Disability and Reproductive Justice Webinar
Date: April 22, 2026
Time: 1:00 – 2:00 PM ET
While reproductive health care is a necessity for all people, the attacks on it disproportionately impact certain individuals and communities, particularly the disabled community. There are many biases when it comes to discussions of disability and reproductive health that have ties to systematic racism, sexism, and ableism. When it comes to people with disabilities, disability communities are more likely to face bias with their reproductive healthcare providers and face barriers for contraception and abortion care. In a 2023 report, it was found that 49.4% of the participants who have a disability reported experiencing forms of contraceptive coercion compared to 38.9% of participants without a disability (Cannon et al., Social Science and Medicine).
Exploring the intersections of reproductive justice and disability justice is critical to understand how reproductive health structures and policies can be inclusive for all. Join us for an open and thoughtful dialogue with advocates working at the intersection of disability justice and reproductive justice working to address these barriers through social, clinical, and policy approaches. This webinar is presented by the Disability and Philanthropy Forum.
ABOUT THE PANELISTS
Moderator: Camille A. Emeagwali, Senior Vice President of Programs & Strategic Learning, The New York Women’s Foundation
Camille A. Emeagwali is Senior Vice President of Programs & Strategic Learning at The New York Women’s Foundation where she leads programmatic strategy, strategic learning, and impact positioning of The Foundation’s thought leadership. Camille also oversees The Foundation’s $10 million strategic grantmaking portfolio focused on advancing gender, racial, and economic justice in NYC and beyond. She holds a Master’s degree in Nonprofit Management from the Milano School of Policy, Management and Environment at The New School and a B.A. in Government and Politics from University of Maryland, College Park
Panelist: Jillian MacLeod, Staff Attorney, Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund (DREDF)
Jillian MacLeod is a Staff Attorney at Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund (DREDF). Jillian engages in litigation, legal advocacy, policy advocacy, and education to fight for the rights of people with disabilities to have equitable access to healthcare and make self-determined decisions about their lives, bodies and futures. Since beginning at DREDF, Jillian has worked on amicus briefs filed with the Supreme Court in cases dealing with abortion access, worked on cases dealing with access to healthcare and public services for disabled people, led trainings for medical providers on improving the accessibility of their practices, advocated against cuts to Medicaid, conducted a nationwide survey of people with disabilities who have sought abortion care, and co-written an accompanying resource for providers and advocates on how to make abortion more accessible for people with disabilities.
Panelist: Laurie Bertram Roberts, Co-founder and Executive Director, The Mississippi Reproductive Freedom Fund
Laurie Bertram Roberts (she/they) is a low income, black, queer, disabled grassroots reproductive justice activist, freelance writer, doula and mother. She is the co-founder and current Executive Director of the Mississippi Reproductive Freedom Fund; Mississippi’s only reproductive justice organization that provides direct funding and practical support for abortion access, emergency contraception, birth control, community- based sex education, parenting and no strings/stigma pregnancy support regardless of pregnancy outcome. Ms. Bertram Roberts work is firmly centered in reproductive justice, anti-racism and decolonization of everyday spaces as well as movement space. She has been protesting, advocating and engaging in social justice and political work since her teens. She was previously the regional director and national board representative for the Mid-South region of the National Organization for Women and president of the Mississippi National Organization for Women. She has appeared in many local, national and international media outlets discussing abortion access, birth justice, LGBTQ, disability and gender justice issues in Mississippi, the US south and national trends. When not writing or dismantling the patriarchy she is likely spending time with her eight kids, one grandbaby and assorted chosen family, doing something black and geeky.
Panelist: Heather Watkins, disability rights advocate, author, mother, and speaker
Heather Watkins is a Boston-based disability rights advocate, author, mother, speaker, consultant, peer researcher, graduate of Emerson College with a B.S. in Mass Communications. Born with Muscular Dystrophy, loves reading, daydreaming, chocolate, and serves on many disability-related boards and projects including the National Center for Disability and Pregnancy Research and National Research Center for Parents with Disabilities. She is also a former Chair of Boston Disability Commission Advisory Board and served as Vice Chair for Disability Policy Consortium’s board of directors. Her blog Slow Walkers See More includes reflections and insight from her life with disability.