Women Embracing Abilities Now-Charlotte

03/24/2026

We gathered in truth,spoke in layers, and held space for each other fully.

At WEAN Charlotte’s first International Women’s Day celebration:

Judith Brown reminded us that knowing our history is power and that advocacy starts with understanding the systems that shape our lives.

Auria Perry called us deeper into accountability, into inclusion, into making sure all voices, especially q***r voices, are heard in disability advocacy.

Xuan Truong brought us home grounding us in community care and the way we show up for one another.

This is what it looks like when we build with intention.
This is what it feels like when community is real.



🎥 Accessible Video Description
A community gathering takes place at Dupp & Swat in Charlotte for WEAN Charlotte’s International Women’s Day event. Attendees of diverse backgrounds and abilities sit together in an intimate, welcoming space. The video includes moments of attendees listening, engaging, and connecting throughout the event.

03/12/2026

Women Embracing Abilities Now (WEAN) Charlotte

Today we honor the anniversary of the historic Capitol Crawl, a defining moment in the disability rights movement.

On March 12, 1990, disability activists marched to the U.S. Capitol demanding passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). When they reached the steps, dozens left their wheelchairs, crutches, and mobility aids behind and crawled up the Capitol’s stone steps, forcing the nation to confront the barriers people with disabilities faced every day.

Those 83 steps were more than a climb—they were a declaration: access is a civil right. The courage of those activists helped push Congress to pass the ADA just months later.

At Women Embracing Abilities Now Charlotte, we honor their legacy by continuing the work, uplifting disabled women, advocating for accessibility, and building community where every voice, body, and story belongs.

Because the path to justice is rarely smooth…
but together, we keep climbing. ♿✨



Image Description

Black-and-white photograph of disability rights activists crawling up the steep stone steps of the U.S. Capitol during the historic Capitol Crawl protest. In the foreground, a Black young woman crawls backward up the stairs, using her hands and arms to pull herself step by step while looking over her shoulder. Other activists crawl ahead of her toward the Capitol building, whose dome rises in the background above the staircase. The image captures the determination of disability advocates who left their mobility devices behind to demonstrate the physical barriers they faced and demand the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Learn More: https://wams.nyhistory.org/end-of-the-twentieth-century/a-conservative-turn/disability-rights/?utm_source=chatgpt.com "Disability Rights"
https://disabilityrightsflorida.org/blog/entry/wheels_of_justice_march_capitol_crawl?utm_source=chatgpt.com "The Wheels of Justice March & Capitol Crawl"

03/01/2026

🌸 Women’s History Month | WEAN Charlotte

This month, we celebrate the women who moved mountains and the women who are still moving them.

At Women Embracing Abilities Now (WEAN) Charlotte, we honor the legacy of disabled women, especially Black and Brown women whose brilliance, resistance, and creativity shaped movements that history too often tried to whisper instead of shout.

We are here because they were here.
We rise because they refused to bow.

Women’s History Month is more than remembrance.
It is reclamation.
It is visibility.
It is leadership in motion.

Here’s to the artists, the advocates, the mothers, the mentors, the policy shapers, the dreamers and the young girls watching, learning, and becoming.

She was here.
She is here.
She will be. 💫



🖼️ Visual Description

A coral and pink illustrated graphic celebrating Women’s History Month. Across the top and bottom are stylized portraits of diverse women in profile, representing different races and hair textures. In the center, the word “WOMEN” appears in large, soft pink letters. In front of the letters stand illustrated women with visible and non-visible disabilities — including a woman using crutches, a woman with a guide dog, and others standing confidently. The overall tone is warm, vibrant, and empowering, emphasizing diversity, inclusion, and solidarity.

02/01/2026

✊🏾♿

Some wisdom doesn’t age, it sharpens.

Today, Women Embracing Abilities Now Charlotte is honored to share a powerful message from Kate Gainer, featured in the National Disability Rights Network’s Disability in Black series.

Kate’s voice carries decades of movement-building, street-level advocacy, and unwavering resolve. Her words are both a reminder and a challenge: the work is unfinished, the systems are still unequal, and the torch must keep moving forward, hand to hand, generation to generation.

To young advocates coming up now:
Listen closely. Learn deeply. Then rise boldly.
Our freedom has a lineage and you are next in line.

Kate, thank you for your courage, your service, and your lifelong commitment to disability justice. Your leadership continues to light the way. 🔥

🎥 Watch Kate’s powerful message here:
https://youtu.be/pUrs5Ar-PkY?si=bs40qDnaFADJWYUK

It’s day 15 of our series and we are truly honored to share some spirited wisdom from Kate Gainer! A lifelong advocate and activist,...

02/01/2026

Black History Month begins with a truth we refuse to whisper.

Disabled black women have always been here creating, resisting, shaping legacy.

The C.O.D.E. Collective is a call forward.
A space where art becomes language, history becomes fuel, and disabled young women of color learn the names, stories, and fire of the Black women who fought for civil rights and disability justice often without credit, always with courage.

If you are curious.
If you are creative.
If you are quietly powerful.
This space is for you.

✨ Kickoff Event
🗓 Sunday, March 8 — International Women’s Day

⏰ 1–5 PM
📍 Dupp & Swat
1824 Statesville Ave #105, Charlotte, NC 28206

Art. Advocacy. Community. Legacy in motion.

🎨 Apply today:
https://forms.gle/PfpqC3NQ6vnNs4bv8

⏳ Space is limited.

📩 Questions? Need Accommodations?

Email: Monique Stamps m.stamps@weanqc.com
📞 Call: 704.389.0734

Hosted by Women Embracing Abilities Now (WEAN) Charlotte

Because representation isn’t enough we build pathways.

Image Description (Alt Text)

A promotional flyer for the C.O.D.E. Collective (Colors of Disability Equality). The design features a black-and-white background image of disability rights advocate and activist Kate Gainer, a Black woman using a power wheelchair, smiling broadly with an expressive, joyful posture. Overlaid text reads: “Disabled young women of color creating legacy through art.” Additional text includes “Art. Advocacy. Community.” and “Call for Mentees.” An orange “Apply Today” callout appears next to a QR code, with “Space is Limited” below it. The flyer lists eligibility criteria for mentees, including being a disabled young woman of color, high school junior through college undergraduate, living in Mecklenburg County, NC, and being creative or quietly powerful. The overall tone is bold, empowering, and celebratory, with high-contrast text designed for accessibility.

01/19/2026

On January 19, we honor more than a holiday we answer a call to service. The third Monday in January has become a national day for action, inviting us to remember a visionary leader and to carry his work forward. He taught that injustice in one place threatens justice everywhere, and he showed that peaceful protest and solidarity can reshape the world.

Women Embracing Abilities Now–Charlotte stands in that tradition. As women with disabilities, we know true inclusion means accessible healthcare, an end to isolation and poverty, and support that reaches across differences. Dreams don’t come alive through laws alone; they need hands and hearts. On this day, we mentor, volunteer and build a city where women and girls of every ability can thrive. Join us in lifting every voice and creating spaces where no one is left behind.

Image Description
A high‑contrast, black‑and‑white illustration shows a thoughtful man in a suit facing left. Beside his portrait, flowing hand‑lettered text reads, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” Bold capital letters spell out his signature beneath the quote. The artwork uses strong black lines and swirling calligraphy on a white background, evoking a stencil or linocut print.

01/06/2026

Learning that 'no' is powerful. Saying yes to everything leaves nothing for yourself, especially with new limitations.

12/20/2025

Happy Holidays from Women Embracing Abilities Now (WEAN) Charlotte

May this season wrap you in warmth, dignity, and possibility.

We’re grateful for every voice, every ally, every woman who shows up boldly as herself.
As the year closes, we honor resilience, celebrate community, and look ahead with hope for a more accessible, inclusive tomorrow.

From our WEAN Charlotte family to yours—
peace in your body, joy in your spirit, and light on your path. ✨

Image Description
A winter holiday wreath made of frosted evergreen branches forms a full circle against a white background. Small red berries are woven throughout the greenery, and a bright red bow dusted with white snow sits at the top of the wreath. Below the wreath, the words “Happy Holidays” appear in dark green serif text. Underneath the text is the WEAN logo, a circular emblem reading “W.E.A.N. Women Embracing Abilities Now,” centered at the bottom of the image.

12/03/2025

Today, we honor our power.
International Day of Persons with Disabilities is more than a date on the calendar, it’s a call to remember who we are and who we’ve always been.

Mothers, daughters, artists, leaders.
Innovators, organizers, visionaries.
Women and girls with disabilities who reshape the world simply by living in it, loving in it, and refusing to disappear inside anyone’s shadow.

At Women Embracing Abilities Now – Charlotte, we celebrate disability as culture, identity, and community.
We champion voices that have been overlooked, brilliance that has been underestimated, and futures that deserve abundance, access, and joy.

Here’s to empowerment.
Here’s to sisterhood.
Here’s to rising — loudly, visibly, and together.



Image Description:
A warm-toned graphic featuring four illustrated figures in shades of red and gold raising their fists and waving large red flags. One figure is a woman using a wheelchair, another is a woman with a prosthetic leg, another is a child, and another is a standing woman — all moving forward in solidarity. Behind them is a soft beige background with abstract leaves and the faint outline of a world map. In the top right corner is the circular W.E.A.N. logo that reads “Women Embracing Abilities Now.” Bold text at the top reads: “International Day of Persons with Disabilities.”

12/01/2025

Aging Gracefully with Spinal Cord Injury_ A Message

Aging ain’t a slow fade… it’s a remix in our own rhythm.

On this short from the C.O.D.E Collective Podcast, the incomparable Twila Adams drops gems for women and girls with disabilities—especially those of us rocking life with spinal cord injuries.
She reminds us that aging gracefully isn’t quiet, small, or apologetic.

It’s knowing our bodies, honoring our limits, building strength, choosing joy on purpose, and letting wisdom be the luxury we wear every day.

We don’t age out of beauty, power, or freedom.
We age into it.

Press play. Soak it in. Save it for your future self.

✨♿️🌺 🧜🏾‍♀️

11/27/2025

11/26/2025

📊 Parents with disabilities: Your voice matters.

HSRI wants to hear from you.

HSRI (Human Services Research Institute) is conducting an independent evaluation of Brandeis University’s National Research Center for Parents with Disabilities Data Dashboard, and they’re inviting parents to share honest feedback.

🟣 What’s this about?
They want to learn how parents experience the Data Dashboard — what’s helpful, what’s confusing, and how it can better serve families.

🔎 Take a look at the Dashboard:
https://heller.brandeis.edu/parents-with-disabilities/data-hub/parenting-center-dashboard.html

🕒 When?
Any time that works for you — the session takes less than one hour.

💻 Where?
Online via Zoom or Teams.

💰 Thank You Gift:
Participants receive a $25 gift card for their time.

⚠️ Space is limited. First come, first served.

👉 RSVP Here:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/DataInterview

Image Description:
A promotional flyer split into two main vertical panels.
The left panel has a dark green background with the Human Services Research Institute (HSRI) logo at the top. Beneath it is white and teal text explaining that HSRI is focused on solving challenges in health and social services and is conducting an independent evaluation of Brandeis University’s National Research Center for Parents with Disabilities Data Dashboard. A bulleted list outlines the goals of the evaluation: identifying what information users are searching for, whether they can find it, whether they understand the data, and whether they find the dashboard useful and user-friendly.
The right panel has a white background. The National Research Center for Parents with Disabilities logo appears at the top. The headline reads: “We would love to get your feedback!” followed by text inviting participants to share their thoughts on the Parenting Center’s Data Dashboard, including a clickable link. The flyer lists the purpose (to learn about parents’ experience using the Data Dashboard), session length (less than an hour), and platform (online over Zoom or Teams). It also states that participants will receive a $25 gift card and that space is limited. Near the bottom, there is an RSVP link and a QR code to sign up. At the bottom of the flyer, a teal box offers information about requesting accommodations, including an email contact: csartori@hsri.org.