepening the conversation and promoting reflection and action to address ongoing bias, structural racism, and racial violence and discrimination that impacts the health and wellbeing of all individuals. We stand with communities of color and acknowledge the chronic trauma that racism has had on generations of individuals. As a beacon that aims to walk alongside and lift the voices of individuals with disabilities and their families in the fight for meaningful inclusion and belongingness, we acknowledge the added trauma that ableism has had on individuals of color who also have disabilities.

As we do this work, we must acknowledge that change begins with each of us. We must intentionally examine how we contribute to continuing or dismantling racial trauma and structural oppression for all individuals, including individuals with disabilities within underrepresented racial and ethnic communities. And we must do more to shift the resources and decision-making power in our research, community training, community service, and leadership to individuals of color, including those with disabilities.

Our work for equitable systems began in 2008, and it continues. You can find our past and current initiatives here:

Latino Community of Practice: Supporting Families with Children and Youth with Disabilities (LCPR)
Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Plan
Project Aware: https://cld.gsu.edu/ymhfa/ and https://cld.gsu.edu/ubs-school/
MCHB Disparities

Workforce Diversity Initiatives

• Catalyst
• SPOTS
• GaLend
• IDEAL
• MHAT (coming soon)
• The Confess Project (coming soon)
• NCRN (past intitiative)