Webinar – Disability Justice and Immigration

Date: Thursday, October 9, 2025
Time: 1:00 – 2:00 PM ET

With the escalation in legislation targeting immigrants in the United States, it’s more important than ever for philanthropy to take action to support the rights of immigrants, especially those with disabilities. Millions of immigrants in the U.S. live with disabilities, and nearly a third of all refugees are disabled, so all movements for immigrants rights must include leadership by immigrants with disabilities. Join us for a discussion with disabled immigrant leaders on how disabled immigrants are organizing to resist oppression, and how philanthropy can support these efforts.

This webinar will cover topics including:

the specific challenges that immigrants with disabilities are facing in this political climate,
the actions immigrant communities are taking to defend against attacks, and
opportunities for philanthropy to fund and amplify communities working for immigrant rights and justice.

CART and ASL interpretation will be provided. If you require another accommodation to fully participate in the webinar, please note it in your registration, or contact us at communications@disabilityphilanthropy.org. This free webinar is presented by the Disability & Philanthropy Forum, in partnership with Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees.

While the learnings for this webinar are primarily targeted to funders, grantmakers, and philanthropy-serving organizations who are just getting started in learning more about the intersections of disability justice and immigrant rights, this session is open to the public, and anyone can register to attend.

About the Panelists

Marissa Tirona, a mid-life Filipina with shoulder-length, wavy Black hair, wearing a black and magenta striped dress. She is smiling calmly at the camera.

Moderator: Marissa Tirona, President, Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees

Marissa Tirona is President of Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees, where she leads the organization’s efforts to move money and power to immigrant and refugee communities. In prior roles, she was a program officer at the Ford Foundation, where she managed a multi-issue, multi-country portfolio as part of the BUILD initiative; led the Blue Shield of California Foundation’s efforts to prevent and end domestic violence; and was senior project director at CompassPoint Nonprofit Services. Marissa currently serves on the boards of the Foundation for Child Development, Grantmakers in the Arts, United Philanthropy Forum, and Change Elemental.

Qudsiya Naqui, a South Asian woman with brown skin, shoulder-length curly dark hair, and dark eyes, sits in a chair with her legs crossed, smiling with her chin resting on one hand. Though the image is in black and white, she sports a dark suit with a red tie, and is surrounded by ferns.

Panelist: Qudsiya Naqui

Qudsiya Naqui is a legal scholar and disability media-maker. She produces and hosts the acclaimed podcast, Down to the Struts about disability, design, and intersectionality. Qudsiya’s teaching and legal scholarship address how the law produces marginality, particularly for those who experience multiple forms of oppression at the intersections of race, disability, immigration status, and other identities. She served as visiting professor in the Immigrant and Noncitizen Rights Clinic at CUNY Law School, where she developed a novel curriculum focused on immigration and disability. Qudsiya’s work has appeared in the UCLA Law Review, Forbes Magazine, Vox, Oxford University Press, and the Disability Visibility Project.