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AAPI Month + Disability

May 31, 2024 by Dr. Michele A. Williams

May 1st marks the start of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month (#AAPI). Thus, it's a great time to highlight people at the intersection of AAPI+Disabled.

Alice Wong

Alice Wong, an Asian American disabled woman in a power chair. She is wearing a black blouse with a floral print, a bold red lip color and a trach at her neck

Photo credit: disabilityvisibilityproject.com

First on my list is decorated disability rights activist, Alice Wong. Per her wonderful bio in the National Women’s History Museum, “Alice Wong is the founder and director of the Disability Visibility Project, an online community that fosters and amplifies disability media and culture. A Chinese-American activist and writer, Wong fights for access and representation for people with disabilities from all backgrounds.”

Among many accolades (including the first White House visitor via telepresence robot), she is editor or author of 3 critical publications:

Ms. Wong is a great follow on social media and her work truly pushes us to wrestle with Disabled identity and inclusion. Check out Disability Visibility Project for more of the great work they do.

Dr. Chieko Asakawa


Photo credit: ibm.com

Taking my #AAPI month posts international, I wanted to highlight Dr. Chieko Asakawa, a brilliant blind Japanese computer scientist and inventor at IBM.

Early in her career she played a critical role in the development of groundbreaking accessibility technologies, including a revolutionary web-to-speech system called the IBM Home Page Reader.

Becoming blind in her teenage years in the 1970s, access to assistive technology was not as prevalent as today and it dramatically impacted her independence. Fast forward to being introduced to computer science during her academic matriculation and a critical moment occurred...

In her own words: “I had an idea that a computer could help to bridge the gap between sighted and blind people. I thought I could effectively use my own experience as a blind person working in science and technology to make it come true.”

Too many incorrect notions are still prevalent in our society today:

  • We forget (or aren’t told) that Disabled people are often the inventors of their own solutions.
  • We don’t think of Disabled people as peers, colleagues, and leaders.
  • We are not aware of how much disability leads to the very innovations that make life easier for all—like listening to your audio books just as a blind person would.

But with awareness and intentionality, we can shift this mindset and all benefit from authentic inclusivity.

For more on Dr. Asakawa, read her IBM history page.

Xuân Trương


Photo credit: linkedin.com

Still celebrating #AAPI month and the Disability intersection, I highlight Xuân Trương, LCSWA—a friend and co-lead of Access CLT. Xuân is a mental health professional with a particular focus on working with Disabled clients, as well as career counselor, board member for Disability Rights & Resources, and overall disability advocate here in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Last year, Xuân was our featured speaker for an “Ask Me Anything” series on living with a disability. Her 1-minute clip of “the dignity of risk” will tell you that the entire hour was full of thoughtful reflections that challenged the “care model” and paternalistic views of disability.

We call Xuân the “Kevin Bacon of Charlotte,” but if you don't already know her then give her a follow and say “hello”. 🙂 And if you’re looking for a mental health professional with the unique perspective of living with a disability, definitely get in touch.

Yumi Kawai


Photo credit: linkedin.com

As we wind down #AAPI month and I have one more feature: Yumi Kawai. Yumi’s Native Hawaiian cultural background and Neurodiverse disability identity contribute a unique and mindful perspective to every interaction. She even taught me that many of us are saying “emoji” wrong. 😆

Through the power of virtual events, I met Yumi while participating in the Salesforce Dreamforce conference. We were both commenting during a talk, realized we had much in common, and subsequently connected on LinkedIn and virtual calls. Since that connection I’ve had the pleasure of learning more about Yumi, her diagnosis journey, and connecting for professional engagements.

In reflecting on our conversations, I think it’s meaningful to call out that disability diagnosis is a journey:

  • First, you may live in the world as undiagnosed and not realizing any difference
  • Then, you may still be undiagnosed but noticing differences in your interactions with others
  • Next, you may receive a diagnosis but that doesn’t immediately give you all the answers
  • Lastly, you begin to get comfortable with how you show up in the world and navigate it, unless and until you start a different cycle with a new diagnosis

I appreciate Yumi and so many others who are figuring out what they need and how they show up as their best selves day-by-day. The other piece is that those in the orbit of disabled folks (which is pretty much everyone) then need to be willing to make the adjustments needed to ensure this is possible and successful. This is true inclusion.