Mobility & Inclusion

Zully JF Alvarado is an entrepreneur, educator, designer, and philanthropist who has devoted her life to bettering the lives of children and persons with disabilities.

She was hired as consultant by LCM Architects on their project to make the

public schools accessible to the disabled. Ever active in community affairs, she’s served on the Boards of Access Living Center for Independent Living and the Chicago Foundation for Women; and at present serves on the Advisory Board of Chicago Community Trust Disability Fund and proud member of ADA25 Advancing Leadership.

Her accomplishments were recognized in 2011 when named by Chicago Magazine as a Chicagoan of the Year.

Along the way, she founded a philanthropic non-profit, Causes for Change

International, for impacting communities in areas of health, education, leading towards economic self-sufficiency in the Americas. She has created cultural exchange opportunities and organized and led medical missions to serve the poor in the South and Central Americas, the region where she was born.

Zully is a principal player, providing expertise on disability law & policy and

on the principles and practice of Universal Design.

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Chris graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Music at Rhode Island College in 2015.

Chris has also been certified as a Peer Specialist in the State of Massachusetts since 2016.

He has lived experience in both dealing with anxiety & trauma, and in living as an autistic person.

As a result of his lived experiences, Chris came into Peer Support work with the desire and passion to support people receiving services in creating their own life path and to help create meaningful systemic change in both the mental health and public health systems.

Chris currently works as the Director of the Recovery Education and Learning Program at Bay Cove Human Services in Boston, Massachusetts and has been in this role since 2019.” 

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A female leader in the healthcare industry in the field of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. She built her reputation throughout her 30 years career in physical therapy. An immigrant from the Philippines who devoted her time in the US treating patients who are coming fresh from surgery and helping them get out of bed and return to their normal lives. She is currently the Director of Operations of Interstate Rehab Services.  Minie is also a member of the advisory board of numerous colleges and universities in Southern California, who is responsible for the implementation and maintenance of regulatory requirements in Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy.  She was awarded the top Leadership Award in her company several times because of how she is able to bring the company through hard times and most recently, during the coronavirus pandemic. Her passion is helping people achieve their highest potential and bringing up their talents to full use.

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David Sharif is the Magna Cum Laude graduate of Pace University with a degree in Political Science and Peace & Justice Studies.

David works as a job coach for a large New York City-based nonprofit and a social media moderator for a worldwide organization serving the neurodiversity community.

In March 2021, David published his first poetry book titled, “The Empowerment of My condition,” a chronicle of his autism journey.

He is also a passionate globetrotter, eager to study new cultures.

David’s vision is to continue breaking barriers, speaking professionally to various audiences globally about autism-related topics.

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Laura Mineff is a Universal Design Method extraordinaire that strives to guide others in the joy of creating their own reality! Her mission is to provide design expertise to focus on enhancing and altering the environments in the home and workspace to create happiness and well-being through the Universal Design Method. Through her company, Array Design Studio, she brings love and joy into every working and living space. Laura has been very successful by incorporating the Universal Design Method to add value to the home with modifications that benefit those who are challenged with the realities of life and aging to those who embrace new technology and a beautiful living environment. 

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With a mission to provide opportunities to differently-abled entertainers,

Jon-Lee Campbell and her partner Michael Ray strive to create and find material and prospects for differently-abled actors.

Most importantly, the pair have maintained a unified goal, which is to bring awareness to both seen and unseen disabilities.

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Dawn is an award-winning actress, motivational speaker, writer, and comedian who has written, produced, sole-financed, performed, and presented “Always Going Up” in the Los Angeles area.

In 2002, Dawn was the proud recipient of The Norman G. Brooks Comedy Competition. She went on to create a 35 mm short entitled “Shattering Images,” and a full-length digital feature film entitled “Dangerous Perceptions,” in which she starred in, wrote, produced, and financed.

Both are currently seeking distribution.

Dawn’s mission is to encourage the public and the Hollywood industry to look beyond her “packaging.” It is her sincere hope that her talent, passion, persistence, and integrity will enlighten decision-makers to hire more than just the “Hollywood type” and to be open to creative casting.

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• Eileen is an actress, writer, director, producer, and has an extensive resume in casting. She has been hired to write screenplays and has produced several films and a pilot.​
•  Eileen was born in Anchorage, Alaska. She trained at the Alliance theater in Georgia and at HB Studios in New York city. In LA she works mostly in television and constantly trains at the Actors Studio under the guidance of Martin Landau, Allan Miller, Barbra Bain, Lou Antonio, Mark Rydell, and Caitlin Adams.​
• Recently Eileen was in HBO’s Watchmen, CBS’s SWAT and All Rise, NBC’s New Amsterdam, Netflix’s The Politician, and in ABC’s the Strumptown. ​
• Eileen has been in many films and TV shows including NBC’s Game of SIlence, sons of anarchy,Criminal minds, Bones, Fear the Walking Dead, HBO’s Hung & Enlightened, Benched, Instant Mom, CSI: Miami, the Mentalist, etc.
• Eileen has overcome many unimaginable challenges; she’s been a fighter all her life and she refuses to give up her quest to create an all-inclusive entertainment industry. ​
• Eileen is an advocate for children with disabilities, families with genetic cancers, and fights for the inclusion of performers with disabilities in film and television.​

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Donna Russo is proud to be an Ambassador for the Abilities Expo for the last 4 years.

Donna was born with Turners Syndrome, a chromosomal disorder in which a female is born with only one X chromosome, and now has adult onset FSH Muscular Dystrophy, a condition that slowly robs the muscles of movement. The two conditions are unrelated. She is 4′ 5″tall, many women with Turners Syndrome are of small stature. Donna started dancing at the age of 10 with ballet and tap and later adding jazz, modern and acting classes.

She graduated from Mercyhurst University with a BA in Dance. Donna had her heart set on joining a ballet company, but she found out that for many companies she was considered too short. She was still determined to dance, and found a place in the dance world performing as elves, aliens, dolls and monsters in Television, Film and Music Videos. She was on the National Tour of Alvin and the Chipmunks and the Magic Camera as Alvin, performed in Lord of the Rings, Passions, Power Rangers and in many other roles.

In addition to dance, Donna was in the hospitality industry for 30 years, working her way up to an Entertainment Sales Manager position where she assisted music industry/television production clientele with accommodations. Donna received awards for sales and was voted “Top Dog” award recipient two years in a row by music industry professionals.

Donna has often been asked to speak to various groups, which has led her to becoming a motivational speaker.

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