Emily Ladau is a communications consultant and disability rights advocate who is passionate about harnessing the power of online platforms as tools for people to be informed and engaged about disability and other social justice issues. Through writing and strategic social media outreach, her career is focused on sparking positive change within the disability community and society at large.

Through experience gained from running her own business, Emily brings a strong background in managing online presence to the Concepts Communications team. She currently supports the Campaign for Disability Employment (CDE) a U.S. Department of Labor Office of Disability Employment Policy initiative, assisting in the development and implementation of social media platform growth strategies. Emily also supports project management of Clear2Connect, an initiative dedicated to preserving the right for Americans with hearing disabilities to access the technology they need to communicate—as is their right under the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Emily is the author of Demystifying Disability: What to Know, What to Say, and How to be an Ally, published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of Penguin Random House. Emily’s writing has been published in outlets including The New York Times, SELF, Salon, Vice, and HuffPost and she has served as a source for outlets including PBS NewsHour, NPR, Vox, and Washington Post. She has spoken before numerous audiences, from the U.S. Department of Education to the United Nations. Her goal is to bring about perspective shifts, encouraging people to understand disability in more positive, accepting, and inclusive ways.

Emily graduated summa cum laude from Adelphi University in 2013 with a bachelor of arts in English and in 2017, was named one of Adelphi’s 10 Under 10 Young Alumni. She now serves on their Board of Trustees. In 2018, Emily was awarded the Paul G. Hearne Emerging Leader Award from the American Association of People with Disabilities. All of Emily’s work is driven by her belief that if we want the world to be accessible to people with all types of disabilities, we must make ideas and concepts surrounding disability accessible to the world.