Speakers and Performances

10:30 – 11:00 am
Performance: Matt Savage, Pianist 
Blue Wing, Lower Level

11:00 – 11:30 am
Meet a Scientist: Wanda Diaz-Merced, PhD
Gordon Current Science & Technology Center Stage, Blue Wing, Level 1

11:30 am
Book Signing: Wanda Hears the Stars with co-author Amy S. Hansen 
Gordon Current Science & Technology Center Stage, Blue Wing, Level 1

11:30 am – 12:00 pm
Performance: Abilities Dance Boston
Blue Wing, Lower Level

1:00 – 1:30 pm
Assistive Technology Demonstrations
Blue Wing, Lower Level

1:30 – 2:00 pm
Meet a Scientist: Monika Mitra, PhD
Gordon Current Science & Technology Center Stage, Blue Wing, Level 1

1:45 – 3:00 pm
Workshop: Engineer to Empower (E2E) Accessible Engineering 
Suit Cabot Lab, Red Wing, Lower Level

2:30 – 3:00 pm
Juniper Eisenberg and Chi-Hoon Kim reading Juniper and the Red Swoosh
Gordon Current Science & Technology Center Stage, Blue Wing, Level 1

3:00 pm
Book Signing: Juniper and the Red Swoosh with Juniper Eisenberg and Chi-Hoon Kim
Gordon Current Science & Technology Center Stage, Blue Wing, Level 1

3:00 – 3:30 pm
Performance: Adrian Anantawan, Violinist
Blue Wing, Lower Level

3:30 – 4:00 pm
Meet a Scientist: Anna Voelker
Gordon Current Science & Technology Center Stage, Blue Wing, Level 1

Hear from Our Community Partners

10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Blue Wing, Lower Level and Level 1

  • Autism Society of Massachusetts
  • Boston Center for Independent Living
  • Braille Forward
  • Easterseals Massachusetts
  • Harvard Lab for Developmental Studies
  • Hearing Loss Association of America, Boston Chapter
  • Kleinberger Lab at Northeastern University
  • Massachusetts Commission for the Blind
  • MIT Assistive Technology Club
  • See3D, Inc.
  • Technotonin
  • Underground Bookshelf

About the Speakers

Wanda Diaz-Merced, PhD

Nancy Lurie Marks Professor of Disability Policy & Director Lurie Institute for Disability Policy, Brandeis University

Dr. Wanda Diaz-Merced, an astrophysicist who is blind, uses sound through sonification to map space and astrophysical data will be speaking about her work and giving a demonstration of how it works. Wanda also coauthored a book called Wanda Hears the Stars.

More info on Wanda: https://royalsociety.org/about-us/who-we-are/diversity-inclusion/case-studies/scientists-with-disabilities/wanda-diaz-merced/

Monika Mitra, PhD

Director of the Lurie Institute for Disability Policy at Brandeis University

Dr. Mitra research focuses on the reproductive health of women with disabilities. More information on Dr. Mitra: https://scholarworks.brandeis.edu/esploro/profile/monika_mitra/overview.

Juniper Eisenberg and Chi-Hoon Kim, PhD

(Juniper Eisenberg) Co-Author and Illustrator; Tactile Literacy Advocate at Braille Forward (Chi-Hoon Kim)

Juniper Eisenberg is a blind innovator passionate about math accessibility. Juniper also is a co-author and illustrator of a multi-modal children's book. Chi-Hoon Kim is Juniper’s mother, a tactile literacy advocate at BrailleForward.org.

Anna Voelker

AstroAccess

Anna Voelker is an award-winning accessibility specialist and the Co-Founder and Executive Director of AstroAccess, a prominent initiative dedicated to advancing disability inclusion in human space exploration. They also serve as the founder and Executive Director of SciAccess, the international nonprofit parent organization that promotes STEM accessibility globally.

About the Performers

Matt Savage

Pianist

An internationally acclaimed American jazz pianist, composer, and teacher who gained early fame as a prodigious musical savant. Diagnosed with autism at age three, he taught himself to play the piano at age six.

Abilities Dance Boston

Abilities Dance Boston is a prominent non-profit dance company and advocacy organization dedicated to promoting disability justice through adaptive dance education, accessible performances, and community engagement. Founded in 2017 by Executive and Artistic Director Ellice Patterson, the organization provides a professional space for adult dancers with and without disabilities to collaborate, choreograph, and perform.

They are performing excerpts from their Firebird Part 2 ballet. Check out the restaging this September 18-20 at ticketstripe.com/adbfirebird926.

Adrian Anantawan

Violinist

Adrian Anantawan is an internationally acclaimed violinist, educator, and advocate whose distinguished career spans international performance, artistic innovation, and accessibility. Through his work, he redefines musical excellence, leadership, and inclusion for audiences today.

Assistive Technology Demonstrations

Technotonin Industries

At Technotonin, we believe mobility should be available for everyone. We're developing a device to turn your manual wheelchair electric in under 10 seconds. Come check it out!

Kleinberger Lab at Northeastern University

We design inclusive technologies that support accessibility, communication, and connection across sensory worlds—from assistive tools for people with disabilities to multisensory systems for human-animal interaction.

MIT Assistive Technology Club

We believe that the best solutions come from working directly with the people who need them most. We’re a community of students, engineers, and co-designers working to make the world more accessible to everyone.

XanderGlasses

Our first product uses the principle "sight for sound." In essence, when you can't hear what someone is saying, the glasses let you see what they're saying. We have XanderGlasses available at the Museum to use for our theaters!

Community Partners

Engineer to Empower (E2E) Accessible Engineering

Workshop, Suit Cabot Lab, Red Wing, Lower Level, 1:45–3:00pm

Learn how to codesign and prototype assistive technologies for the disabled community. Come design and build with us!

More information on E2E:  https://engineer2empower.com/.

Autism Society of Massachusetts

Autism Society of Massachusetts provides information, referral and training services across Massachusetts.

Boston Center for Independent Living

We are a disability rights/advocacy non-profit that serves the greater Boston area. We mentor and set independent living goals with youth and adults with disabilities. The youth team facilitates life and professional development workshops for young adults ages 14-21.

Braille Forward

Powered by Mountain Lakes Public Library Makerspace, Braille Forward is a social impact project for Braille and tactile literacy. Our mission is to educate, raise awareness, and give back by developing Universally Designed 3D-printed resources.

Easterseals Massachusetts

Our mission is to provide services to ensure children and adults with disabilities have equal opportunities to live, learn, work, and play.

Harvard Lab for Developmental Studies

"Harvard's Laboratory for Developmental Studies, a group of developmental labs in the Psychology Department at Harvard University, do studies with infants and children to understand how they perceive and reason about the world around them."

Hearing Loss Association of America, Boston Chapter

HLAA Boston is an all-volunteer non-profit (501 c3) offering information, peer counseling, support and community for those with hearing loss... and advocating for their interest locally.

Massachusetts Commission for the Blind

The Massachusetts Commission for the Blind provides services, advocacy, and supports that promote independence, employment, accessibility, and full community participation for individuals who are blind or visually impaired.

See3D, Inc.

See3D is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that leads a volunteer initiative to design, print and distribute 3D printed models for blind and low vision people globally, to increase tactile access to information.

Underground Bookshelf

The mission of the Underground Bookshelf is to celebrate diverse perspectives in literature, enabling minorities, women, queer folks, and people with disabilities to see themselves reflected in the art/ media they consume.

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Collage of Disability Pride Guests