ANNOUNCEMENTS
Quick Links to Go Directly to Specific Announcements
RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES: Click here to learn about new research regarding people with disabilities and how you can participate.
Launch Lab Fall 2026 Cohort Now Open
Inspiring Audiences to Live With Courage, Clarity, and Conviction
Divas With Disabilities Project™ Is Seeking Volunteer Graphic Artists (posted 6/11/26)
A Creative Opportunity From Divas With Disabilities and Filmmaker B. Monét (posted 6/9/26)
DWD™ Is a Proud Recipient of Support From the S.H.A.U.N. Foundation for Girls (posted 4/3/26)
Launch Lab Fall 2026 Cohort Now Open
Launch Lab: Build Your Business from Idea to Reality
Presented by Broaddus Business Solutions
In partnership with Divas With Disabilities™
Applications are now open for the Fall 2026 cohort of Launch Lab, a six‑week virtual entrepreneurship program designed to help emerging business owners develop structured, actionable business concepts. This hands‑on course provides instruction, discussion, guest speakers, and guided business‑planning activities to support participants in shaping and strengthening their business ideas.
Course Dates October 6 – November 19, 2026
Six‑week virtual program
Meets twice weekly via Zoom
Program Details Cost: Scholarship Provided (no cost to selected participants)
Cohort Size: Only 5 participants will be selected
Application Deadline: September 14, 2026
Notification Date: Selected participants will be notified by October 1, 2026
Selection Criteria
- Clarity of business idea
- Readiness to learn and participate
- Commitment to attending all sessions
- Alignment with Launch Lab’s goals
- Quality of personal statement
What Participants Will Gain
- A refined business idea
- A structured business‑planning framework
- SMART goals for business development
- A basic marketing strategy
- Awareness of startup costs and revenue
- A comprehensive resource packet
- A personalized next‑step action plan
- Certificate of Completion
How to Apply Applicants must submit a 1–2 paragraph statement including:
- Their business idea
- Why they want to participate
- Their commitment to attending all sessions
Applications should be emailed to: broaddusbizsol@gmail.com
Inspiring Audiences to Live With Courage, Clarity, and Conviction
Ashton Smith is a keynote speaker, author, and entrepreneur who helps leaders and organizations unlock their full potential. Click here to learn more about Ashton on her website (https://goldenashton.com).
Divas With Disabilities Project™ Is Seeking Volunteer Graphic Artists (posted 6/11/26)
DWD is expanding our creative team — and we’re looking for graphic artists who believe in authentic, human‑made storytelling. Let’s be clear: we have been relying on AI tools to help us create graphics, but we do not want to continue down that path.
AI has helped us stay organized, but it cannot replace the artistry, cultural nuance, and lived‑experience perspective that real designers bring.
That is exactly why we are seeking volunteer graphic artists — to move away from AI‑generated visuals and return to work that is fully human‑crafted and rooted in authenticity. Our brand is built on real women, real stories, and real images from our DWD™ media library. We want our graphics to reflect that truth.
What You’ll Help Us Create
Social media graphics using our existing DWD™ images
Clean, polished layouts for campaigns and announcements
Brand‑consistent visuals across Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and our website Creative storytelling that uplifts disability visibility and representation
Why Your Art Matters
Your work will help amplify the voices of Black and Brown women with disabilities.
You’ll help us maintain a visual identity that is authentic, human, and rooted in real lived experience — not automation.
Commitment
Flexible, remote, project‑based
Approximately 4–8 hours per month
Collaborative work with our leadership team
Stipend (Optional)
This is primarily a volunteer role.
We can offer a small stipend of $100–$200 per month depending on workload and availability.
Ideal For
Emerging designers building a portfolio
Artists passionate about disability justice
Creatives who value authenticity over automation
Students or early‑career designers seeking meaningful experience
How to Express Interest
Email us at info@divaswithdisabilities.org with:
A link to your portfolio or sample work
A short note about why you’d like to support DWD™
We’d love to welcome you into our creative circle.
THANK YOU!
A Creative Opportunity From Divas With Disabilities and Filmmaker B. Monét (posted 6/9/26)
Divas With Disabilities is excited to share a creative opportunity from filmmaker B. Monét, director of the forthcoming Divas With Disabilities short documentary.
If you’re interested in:
✦ Performing poetry or music
✦ Walking in a runway presentation
✦ Sharing film or visual work
✦ Contributing creatively to the experience
Please send:
• Your name
• What you’d like to contribute
• Links or samples of your work
to bmonetcreations@gmail.com
S.H.A.U.N. Foundation for Girls Spotlights Its Grant to Divas With Disabilities™ in Its Latest Newsletter (posted 6/9/26)
We are honored that the S.H.A.U.N. Foundation for Girls has featured the Divas With Disabilities™ Project in its most recent newsletter. Their continued support affirms the importance of elevating, representing, and empowering Black and Brown women and girls with disabilities.
Visitors can view the full newsletter, including the feature on DWD™, by accessing it through the link below.
MAGNOLIA MONTHLY June Newsletter
DWD™ Is a Proud Recipient of Support From the S.H.A.U.N. Foundation for Girls (posted 4/3/26)
The Divas With Disabilities™ Project is honored to share that we have been awarded a grant from the S.H.A.U.N. Foundation for Girls — a powerful affirmation that the work we do to elevate, represent, and empower Black and Brown women and girls with disabilities matters.
This support strengthens our ability to expand our programs, amplify authentic disability representation, and continue building spaces where our voices, stories, and leadership are centered and celebrated.
We extend our deepest gratitude to the S.H.A.U.N. Foundation for Girls for believing in our mission and investing in a future where girls and young women with disabilities are seen, supported, and uplifted. Their partnership fuels our commitment to breaking barriers, shifting narratives, and ensuring that disability inclusion is not an afterthought — but a driving force for equity.
Thank you, S.H.A.U.N. Foundation for Girls, for standing with us. Together, we are creating a world where representation is real, powerful, and transformative.
Our New Divas With Disabilities Community Is Here!
Divas! We have something new and exciting to share with our community!
Over time, many of you have asked for a space where conversations could continue, resources could be easier to find, and connections could grow beyond social media. We’ve been listening.
We are officially introducing the Divas With Disabilities Community, our new dedicated online space created specifically for Black and Brown women and girls with disabilities and those who support this work.
This space allows us to:
• connect more intentionally
• share opportunities and resources
• host programs and discussions
• build relationships in a safer and more supportive environment
Facebook will still exist for announcements and updates, but the deeper conversations, resources, and engagement will now live inside our community.
There is no pressure to do everything at once. You can join, explore, and participate at your own pace.
Join us here:
https://divas-with-disabilities-community.mn.co/share/uy_xY3jmO_t-qsCG?utm_source=manual
RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES: Click here to learn about new research regarding people with disabilities and how you can participate.
