Activist collaborators

The following women are collaborators in the research project Ableism, the dis/ability binary and beyond.

A photo of Dr. Marjorie Aunos (Photo credit: © Valerie Rosen Photography)

Dr. Marjorie Aunos (she/her) is a well-known scholar and psychologist in the field of parenting and disability. She became a feminist disability activist through public speaking and alliances of disabled parents and addresses ableism through the initiatives such as events to Amplify the Voices of Parents with disabilities, a Parenting Done Differently Podcast where she interviewed Scholars, parents with disabilities and children of parents with disabilities and a TEDx Talk entitled What we can Learn from Parents with Disabilities that has over 320.000 views. Marjorie Aunos has taught at several universities, presents at scientific conferences, and publishes her research in renowned academic journals. She has recently published her book Mom on wheels: The Power of Purpose as a Parent with Paraplegia and regularly shares on her social media accounts about issues around accessibility.

Mag. Eva Egermann (she/her) is a researcher, artist, author, and feminist disability activist. In 2012, she launched the magazine project Crip Magazine (https://cripmagazine.evaegermann.com), a project closely linked to the disability rights movement. 5 Issues of this self-published magazine have come out so far. In 2023 the project has been handed over to a collective editorial group, that continues the production of Crip Magazine on a broader basis. Together with filmmaker Cordula Thym, Egermann produced the docu-fiction television show C-TV (If I Tell You I Like You …) in 2023, which outlines the utopia of an inclusive world of film and the media in a humorous way, for which she and Thym received the Award for Innovative Cinema Award Diagonale Filmfestival. Eva Egermann has broad experience in international collaborations and was visiting researcher at the University of California in Berkeley. She is participant of the PhD-in-Practice-Program of the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna. Eva Egermann has taught at numerous universities and art academies across Europe and has received several awards for her work.

A photo of Mag. Eva Egermann (Photo credit: © Marija Šabanović)

Embla Guðrúnard. Ágústsdóttir, BA MA (she/her) is spokesperson of Tabú (https://www.tabu.is/), an Icelandic disability feminist movement for social justice working against intersectional discrimination against disabled people. Uncovering ableism is an important part of her work. Embla Guðrúnard. Ágústsdóttir completed her Bachelor in the field of Sociology and Gender Studies with honors and her Master’s degree in a research-based Sociology Program at the University of Akureyri, Iceland. She has many years of experience as a feminist disability activist and was president of the Icelandic Center of Personal Assistance.

Embla was a collaborator in this research project until 2024.

A photo of Embla Guðrúnard. Ágústsdóttir, BA MA

Maria R. Palacios (she/her) is an award-winning author, poet, educator, and feminist disability activist. Her work includes performances and workshops throughout the US, one of them being the piece Naming Ableism. Her publications include Bubbles of ableism, The female king and the Criptionary. In addition, Maria R. Palacios has been active as Goddess on Wheels and on her blog, Cripstory (https://cripstory.wordpress.com).

Ingrid Palmer, BA (she/her) is an award-winning speaker, bestselling author, and social justice consultant. She is the Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Accesibility Leading To Belonging *(IDEAL-2B) Chief Officer at Realise Canada. As a visually impaired former foster kid Mrs. Palmer founded Focus On Ability to combat ableism, challenge bias, promote universal belonging, drive systemic change and debunking myths and stereotypes of stigmatized identities. Her acclaimed storytelling and writing highlights traditionally unheard perspectives of intersectionality, marginalized leadership, and community capacity. Ingrid’s dedication to advancing EDI principle is deeply rooted in her living experiences of early childhood trauma, foster care, disability, and genderbased violence. As an advocate, Mrs. Palmer has championed issues in the housing, poverty, education, disability, and child welfare sectors. She has been instrumental in initiatives of poverty reduction, decent work, and gender equity.