Kathleen Downes is a licensed social worker, board certified patient advocate, blogger, and disability activist from suburban New York. A two-time graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, she earned a bachelor’s degree in community health/rehabilitation studies (’15) and a master’s in social work (’18). Kathleen has experience in social justice education for college students, having completed her placement in the Social Justice & Leadership Education office at University Housing, where she designed lesson plans focusing on disability justice for those living in the residence halls and led the annual diversity conference, implementing a virtual option for the first time ever to promote inclusivity.
She currently designs and facilitates virtual resource workshops for the families of youth with disabilities enrolled in a not-for-profit adaptive dance program.
Her experiences living with cerebral palsy and a rare spinal disorder called Tarlov cyst disease inform her expertise in Medicaid policy and long-term care issues. She is a member of Medicaid Matters New York, a coalition of consumers and professionals fighting for comprehensive Medicaid services across the state. Additional community advocacy includes her role on the Planned Parenthood of Greater New York Council on Accessible Sex Education and the NASW Advocacy and Government Relations Committee.
She is an accomplished writer and has been featured in publications such as The Huffington Post and The Women’s Media Center. Her work appears in the poetry anthology The Ending Hasn’t Happened Yet, a collection focusing on the intersection of disability and trauma from Sable Books. You can follow her blog at The Squeaky Wheelchair.
Image: Kathleen, a white woman in her 30s with blondish hair and light blue glasses, is seated in a pink power wheelchair. She is wearing a black t-shirt with a black white dog on it. A fluffy white dog with an orange hair bow sits on her lap. A flowing green plant is visible beside them.
