Jessica Lopez
Disability Inclusion Leader
Speaker
Consultant
Leader
What I Do
Born without hands and feet, my lived experience as a disabled woman informs my advocacy for more inclusive and accessible education and workforces. I'm on a mission to interrupt the narratives we are often led to believe about people with disabilities in order to make the world more equitable.
About Me
Jessica Lopez is a disability advocate and full-time student triple-majoring in Business, Economics, and Communications at Coastline College. Born without hands and feet, Jessica's lived experience as a disabled student informs her advocacy for more inclusive and accessible education and workforces.As Vice President of Coastline Associated Student Government, Jessica authored and championed a disability inclusion resolution that advanced to the state level. She also formerly served in the Student Senate for California Community Colleges (SSCCC), a non-profit student organization recognized by California law to represent 2 million students in state-level legislative advocacy. Through her work with the SSCCC, Jessica advocated for marginalized students in the education system and independently led student efforts to campaign for disability rights. She took her passion for advocacy to the California state capitol, where she met with legislators to advocate for more accessible education.Alongside her academic and advocacy work, Jessica is active in the corporate world, having spoken to over 800 people on accessible education, the ADA, accessible tech, and social disability inclusion strategies. She develops training modules on disability inclusion, and consults on accessibility and disability-inclusive DEI strategy. She has been spotlighted by LinkedIn, and featured in VeryWell and Ms Magazine. With experiences spanning social enterprises, B2B tech, nonprofits, and public institutions, Jessica works to interrupt the narratives we are often led to believe about people with disabilities in order to make the world more equitable.
Speaking Engagements
Publicity
Portfolio
Highlights
Key creations that exemplify my work.
The History of Disabled People
by Jessica Lopez and Eric Prince
From ugly laws, to eugenics, to the ADA, this an article on the rarely told history of disabled people.
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Student Experience and Universal Design
Fall 2022
Presented to the California Virtual Campus, this presentation demonstrates why online education is important and how teachers can deliver instruction for the next generation of students with and without disabilities.
Coastline ASG Disability Inclusion Resolution
Spring 2022
This presentation gives an overview of the resolution I spearheaded as Vice President of Coastline Associated Student Government for greater accessible education.
Presentations
Payan v. LACCD case brief
Spring 2022
An overview of this landmark case to present actions that can be taken to advocate for disabled students.
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The SSCCC
Fall 2021
The background, history, and purpose of the Student Senate for California Community Colleges (SSCCC), and the role of student delegates in the legislative process.
Articles
My Adventure as an Intern at Alation
by Jessica Lopez
When I discovered Alation's internship program, I only knew two things. I loved learning and storytelling. This is the story of my 12 weeks at Alation.
How Simplify helped Jessica land her first internship!
by Jessica Lopez and Michael Yan
Sit down with Jessica Lopez to talk about her experience using Simplify this past year!
Social Media
@RealJessL
As a disability advocate, my most powerful audience lies within LinkedIn.
@Diversability
As former social media manager for Diversability, I spent a year developing the social media content and investing in the community.
Instagram Guides
TikTok
132,000+ likes
658,000+ views
* As of February 2022
Collaborate with me!
Let's work together!
Hire me as a speaker
Having spoken in front of over 800 people, I've developed presentations covering disability inclusion, accessible education, and issues currently impacting the disability community. I'd love to partner with you to tailor a message for your needs that center disability perspectives.
Partner with me
With a reach of over 1 million in 2022 on LinkedIn, I've developed a strategy to reach audiences on technologies and programs, reaching over 20,000 people per post. I'd love to collaborate with you on a potential partnership.
Consulting & thought partnership
Accessibility is vital, but difficult to manage without integration into the disability community. I can help you develop and execute an inclusion or accessibility plan that suits your organization's needs. Possibilities include a disability-inclusive DEI plan, developing a custom workshop, or something else you have in mind.