Frances Vicioso believes in the power of connection and storytelling. As the founder of Co-Creating Culture, she works with organizations to create equitable spaces, using her lived experience as a Black Latina with mental health and physical disabilities to inform her approach.
For Vicioso, intersectionality isn’t just a concept, it’s a lived reality that influences every aspect of her work.
“I want people to walk away from this presentation with curiosity and affirmation. Curiosity to learn more and affirmation that the work they’re doing, no matter how small, is making the world a better place.”
Her passion for education and facilitation caught the attention of Miranda Grunwell, community education manager at
Disability Network Southwest Michigan (DNSWM).
When Grunwell sought to bring back the organization’s popular webinar, “Black Disability History,” she knew Vicioso was the right person to lead it.
‘Lived experience’
“We had done this presentation years ago, but when our former co-presenter, who identified as a Black disabled woman, left our staff, we put it on hold,” Grunwell explains.
“We are all about having that lived experience. Neither myself, a white female, nor my colleague, Max, who identifies as a white, non-binary person, were the right people to present it. Frances came highly recommended, and after speaking with her, we knew she was a perfect fit.”
The presentations, held Feb. 6 and Feb. 19, highlighted the crucial yet often-overlooked role that Black disabled Americans have played in advancing civil rights for both communities.
“Far too often, when people are disabled, they're only seen as disabled,” Grunwell says. “We've had people say, ‘To show up is one thing, but show up as disabled, or a woman, or Black.' But you can't just pick one. My disability shows up everywhere I go – in my job, housing, and relationships.”
The sessions, she says, aimed to help participants understand that disability is part of broader conversations, especially during Black History Month.
“We're creating a safe place for people to ask questions. One of the slides we cover, for example, discusses whether to use 'Black' or 'African American' because people want to ask but are often afraid.”
Connecting Black, disability histories
Vicioso says that the overlap between Black and disability histories is essential to highlight. “Black history is disability history, and disability history is Black history,” she explains. “Too often, these are treated as separate conversations, but they're part of the same larger conversation.”
The webinar also explored the parallels between Black civil rights and disability rights movements. While the Civil Rights Act passed in 1964, disability rights weren’t federally recognized until 1990 with the passage of the
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
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Diability Network Southwest Michigan held webinars in Feburary about Black disability history.
Grunwell notes that during a 28-day sit-in in San Francisco in 1977 that demanded greater accessibility and accommodations for people with disabilities, the Black Panthers played a crucial role by providing food, resources, and networks. It was the longest occupation of federal property by protesters ever.
“We were looking to the Black community during the Civil Rights Movement, saying, 'Yeah, us too,' and learning from them,” Grunwell says.
Judy Heumann, known as the ‘Mother of the disability rights movement,’ often is given credit for Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the first U.S. federal civil rights protection for people with disabilities. But she always said it was the “Black Panthers who helped us organize and provided the support we needed,” Grunwell adds.
For Vicioso, bringing these histories together through storytelling is vital.
“When people feel good at work or in any group, the outward effects are beautiful,” she says. “Education and honest conversations create that environment. I help organizations think about how people's different oppressions layer on each other and affect how they show up.”
Understanding the impact
Vicioso’s journey to this work began in New York City, where she taught public school for eight years.
Kristen Aguirre, DNSWM’s public relations and outreach manager, says the program's return shows a strong appetite for inclusive educational opportunities.
“We have constantly rolling workshops,” Aguirre says. “They’re free, amazing, and really good. People can check our website for upcoming sessions.”
Grunwell emphasizes that young people, in particular, should see themselves represented in these stories.
“Far too often, we're told that disability is something to be hidden. I want people to be proud of who they are and to see and learn their history,” she says.
The multi-regional Disability Inclusion series is made possible through a partnership with Centers for Independent Living organizations across West Michigan.