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Disability: IN North Carolina (DI-NC) marks the 36th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act by hosting a roundtable on disaster preparedness for people with disabilities. Our moderator, Dr. Kapriskie Seide, is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at Davidson College whose research focuses on health, disability, and social inequality. Her work examines how social and institutional conditions shape access, inclusion, and well-being for people with disabilities. Lauren Howard, Director of the NC Office on Disability and Health, has 27 years of public health experience and a master’s from UNC Chapel Hill. She helped ensure the needs of individuals were met during the response to Helene at the State Emergency Operations Center. LaDonna Huffaker, Workforce Engagement Manager for NCDHHS, holds a Master of Public Health from UNC Gillings and a bachelor’s from Brevard College. While Lauren led efforts from Raleigh, LaDonna was in Asheville, coordinating direct support and ensuring emergency shelters met access needs. During recovery, Lauren led daily briefings from the Emergency Operations Center, prioritizing disability needs. LaDonna’s outreach guaranteed accessible support. Their leadership kept people with disabilities at the forefront, earning them the 2025 Kerri Eaker Mountain Mover Award. Join us July 22, 2026, 11:30am–1:00pm EST.

Current workforce trends suggest that by 2040, over 40% of the global workforce will identify as neurodivergent (Everway,2024).  For companies that get this right, neurodivergent human capital management will lead to work environments that are more systematic, organized, productive, and agile. On June 10, Disability:IN North Carolina welcomes Sara Cullen, Human Resources Business Partner at Biogen.  Sara will share her perspective as a late-identified neurodivergent woman and a parent navigating the same experiences with her two children.  Join us to learn more about how to unlock high performance through enabling more neurodiverse ways of working.