Dedicated to amplifying and uplifting the voices of disabled women and girls

Started by one Marylander with a disability that has a fierce passion for changing the world for the better

Read My Latest Posts

Featured Advocacy and Media Links

Disabled people are disproportionately impacted by violence and crime, per recent data (PT 1)

As disability advocacy evolves over time, fight for equity and community building remains (PT 2)

The Brightside: Getting to know Dominique Sessa, a local philanthropist

Speaking and Listening for the Eastern Shore’s Disabled with Dominique Sessa

Crafters Sew 3 Masks in Memory of Leake Family

New Member Monday February 2021

Locals advocating for people with disabilities, helping to make workplaces more inclusive

A 25-year-old woman was surprised with a car parade during quarantine

“For most people, technology makes things easier.
For people with disabilities, however,
technology makes things possible.”
– Mary Pat Radabaugh

Want to connect with me? Send all inquiries, questions, and thoughts to my email below:

thegirlinthepinkwheelchair@gmail.com

Maryland State Arts Council #ADA 30

Video Description: Dominique, a White Italian woman is wearing wayfarers glasses and gold Sicily shaped hoop earrings. She has on a white lace headband, her dark brown hair in a bun, and a white top. She is in the video; it is auto captioned. She is discussing what the 30th Anniversary ADA and Disability Justice means to her.

I had the fantastic opportunity of being involved with the Maryland State Arts Council video project for their ADA 30 Celebration. Here’s my video!

What a great way to represent our local Eastern Shore community, as well as Salisbury too! Thank you to the Maryland State Arts Council for including me in their ADA 30 Celebration.

Salisbury, Maryland and Eastern Shore Maryland Advocate

Something that I’m extremely passionate about is making sure that my local community and the Eastern Shore of Maryland is represented in conversations of disability advocacy. Making sure that disability is represented in our local community! Rural advocacy is important. Not just for me, but for all disabled people!

Salisbury, Maryland is becoming known for its ability to adapt— and create positive changes.

I love what it’s doing for the disability community. As a proud Salisbury resident, my goal is to always foster more access and education.

CITY OF SALISBURY

THIS IS TO CERTIFY THAT THE MAYOR OF THE CITY OF SALISBURY HAS AWARDED

THE

MAYOR'S AWARD FOR CITIZEN SERVICE

TO Dominique Sessa

FOR

Exceptionally Meritorious Service to the City of Salisbury

At the onset of the COVID-19 Pandemic, Ms. Sessa led a herculean effort in making and distributing thousands of high quality masks to the City of Salisbury and Delmarva community. These masks were, and continue to be, instrumental in slowing COVID-19 and have surely lessened the amount of preventable deaths. Ms. Sessa's actions are exemplary of the highest expectations of a citizen of Salisbury.

DECEMBER 20, 2020 CITY OF SALISBURY OFFICE OF THE MAYOR

for CALZE WARD CITY UISBU SURY, MARYLAND THE SEAL 2020

JULIA ACTING MAYOR

Mayor’s Award for Citizen’s Services

“Yesterday City officials and community leaders gathered to give community advocate Dominique Sessa a surprise Christmas parade and present her with the only Mayor’s Award for Citizen Service to be awarded for the year 2020.

At the beginning of the pandemic, back in early Spring, our friend Dom Sessa led efforts to make and distribute thousands of high-quality masks to those in need of personal protective equipment. Dom has been instrumental in helping those in need around her as an active member of Lower Shore Vulnerable Populations Task Force. She manages all of this while quarantined to her home since February due to being high-risk because of a genetic neuromuscular disorder.” City of Salisbury, MD

#KindSBY: Kindness Commissioner

Video description: the video opens reading, “From one heart fo another, kindness travel.” Dominique is the first Kindness Comissioner featured. She waves and shows off that she is holding a heart that reads “#KindSBY.” She is a white Italian young woman, wearing red large heart hoop earrings, a pink watch and a pink bracelet, and a black sweater. Her brown hair is braided. She wears Wayfarer glasses. The video features other Kindness Commissioners; they feature their #KindSBY hearts; passing them right to left in a chain. They all have individual video clips, but the clips are synchronized. The ending of the video reads: “#KindSBY where kindness lives.”

Image Description: the logo for KindSBY. The text reads: 1st World Kindness USA City. #KindSBY Salisbury, MD. wwwkindsby.com where kindness lives

I love being a Kindness Commissioner for Kind SBY. If you ask me what I love doing or what my passion is, I think I would easily say it’s helping people or making the world better. My fellow Commissioners encompass that.

The love, passion and kindness that goes into Kind SBY is why it’s so close to my heart. The passion that goes into making SBY a more loving, beautiful community is beautiful.

Volunteer Life During COVID-19:

In March of 2020, I organized a PPE drive called “Delmarva COVID Crafters.” We now are a crafting club for charity called “Delmarva Crafters.” We craft for charity, are inclusive of adaptive crafting, and help support our local underserved community. Our desire is for everyone to be safe, cared for, and supported during a pandemic— and post pandemic. Adaptive PPE is a passion of mine. Everyone deserves designs that improves their lives– and makes impacts. It continues to be something that I advocate and push forward for. I am so grateful that the pandemic has allowed me to craft something meaningful and lasting!

Adaptive PPE Partners

It’s been amazing to be able to collaborate and partner with so many fantastic initiatives to help those with disabilities stay safe during COVID-19!

Please click the link below to learn more about how these organizations are keeping our disability community safe. If you are interested in producing Adaptive PPE, let me know!

Learn About My Collaborations

Video Description: Text on Video reads “Meet a Maker: Dominique Sessa.” At bottom it says, @DelmarvaCovidCrafters. To the right is a photo of Dominique. She is a white Italian woman. She has on wayfarers glasses and is looking into the camera with a smile. Her hair is messily framing her face. The background is orange. In the top hand corner is the Open Source Medical Supplies logo

Supporters of Adaptive PPE

a Barbie doll with dark brown skin is sitting in a blue manual chair. She has black coily hair & it’s pulled into 2 puffs. She’s wearing jeans and a striped shirt.

Committed to Accessibility

I’m committed to accessibility in all ways. If something is inaccessible or could be improved, please email me. The ideal world to me is a world where everyone has access.
William & Megan James