Women’s History Month: Heather Watkins

This Women’s History Month, Triangle, Inc. is proud to celebrate the trailblazers, advocates, and innovators who have shaped—and continue to shape—our communities. We believe it is important to recognize contemporary leaders working to build a more equitable, accessible society.

Today, we are thrilled to feature a leader whose advocacy and commitment to intersectional justice are making a big impact across the Greater Boston area: Heather Watkins.

From Personal Narrative to Community Action

Based in Boston, Heather Watkins is a highly respected author, speaker, and disability rights advocate. Her work is deeply informed by her lived experience as a Black woman with muscular dystrophy. For over a decade, she has used her blog, “Slow Walkers See More,” as a platform to share personal insights that challenge societal misconceptions about disability and amplify “disability culture.”

Watkins has spoken movingly about navigating the “intersections” of identity, moving from initial feelings of being “different” to embracing a new normalcy rooted in Disability Pride. Her writing transforms her personal journey into relatable advocacy that reframes mobility aids, such as her cane, as tools of empowerment.

Local Impact: Boston Policy and Brandeis Research

Heather Watkins also actively works to shore up the infrastructure for inclusion within our local governmental and educational institutions.

Her leadership has been instrumental in several key spaces:

• Boston Disability Commission Advisory Board: As a former Chair of this board, she provided crucial guidance to the City of Boston, advocating for policies concerning housing, transportation, and public accessibility—issues of key importance to Triangle, Inc.’s mission.

• National Research Center for Parents with Disabilities: Watkins continues to bring her advocacy into the realm of high-impact research as a member of the advisory board for this center at Brandeis University’s Heller School in Waltham. Her work ensures that the lived experiences of parents with disabilities are included in national policy discussions.

Vision for the Future: Collective Liberation

Watkins is dedicated to the concept of collective liberation. She is a founding member of the Harriet Tubman Collective (a national collective of Black Deaf and Disabled people) and a co-founder of the Divas with Disabilities Project. Both organizations prioritize the unique experiences and leadership of women of color with disabilities—groups that have been historically marginalized, even within broader disability movements.

Additionally, Watkins recently highlighted the importance of the ABLE Age Adjustment Act, which expanded financial independence for many in the disability community this year.

Join Us in Celebration

We invite you to learn more about Heather Watkins and the organizations she supports. You can find her blog at Slow Walkers See More and explore the groundbreaking work of the Divas with Disabilities Project.