Brittany Zazueta (she/her) is the Executive Director of the Dayle McIntosh Center for the Disabled (DMC), where she has devoted the last 14 years to advancing the rights and independence of people with disabilities, older adults, and Veterans in Orange County, CA. Since joining DMC in 2012, Brittany has held roles spanning direct service, operations, human resources, middle manager, and senior leadership, all of which have given her a rare understanding of operations, oversight, and service delivery within a Center for Independent Living. Brittany is a proud disabled person with invisible disabilities, and her voice is informed by grassroots experience and a deep belief in the transformative power of peer-led movements.

Bhumit Shah is a passionate advocate and community leader who brings both professional expertise and lived experience to his work. Living with Cerebral Palsy, Bhumit has built a strong network of support through family, friends, and meaningful connections across communities. He currently serves as an Advocate with Disability Rights California in the Advocacy and Community Engagement Unit, where he champions equity, access, and independence for individuals with disabilities. With a master’s degree in Health Care Administration from California State University, Long Beach, Bhumit has held impactful roles across the public and private sectors, including positions at the Office of Clients’ Rights Advocacy (OCRA) and the Dayle McIntosh Center. Throughout his career, he has empowered others to navigate complex systems and secure community-based services. A determined self-advocate, Bhumit confronts the same challenges that many other people with disabilities encounter and is known for his refusal to accept barriers as final. In his free time, he enjoys participating in adaptive recreational activities such as surfing, skiing, kayaking, and rock climbing.

Ken Datugan (he/him), born in Bataan, Philippines, was raised in the greater Los Angeles area, where he continues to reside. Born with hearing loss in both ears, Ken’s lived experience has profoundly shaped his personal journey and professional path. He earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance from the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) and is currently completing his graduate studies in Rehabilitation Counseling at California State University, Los Angeles (Cal State LA). Before joining Disability Rights California (DRC) as a statewide Deaf Advocate, Ken spent over a decade working in higher education within Disabled Student Programs and Services (DSP&S). It was during this time that his passion for disability advocacy began to take root and flourish. His commitment to advancing equity and access is reflected in his leadership roles, including serving as the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Chair for the CAPED Interest Group (CIG) within the California Association for Postsecondary Education and Disability (CAPED), his past presidency of the Orange County Deaf Equal Access Foundation (OC DEAF), and his current role as Chairperson for the Department of Rehabilitation Deaf and Hard of Hearing Advisory Committee (DOR DHHAC). As a person with an intersectional identity and lived experience, Ken is honored to share what inspires him, how resilience fuels his work, and why representation and perspective matter. He strives to spark meaningful conversations and foster collaboration that enhances the experiences and the quality of life for people with disabilities and their families.

Michael E. Thomas is originally from Greenville, Mississippi who learned in his senior year of High School that he had Retnitis Pigmentosa, a visual impairment that cand lead to total blindness. This did not discourage Michael and he went on to attend Tennessee State University in Nashville, Tennessee and later transferred to the University of Southern Mississippi, in Hattiesburg, Mississippi where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Radio, Television and Film Production. Michael work for the state of Louisiana in the Television/Media Relations Department at Charity Hospital in New Orleans, Louisiana. He began his professional career as a disability advocate, in Memphis, Tennessee, after receiving his Master of Arts degree in International and Intercultural Communications from California State University, Sacramento in 1995. While in Memphis, Michael taught Public Speaking at Shelby State Community College where he introduced and informed his students, the faculty and the community about the disability community, disability culture and the Disability Rights Movement. Over the past 30 years, Michael has served as an Independent Living Specialist, a Benefits Specialist, an Employment Specialist and a Housing Specialist for Independent Living Centers in Memphis, Tennessee, San Francisco, Berkeley, Oakland, California and Houston, Texas. Michael also started Thomas Advocacy Consultants, a Disability Rights/Advocacy consultant service in San Antonio, Texas in 1999. In April 2001, Michael began serving as an advocate for the Protection & Advocacy for Beneficiaries of Social Security program (PABSS) at Disability Rights California in Sacramento, California. He assisted individuals with disabilities implement the Social Security work incentive programs to help them return to work. Michael became the state coordinator for the California PABSS program and served in this role from September 2001 to November 2019. From October 2008 to November 2019, Michael served as the Senior Client Assistance Program advocate protecting the rights of DOR consumers receiving or wanting to receive VR services as they pursued their employment goal. In November 2019, Governor Newsom appointed Michael to serve the state of California as the Assistant Deputy Director of the Specialized Services Division at the Department of Rehabilitation. Michael served as the Assistant Deputy Director of the Specialized Services Division at DOR until March of 2004 and began his current service as the departments Consumer Ombudsperson with the Legislation and Communications Division where he focuses on increasing the departments customer service to consumers, stakeholders and the community. In his role as Consumer Ombudsperson, Michael provides consumers an additional option to address concerns regarding securing vocational rehabilitation services that can assist them to achieve their employment goal.