Advocacy

As a proud member of the disability community, Dashiell advocates for inclusion and a recognition of and end to ableism. As a National Down Syndrome Society Ambassador, Dashiell has met with members of Congress (virtually and in-person). He has also traveled to Sacramento to meet with California state legislators and spoken to classrooms, university classes and community groups about ableism.

Dashiell has joined the Special Olympics athlete leadership program and hopes to do more public speaking to raise awareness, and was accepted into the 2022 Disability Voices United Emerging Leaders Program so he can help build a disability rights campaign in California. This fall, Dashiell interviewed a disabled elder as part of the Ed Roberts Project, a collection of interviews with people who fought for disability rights, that will become part of the Library of Congress historical collection. At the ceremony celebrating Ed Roberts Day, Dashiell read a poem inspired by the project.