Catarina Rivera

Catarina Rivera is a dynamic public speaker, DEIA consultant, and content creator. She works with companies to improve disability awareness, inclusion, and accessibility. As a disabled Latiné woman, she is passionate about sharing her own unique story to help build a more inclusive world.

Catarina Rivera grew up in a Cuban and Puerto Rican family, and Spanish was her first language. She learned the value of diversity from her family. She also developed a passion for making the world a better place. As a young child, she began wearing hearing aids. At 17, she was diagnosed with Usher syndrome, which includes a progressive vision disability. Currently, she has about 5% of her vision remaining.

After graduating from Duke University as a Robertson Scholar, Catarina became a bilingual elementary school teacher in the Bronx through Teach for America. She earned a graduate degree in education from Bank Street College.

After 4 years in the classroom, Catarina became passionate about health and nutrition. She started a community health program in her uptown Manhattan neighbourhood. She worked for two large nonprofit organisations and earned a second graduate degree in public health from CUNY School of Public Health-Hunter College where she was the valedictorian of her class.

While her disability was difficult for her in the past, she has now developed disability pride and is empowered by sharing her story. In 2020, Catarina founded Blindish Latina, a platform smashing disability stigmas. She launched a business as a public speaker and DEIA consultant focused on disability inclusion in the workplace. She has been featured in Nasdaq, Authority Magazine, Forbes, and POPSUGAR. She was also named a LinkedIn Top Voice in Disability Advocacy. Past clients have included HarperCollins Publishers, LinkedIn, Hachette Book Group, Whole30, Grant Thornton, ColorStack, and BCG Digital Ventures. Catarina is a TEDx Speaker and her TEDx talk “Creating Inclusive Workplaces for All” has over 87,000 views. Catarina is a Certified Professional in Accessibility Core Competencies (IAAP). Her Instagram page was named a 2024 Webby Awards Nominee, which are awards for the best of the internet.

SPEAKING TOPICS

Catarina has worked with over 130 clients, including HarperCollins Publishers, LinkedIn, Hachette Book Group, Whole30, Grant Thornton, ColorStack, and BCG Digital Ventures.​

Intersectionality: Perspective of a Professional, Disabled, Latiné Woman – This session addresses the intersectionality of identity within diversity through Catarina’s personal storytelling approach. Perfect for Disability Pride Month, Latine/x Heritage Month, and National Disability Employment Awareness Month. Typically delivered as a fireside chat.

A Practical Introduction to Disability Awareness –This session focuses on demystifying disability and equipping employees with foundational understandings of disability, including appropriate language to use for disability and how to prevent microaggressions. All participants will learn that disability is not a bad word!

Unpacking Ableism in the Workplace – Why is ableism present in the workplace? Because workplaces are made up of people and ableism is a powerful force shaping our society. This informative training session is designed to help you be able to name and define ableism, including examples, as well as to understand the historical context of ableism in our society. You’ll also learn how ableism shows up in the common language we use and will receive recommendations for concrete actions that can address ableism in the workplace.

Disability Inclusion for Leaders – Managers and leaders will learn the benefits of inclusion, why disability inclusion is so important, as well as key best practices for inclusion. Managers and leaders will learn how to respond appropriately and supportively to disability disclosure.

The Future of Work Must Prioritise Disability Inclusion –With the future of work rapidly taking shape, savvy leaders need to recognize that disability inclusion is imperative. While more than 15% of the world is disabled, disability awareness and inclusion are often not seen as priorities. In her keynote, Catarina addresses 3 myths blocking leaders from focusing on disability, explores the emotions surrounding disability, and articulates a vision for the future of work that centers on disability inclusion. Catarina will also share tips for how you can influence other stakeholders to care about disability inclusion and accessibility. She uses her own story as a disabled Latiné woman to ground you in real-life examples and to create urgency around the imperative for inclusion.