The Susan M. Daniels Disability Mentoring Hall of Fame was established by the National Disability Mentoring Coalition (NDMC) to honor those individuals who are making a significant difference in the lives of youth and adults with disabilities through mentoring and to raise awareness about the importance of mentoring for individuals with disabilities.
We are proud to induct Dana Marlowe into the Susan Daniels Disability Mentoring Hall of Fame.
Dana Marlowe can turn moment into a movement. As a social entrepreneur, Dana’s career path has led her to become an internationally-known disability advocate. As the founder of Accessibility Partners, Dana works to surpass the digital divide, and help make technology more accessible to people with disabilities. Within the business, her workforce is comprised of over 85% of people with disabilities to help spread awareness, education, and demolish attitudinal barriers by bridging communication and technological gaps.
As the founder of Accessibility Partners, she is a leading force in her disability and accessibility advocacy IT consulting firm. Dana directs a team of skilled accessibility engineers with and without disabilities. Her firm focuses on the removal of extraneous barriers in technology, with an ultimate corporate goal to make opportunities available for every individual using technology. Her efforts have been recognized recently. Jewish Women International named her a Woman to Watch, and she was the winner of the Stellar Women award from the Virginia Women’s Business Conference. She has been the recipient of both The Maryland Daily Record’s Top 100 Women Award and 40 Under 40 VIP List, the Ruderman Family Foundation’s Best in Business Award, a Dunkin’ Donuts ‘Community Hero’, and SmartCEO Magazine’s Executive of the Year, and Enterprising Women Magazine’s Enterprising Woman Award. Through her tenure at Accessibility Partners, Dana was designated as a finalist for the Chesapeake Regional Tech Council’s Women in Technology Award and a Stevie Award for Best Executive for Women in Business.
But accessibility is more than accolades— Marlowe has recently presented at the Jewish Federations of North America on the topic of disability employment with the Department of Labor, and the Ruderman Inclusion Summit on hiring practices. She has also conducted webinars with governmental agencies on web and document accessibility, as well as Bring Your Own Device policies and the intersection with employees with disabilities. Dana is a repeat presenter at the Annual International Technology and Persons with Disabilities Conference, and has spoken in the past at Department of Health and Human Service’s event, a11y@HHS: Technology Accessibility and Inclusion Conference. Accessibility Partners also participated in the FCC’s M-Enabling Summit and the Community Options, Inc. 5th Annual iMatter Conference on the breakdown of attitudinal barriers for people with disabilities.
Within the realm of a dedicated human rights advocate, her championing voice knew that there was room for another conversation. What was initially the spontaneous question of “What can I do with my old bras?” led to the creation of Support the Girls. By chance, Dana’s inquiry set the wheels in motion for her to learn that bras and feminine hygiene products are rarely donated to those most in need: homeless women and girls. As a human rights advocate, Dana continues to work tirelessly to better the lives of the most invisible, marginalized populations often overlooked by mainstream society. A bra and a few hygiene products can be just the best self-esteem boost and health aid to a low income or homeless woman.
To date, Support the Girls has donated tens of thousands of bras and hundreds of thousands of feminine hygiene products to women across the world. Dana has spearheaded the initiative, and led the charge to the creation of Support the Girls affiliates throughout the United States, thereby bringing dignity to thousands of people.
The movement has tremendous momentum, and Dana’s efforts have been showcased in The Washington Post, Newsweek, The Huffington Post, Yahoo News, The Today Show, Kveller, NationSwell, and many more. Support the Girls is expanding daily, thanks to Dana’s tireless energy and indomitable spirit. She sees a need where society often forgets to look, and can truly uplift the spirits of thousands.
