PRIDES Learning Series: Advocacy, Acceptance and Pride: Feeling Pride in All of Your Identities
February 4 @ 10:00 am - 11:00 am
PRIDES Learning Series Session 6
Advocacy, Acceptance and Pride: Feeling Pride in All of Your Identities
This powerful session will offer a first-person perspective from a strong advocate, Thomas Mangrum, Jr., who is a leader of DC’s self-advocacy coalition, is active in DC’s Gay community, and participates in Pride, Black Pride and Disability Pride events. He will discuss the importance of both advocacy and acceptance. Phyllis Holton, long-time advisor to Project ACTION!, will highlight the importance of allies who stand with and support people with disabilities and other intersecting identities.
Presenters: Thomas Mangrum, Jr. and Phyllis Holton
Thomas Mangrum, Jr.
Thomas Mangrum, Jr., is a strong self-advocate, eloquent speaker, and Co-President of Project ACTION!, a regional self-advocacy coalition in the District of Columbia. He is also an advocate in the gay community. He serves on WMATA’s Multimodal Accessibility Advisory Committee (MAAC) as an advisor to public transit officials, two local family advisory councils, DDS’ Medicaid Waiver Advisory Committee, the UCEDD and Lifeline Partnership Committee, and other committees. Thomas helps trains lawyers, Georgetown University medical students, and disability professionals to know how to best support people with disabilities.
Thomas is a District native and is known by name by most of the City Council members. He is active at all levels of advocacy and speaks strongly on behalf of District citizens with developmental disabilities, to preserve and increase funding for services and supports. Thomas is active at local and national conferences and presents on a variety of self-advocacy and legislative topics.
Thomas is a busy advocate who loves going to the theater, movies, opera, and participating in Special Olympics in the Nation’s Capital. He has musical talents, enjoys singing, and plays bongo drums at his local park.
Thomas was one of the first District residents to purchase his own home through the District of Columbia’s Home of Your Own Project and is a strong advocate for affordable and accessible housing for people with developmental disabilities, accessibility in neighborhoods and transportation.
Phyllis A. Holton
Phyllis Holton has over 30 years’ experience working and advocating with and on behalf of people with developmental disabilities. Phyllis is the Deputy Director of Outreach and Development at Quality Trust for Individuals with Disabilities, an advocacy organization supporting people with developmental disabilities and their families. She coordinates several projects that support best-practice outcomes for people with developmental disabilities and their families.
Phyllis is a long time co-advisor and volunteer with Project ACTION!, a self-advocacy coalition. She supports members to coordinate conferences, solicit funds and manage grant funds, and increase their presence as self-advocacy leaders and change agents. A communications expert, she amplifies the lives and impact of people with disabilities through the stories she writes.