Candace is smiling in front of a white wall.

Candace Coleman

Access Living
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT ORGANIZER
Access Living
Community Strategy Specialist
She/her/hers
Fellow
2020

Candace Coleman is a black disabled woman from the South Side of Chicago. She works closely with disabled people affected by the justice system to organize around racial justice and disability. This work includes anti-bullying, the school-to-prison pipeline, restorative justice, police brutality, and deinstitutionalization. She is dedicated to teaching disabled youth of color to take pride in all aspects of their identities so they can become leaders themselves. She believes that young people will shape the future by creating a more inclusive world. Coleman has spoken around the country, and her pioneering work has been featured in news stories by the BBC, WBEZ, Newsy, and The Chicago Defender. She was named the ADAPT Woman of the Year in 2018, 35 Under 35 by Chicago Scholars in 2017, and also received the Van Heck award for outstanding leadership and service in the disability community. In 2019 Candace was appointed to the Illinois Council on Women and Girls.

Interests
Urban Planning and Policy
Expertise
Program Development, Youth Development, Racial Justice