History

The Harvard Alumni Disability Alliance was probably founded in May, 2023. Until that time, within the Harvard alumni community, there had never been a Shared Interest Group organized around disability. Harvard alumni with disabilities, or whose family members live with disability, have unique experiences, considerations, needs, and virtues that had not been either reflected or shared in a formally recognized, disability-related SIG. People with disabilities, of which there are more than 1 billion around the world and many within the Harvard alumni network, encounter unique and multiplicative barriers to social participation that preclude their involvement in many aspects of life. The lack of community and inclusion of many people with disabilities is detrimental; it is detrimental, not only for people with disabilities, themselves, who can remain marginalized from the communities of which they are a part and the futures they can create, but also detrimental for a world that is made better, richer, and more just by virtue of this very inclusion. Work towards this collectively-beneficial end requires everyone. In order for members of this community to be visible and engaged – and, as a result, for the prevalent perception of disability to be deconstructed and reconstructed – it is important for Harvard disabled alumni to share experiences with one another, and it is incumbent on thought leaders from all disciplines and people from all backgrounds to be a part of making change happen. Harvard Alumni Disability Alliance is designed to create the space for Harvard alumni who care about disability to unite around a shared identity, and bring together individuals who can help to make new conversations and solutions a reality.