Honoring Changemakers Who Inspire Our Work

Our mission is to empower members with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) to dream, plan, and achieve. During Hispanic Heritage Month, we are proud to recognize leaders of Hispanic heritage whose advocacy, creativity, and vision have transformed the lives of people with disabilities. Their voices echo the values of care management — building relationships, championing inclusion, and creating pathways to independence.

Here are five remarkable advocates we honor this month:

Berthy de la Rosa

Founder and long-time advocate for Latino families with intellectual disabilities. She served on the President’s Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities and chaired the national Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Advisory Panel.

Victor Santiago Pineda

Victor Pineda is a scholar, activist, and policy expert recognized internationally for his work on disability rights and inclusive development. As president of World ENABLED, he has influenced global accessibility standards, including United Nations policies. His vision for equity across systems echoes the advocacy we bring to state and federal policymakers — ensuring that care management is valued and funded for the future.

Cristina Cortez

Author, researcher, and disability advocate in Massachusetts. A member of the state’s Developmental Disabilities Council, she has written and spoken widely about accessibility, disability culture, and equity, including Hispanic Heritage Month discussions.

Sofía Jirau

Sofía Jirau was born with Down syndrome in Puerto Rico in 1997, but that hasn’t stopped her in her professional pursuits. She began modeling when she was 16 years old, making her debut at a fashion show for the designer Wanda Beauchamp. When she was 23, she began modeling professionally and has appeared in shows throughout the U.S. and PR. In 2020, she made her debut at New York Fashion Week, where she was one of the few models with Down syndrome to appear in the event. Two years later, she became the first model with Down syndrome to appear in marketing campaigns for Victoria’s Secret in the company’s history. She works to be more visible in the fashion industry, organizing awareness campaigns to shed light on Down syndrome and encourage her community to follow their dreams.

Daphne Frias

Born in West Harlem, New York, Daphne Frias is a 26-year-old freelance activist with Cerebral Palsy and a proud wheelchair user. She began getting involved in activism after the 2018 Parkland High School Shooting in Florida where 17 people died and 17 were injured. She helped with busing hundreds of students from her college campus to a March For Our Lives (MFOL) event. From 2019 to 2020, she served as the NY State Director for MFOL, growing passionate about increasing voter turnout in young people under 30. She was able to create her own non-profit organization, Box the Ballot, which partners with college students to collect absentee ballots before the annual midterms. She’s also a fearless climate change activist, speaking to raise awareness about how marginalized communities are disproportionally affected by climate change. She’s worked with the U.N. to highlight the work of youth activists and peacemakers. Today, she serves her home district of West Harlem as a county committee member, advocating for her community’s essential needs.

As we celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, we not only honor national leaders but also our own members and families of Hispanic heritage whose stories inspire us every day. Together, we continue the work of creating communities rooted in justice, inclusion, and dignity for all.