Meet Our D-30 Selection Committee

While we know that our Selection Committee is not a full representation of the diversity of the disability community, including but not limited to older and younger leaders and leaders from other parts of the world, we curated this group of community members who possess a range of professional, personal, and intersectional experiences.

 

D-30 Selection Committee Members
(in order of first name)

  • David Reyes (He/Him), DE&I Consultant | El Salvador

  • Lorin MacDonald (She/Her), Human rights lawyer | Canada

  • Matt McCann (He/Him), CEO and Co-Founder of Access Earth | Ireland

  • Dr. Sai Kaustuv (He/Him), Graphics & Visual Designer, Global Motivational TEDx Speaker, Certified Happiness Coach, D&I Global Champion | India

  • Sara M. Acevedo (She/Her), Distinguished Visiting Scholar (SUNY Buffalo), Assistant Professor of Disability Studies at Miami University, Ohio | USA

  • Thato Mphuthi (She/Her), Founding Director, Enabled Enlightenment | South Africa

  • Theophilus Odaudu (He/Him), Program Manager, West Africa, Disability Rights Fund | Nigeria

 

D-30 Selection Committee Member Bios

 

Image description: David Reyes’s headshot wearing a gray suit and blue shirt on a black background.

David Reyes (He/Him)

DE&I Consultant | El Salvador

2022 D-30 Disability Impact List Honoree

Leader, activist, changemaker: David Reyes isn’t just a former Salvadoran Congressman. He’s a champion for disability inclusion. Through social activism, motivational speaking, and political leadership, he’s driven impactful initiatives, fostering a more inclusive El Salvador.

A historic first: In 2009, David became the country’s first disabled Deputy, serving four terms. His dedication and results speak volumes.

Globally recognized: David’s expertise is valued by being an honoree of the 2022 D-30 Disability Impact List.

David Reyes exemplifies leadership and action. His work transforms lives, paving the way for a more just and inclusive El Salvador.

Image description: Lorin MacDonald is a White woman with short gray hair wearing a floral blouse and earrings, smiling.

Lorin MacDonald (She/Her)

Human rights lawyer | Canada

2023 D-30 Disability Impact List Honoree

Human rights lawyer and accessibility changemaker Lorin MacDonald is recognized as one of Canada’s disability leaders and highly regarded by the human rights legal community. Born with profound hearing loss, Lorin is unwavering in her desire to increase disability and accessibility awareness through professional speaking, training, writing, and consulting.

Recognition of Lorin’s pioneering and sustained work is plentiful. Canadian Lawyer magazine named her one of the 2021 Top 25 Most Influential Lawyers in the Human Rights category. In 2022, The Law Society of Ontario bestowed upon Lorin the Law Society Medal, its highest honour, for outstanding service to making the legal profession more accessible and inclusive, she was inducted into the Canadian Disability Hall of Fame and became a member of the Order of Ontario. In 2023, Diversability included her on its D-30 Disability Impact List as one of 30 disability leaders from 12 countries worldwide (and the only one from Canada) creating impactful change.

Image description: Matt McCann has shoulder length brown hair and blue eyes. He has a trimmed goatee and is wearing a blue suit jacket and white shirt. Matt is smiling in the photo.

Matt McCann (He/Him)

CEO and Co-Founder of Access Earth | Ireland

2023 D-30 Disability Impact List Honoree

Matt McCann, CEO and Co-Founder of Access Earth, uses his lived experience with Cerebral Palsy to champion accessibility and inclusivity across various sectors. He has presented at forums like the United Nations and TEDx, advocating for Universal Design and meaningful policy changes to enhance accessibility worldwide. His collaborations with organizations such as the International Transport Forum, Microsoft, and VINCI Airports, aim to make urban areas and digital platforms more navigable and inclusive.

In addition to his role as an Accessibility and Universal Design Consultant for the World Economic Forum, where he contributed to the Urban Mobility Scorecard, Matt has also led impactful disability awareness and universal design training programs with partners including Enable Ireland and Trinity College Dublin. These initiatives have spurred actions to improve accessibility in businesses and public spaces globally.

Matt's work with the Centre for Access to Football in Europe (CAFE) and UEFA focuses on enhancing stadium accessibility and the matchday experience for disabled fans, demonstrating the wide-reaching implications of Universal Design. Through collaborations with football clubs and educational institutions, Matt McCann’s efforts exemplify a comprehensive approach to promoting inclusivity, inspiring advancements in accessibility standards and ensuring spaces are accessible to all

Image description: Sai Kaustuv is sitting in Electric Wheelchair, wearing red T-shirt, with fair skin color, curly hair, smiling

Dr. Sai Kaustuv (He/Him)

Graphics & Visual Designer, Global Motivational TEDx Speaker, Certified Happiness Coach, D&I Global Champion | India

2021 D-30 Disability Impact List Honoree

Dr. Sai Kaustuv, the Wheelchair Warrior of India, resides in Bengaluru, India and battles the rare Brittle Bone Disease, Osteogenesis Imperfecta, enduring over 50 fractures. Despite his 90% locomotor disability and 80% hearing impairment, he embarked on an extraordinary journey, inspiring millions through transformative Happiness Coaching. Confined to an electric wheelchair 24x7, Dr. Sai can only move one finger, yet he achieved international acclaim as a Designer and Motivational Speaker, representing India at the UN to advance disability inclusion in SDG 2030. Recently honoured with the National Award for Individual Excellence and his contribution in diversity and inclusion by President Smt. Droupadi Murmu, Dr. Sai is dedicated to making India wheelchair-friendly. His advocacy extends globally, earning him numerous records and titles, including those from Guinness and Limca Book. As a Goodwill Ambassador, Dr. Sai continues to inspire millions, promoting inclusivity and compassion worldwide.

Image description: Dr. Sara Acevedo is a Mestiza woman of pale skin, big brown eyes, and chin-length light brown hair smiles at the camera looking upward. She is wearing thick framed blue glasses, a copper-colored top and a printed scarf decorated with red beads.

Sara M. Acevedo (She/Her)

Distinguished Visiting Scholar (SUNY Buffalo), Assistant Professor of Disability Studies at Miami University, Ohio | USA

2021 D-30 Disability Impact List Honoree

Dr. Sara Acevedo is a Colombian-born and raised autistic Mestiza woman living with chronic illness. Her work examines neurodivergent cultural practices and creative forms of resistance at the productive intersection of critical disability studies and scholarly-activism. Her approach to this work is informed by plural feminisms, the principles and practices of Disability Justice, and critical pedagogy. Dr. Acevedo has received numerous social justice awards and led disability-related initiatives around the world, including the creation of the Society for Disability Studies’ 15 guiding principles and the co-authorship of Latin America’s first Neurodiversity Manual sponsored by the UNESCO.

Image description: Thato Mphuthi standing at a podium with a microphone, there's a blue background with white blurry print

Thato Mphuthi (She/Her)

Founding Director, Enabled Enlightenment | South Africa

2023 D-30 Disability Impact List Honoree

Thato Mphuthi Is the visionary behind Enabled Enlightenment, an organization dedicated to fostering awareness and driving positive transformation in the realm of disability, Thato Mphuthi possesses remarkable eloquence and a profound aptitude for addressing these crucial issues. Drawing from her personal experiences as a person with a disability, she adeptly translates her lived encounters into a relatable discourse that challenges conventional thinking and orchestrates shifts in societal norms. This unwavering commitment and influence extend seamlessly to her engagements encompassing discussions, education, and facilitation in the sphere of sexual and reproductive health—yet another domain in which her expertise and wisdom shine prominently.

Image description: Theophilus Odaudu is a black man wearing a gray suit and a white shirt. He is wearing glasses.

Theophilus Odaudu (He/Him)

Program Manager, West Africa, Disability Rights Fund | Nigeria

2022 D-30 Disability Impact List Honoree

Theophilus Odaudu is a lawyer and a human rights advocate with interest in disability rights and good governance. He has over six years’ experience in civil service, and as a person with disability, he experienced firsthand, the workplace barriers to effective performance of persons with disabilities in Nigeria. In pursuing his passion to promote the rights of persons with disabilities, Theophilus volunteered for different organisations working on disability rights, women and children, including the Nigeria Association of the Blind. Presently, he works with the Disability Rights Fund Inc. (DRF) as Programme Manager, supporting organizations of persons with disabilities in West Africa. He has published articles and made contributions to academic works on disability rights and good governance. He is a 2016 Mandela Washington Fellow and studied Public Management at the Maxwell School for Citizenship and Public Affairs, Syracuse University, New York.