Keidra Chaney
Program Director @Disability Culture Lab
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WORK HISTORY
Program Director @Disability Culture Lab
US
Launched and directs the Disability Rising Fellowship, a year-long media training program for emerging disabled leaders, overseeing curriculum design, partnership development, and accessibility planning for all program components.* Supports fundraising and grant development efforts for DCL programs, including securing and stewarding relationships with foundations and donor partners to expand fellowship initiatives.* Provides strategic guidance on short- and long-term program planning, including new initiatives supporting cross-movement disability justice storytelling.* Oversees digital accessibility consulting services, advising partner organizations on inclusive event design, accessible media production, and equitable communications strategies.* Manages and implements digital communications strategy, including newsletters, social media campaigns, and online engagement for key national initiatives such as Disabled Women’s Equal Pay Day and Disability Reproductive Equity Day.
EDUCATION
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Master of Arts, Journalism and Mass Communication
Beloit College
Bachelor of Arts, Communications
SKILLS
ABOUT KEIDRA CHANEY
I’m a Chicago-based writer, essayist, narrative strategist, and accessibility advocate committed to reshaping how stories are told and who gets to tell them. My work lives at the intersection of culture, creativity, disability, and identity, with a deep commitment to uplifting disabled, neurodivergent, and marginalized voices through narrative, media, and storytelling. As Program Director at Disability Culture Lab, I lead initiatives like the Disability Rising Fellowship, supporting disabled creatives and cultural change-makers. I’m also the co-host of the Rough Draft with Keidra and Liz podcast, where we dig into the joyful, and often complicated process of creative work, life, and identity.My writing and critical essays have appeared in outlets including The Chicago Sun-Times, Chicago Reader, Bitch: Feminist Response to Pop Culture, Uncanny Magazine, Prism, Time Out, and Paste. I’ve also spoken and been interviewed on topics of media, culture, and accessibility across radio and conference stages.From 2008 to 2020, I was co-founder and publisher of The Learned Fangirl, a widely cited online platform spotlighting cultural criticism, fandom studies, and marginalized voices. I also founded Wild Ramp Publishing, a small press dedicated to quirky, joyful, and boundary-pushing creative work.I hold an M.A. in Journalism from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and am a Certified Professional in Accessibility Core Competencies (CPACC) through the International Association of Accessibility Professionals. My leadership roles include being a 2024 Emerge Fellow at the Paul K. Longmore Institute on Disability and a member of the 2023–2026 Fulbright Specialist Roster. I was also named one of Crain’s Chicago Business’s “Notable Black Leaders” for 2024.I help individuals and organizations craft stories that are clear, creative, and impactful — turning lived experience and ideas into narratives that spark connection, shift culture, and drive inclusion.
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