Embed accessibility into organizational culture, operations and decision-making
Creating Communities of Access from the Inside Out explores how participants can embed accessibility into organizational culture, operations, and decision-making. Drawing on their lived experience, presenters will share real-world examples and practical strategies for examining access across policies, practices and programs. The session will underscore the essential role of disabled people in creating sustainable organizational change by uncovering access barriers, informing priorities and shaping more inclusive and collaborative work environments.
About the Facilitators
Image Visual Description: Headshot of a smiling, disabled white woman with straight shoulder-length light brown hair. She is wearing a teal top and glasses. Background has softly blurred bricks and greenery.
Colleen Roche is a training developer and subject-matter expert at the intersection of disability and violence, public health and emergency preparedness. Her work centers on raising awareness of and increasing access to violence- and abuse-related supports and services within the disabled community. She was selected to serve on Governor Mikie Sherrill and Lt. Governor Dale Caldwell’s Transition Interdisciplinary Advisory Task Force. For more than 20 years, she has served as a consultant throughout New Jersey and beyond, developing and delivering workshops, trainings and presentations.
A disabled activist and organizer, Colleen is a certified ADA Network Trainer, co-founder of the New Jersey Disability Collective and board chair of both the Alliance Center for Independence and the New Jersey Statewide Independent Living Council. She is also a member of the Montclair People with Disabilities Committee, Montclair Film Access Committee and New Jersey Coalition Against Sexual Assault’s Community Council. Colleen holds bachelor’s degrees in biology and Spanish literature from St. Peter’s University, was a 2023 New Jersey LEND Fellow and is a 2025 Partners in Policymaking Advanced Leadership Academy graduate. In her free time, she is an avid photographer, nature enthusiast and wanderer.
Image Visual Description: Headshot of a smiling, plus-sized, disabled Latina with shoulder-length curly brown hair. She is wearing a navy blue blouse and a blue beaded necklace. Background is a dark blue-gray studio backdrop.
Millie Gonzalez is a longtime disability rights advocate, consultant, trainer and speaker who works to advance accessibility, inclusion and the leadership of disabled people. She serves as board president of The Partnership for Inclusive Disaster Strategies; board chair, retreat organizer and program developer for the Spina Bifida Resource Network; and vice board chair of the Alliance Center for Independence, host of the NJ Disability Pride Parade. She is co-founder of the New Jersey Disability Collective, secretary of the New Jersey Disability Action Committee and a member of the Union County Disabilities Advisory Board. Millie coordinates the ReelAbilities Film Festival at Kean University, where she works as an executive speechwriter and communication strategist.
She is a member of the ADA Trainer Leadership Network and a certified peer mentor with United Spinal. Named Ms. Wheelchair New Jersey 2019, Millie was also one of 30 honorees on Diversability’s inaugural international D-30 Disability Impact List. She holds a master's in communication from Kean and is a graduate of the 2025 Partners in Policymaking Advanced Leadership Academy. Millie's lived experience, education and work across disability organizations, programs and communication informs her approach to building accessibility into organizational culture and practice. In her free time, she enjoys concerts, reading, community building, dogs and dancing.
Photo and Video Consent