Rachel Handler

Rachel Handler is an actor and filmmaker known for her stint as Peg Leg Doris on AMC’s “Interview With the Vampire” and her award-winning Slamdance films “Committed” and “HOW MUCH AM I WORTH?” Other acting credits include, “New Amsterdam,” “Goliath,” “Law & Order: SVU,” “NCIS: New Orleans,” “Best Foot Forward,” “Bull,” and “The Upside.” 

Handler became an amputee after a tragic car accident in 2012. As an artist and activist, she strives to find the funny in even the most awful circumstances. Her awards as a writer and producer include the AT&T Underrepresented Filmmaker Award, Best Writer and Best Actor in the Disability Film Challenge, Best International Film in Focus on Ability, and she won the Sundance Co//ab Monthly Challenge for her script, “The A Doesn’t Stand for Accessible,” currently in pre-production.

After performing in the Off-Broadway play, “The Lucky Star,” Rachel recently played Ani in “Cost of Living” at Philadelphia Theatre Company. When she isn’t performing or writing, Handler works to expand disability equity within arts organizations, corporations and school groups.

Ryan J. Haddad

Ryan J. Haddad is an actor and playwright. He made his off-Broadway playwriting debut at The Public Theater with a sold-out, extended run of Dark Disabled Stories, co-produced by The Bushwick Starr. The production earned him the Obie Award for Best New American Play, along with Lucille Lortel, Drama League, and Outer Critics Circle nominations. His new solo play Hold Me in the Water will premiere next season at Playwrights Horizons. Additional stage credits include his autobiographical solo play Hi, Are You Single? (Woolly Mammoth/IAMA, Helen Hayes nomination), american (tele)visions (NYTW/Theater Mitu, Lortel nomination), The Watering Hole (Signature), and his cabaret Falling for Make Believe (Joe’s Pub/Under the Radar). TV: “A Murder at the End of the World” (Hulu) and “The Politician” (Netflix). Haddad received the Drama Desk’s 2023 Sam Norkin Off-Broadway Award, Vineyard Theatre’s 2021 Paula Vogel Playwriting Award, and a 2020 Disability Futures Fellowship. His writing has been published in the New York Times, Out Magazine, and Alice Wong’s anthology Disability Intimacy. He is an alum of The Public Theater’s Emerging Writers Group and a former Queer|Art Performance and Playwriting Fellow, under the mentorship of Moe Angelos. @ryanjhaddad

Emily Ladau

Emily Ladau is a passionate disability rights activist, writer, storyteller, and digital communications consultant whose career began at the age of 10, when she appeared on several episodes of Sesame Street to educate children about her life with a physical disability. Her writing has been published in outlets including The New York Times, CNN, Vice, and HuffPost and her first book, Demystifying Disability, was published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of Penguin Random House, in September 2021. Emily has spoken before numerous audiences, from the U.S. Department of Education to the United Nations. Central to all of Emily’s work is harnessing the power of storytelling to engage people in learning about disability.

Sofiya Cheyenne

Sofiya Cheyenne is a Performing Artist, Teaching Artist and Disability Advocate/Consultant. She has appeared on TV shows such as TrueTV's “At Home With Amy Sedaris”, Netflix's “StartUP” and “Loudermilk.” Her favorite theatre credits include "The Briefly Dead" at 59E59, "Other World" at Bucks County Playhouse, and "Guys and Dolls" at Theater Under The Stars. Sofiya strongly believes in using the arts as a way to challenge societal norms. She continually invests herself & creates projects that open peoples’ minds to know people with disabilities can have an equal chance on the stage, television and film. She has co written a play "The Gene Lottery" with Kristy Dodson and has played actor, writer, producer and director in two films of her films; "You're Up" and "Inspiring Women" as part of the Easterseals Disability Film Challenge. All of her projects hope to break barriers, create social change and amplify the little person's experience. Sofiya is a passionate educator and public speaker, she has been teaching theatre arts throughout New York City for over 10 years. Sofiya is also a Co-Chair of The Dwarf Artist Coalition and the former Inclusion Director of Little People of America. She also serves as part of the Disability Advisory Council for ART NY and Disability Working Group with the National Network of Consultants to Grantmakers. In all of her work she continually advocates for people of short stature and disabilities on and off the stage.