Hamesh Disability Advocacy and Accessibility Consultation
When EC Caucci approached me to collaborate on developing Hamesh DAAC (Disability Advocacy, Accommodations, and Consulting), I immediately recognized the profound need this work would address.
Research consistently shows that LGBTQ+ people are significantly more likely to identify as disabled than their non-LGBTQ+ peers: with 48% of LGBTQ+ adults reporting a disability compared to 36% of the general population. [ 1 ]
Yet despite this substantial overlap, individuals navigating both queer and disabled identities often find themselves invisible within both communities, facing compounded barriers to accessing adequate advocacy and support.
This project represented everything I value about community-centered work: authentic partnership, systems thinking, and the recognition that our most vulnerable community members deserve specialized, culturally competent support.
EC's vision; that "it takes a community to crack the code of how to access systems in America" aligned perfectly with my own front porch philosophy of creating spaces where people can truly be seen and supported.
[ 1 ] Center for American Progress. "How the Disability and LGBTQI+ Communities Intersect." Center for American Progress.
March 27, 2025. https://www.americanprogress.org/article/how-the-disability-and-lgbtqi-communities-intersect/.
The Challenge:
EC brought deep lived experience and professional expertise, but needed strategic support to translate their powerful vision into a sustainable practice that could reach the communities who needed it most. Working together, we developed a comprehensive brand and systems strategy that honored both the activist roots of their work and the professional credibility required to navigate complex institutional systems.
My role encompassed full-scope strategic consulting: brand development that centered peer-to-peer support and community expertise, website copy that balanced accessibility with professional authority, marketing strategies designed to reach underserved populations through trusted community networks, and operational systems that prioritized sliding-scale accessibility while maintaining sustainable business practices.
Community Impact
Through our partnership, we created messaging that explicitly names the intersection of queer and disabled experiences while avoiding both academic jargon and clinical language that can alienate the communities being served. The brand positioning emphasizes EC's unique ability to combine lived experience with professional networks—a crucial distinction in advocacy work where credibility and relatability are equally important.
The systems we developed prioritize what EC calls "negotiated support," meeting clients where they are and adapting advocacy approaches based on individual comfort levels and circumstances. This reflects a deep understanding that intersectional identities require intersectional solutions, and that effective advocacy must account for the multiple systems of oppression that LGBTQ+ Disabled people navigate daily.
Reflections on Collaborative Justice Work
This partnership reinforced my belief that the most powerful community development happens when we combine strategic thinking with lived expertise and activist values. By centering EC's vision while contributing frameworks for sustainable growth, we created something that serves both immediate community needs and longer-term movement building.
Hamesh DAAC now stands as a model for how professional services can be delivered through an explicitly intersectional, community-accountable framework: proving that business development and social justice aren't just compatible, but most effective when intentionally integrated.
For more information about Hamesh DAAC's work, visit their website to learn about their sliding-scale advocacy services and community-centered approach to disability rights.