Earlier this year Proyecto Visión distributed a call for freelance writers. The project sought out to hire several disabled Latino writers to report on a variety of topics about Latinos with disabilities and employment for the newsletter and website.

Many people from around the country responded with resumes and writing samples. After a rigorous selection process six writers were chosen. The freelance writers will report on 'best practice' organizations, companies that are hiring people with disabilities, events that bridge the Latino and disability communities in their area, and more.

This issue's article entitled 'Deaf Children Experience "Day of the Dead" at the Oakland Museum' was contributed by freelance writer Concha Delgado-Gaitán. Concha is an accomplished writer and professional who has a Ph.D. from Stanford University. She has written and published many books and articles about Latinos, empowerment, community and culture. Concha resides in Northern California.

Freelance writer Sandra Aldana is a Latina born to Central American parents. She grew up in a bicultural and bilingual environment, and now lives in Lawrence, Kansas. Sandra has done social work around HIV/AIDS and domestic violence. She currently works with 72 developmentally disabled adults who are primarily monolingual Spanish speaking.

Aura Hernández completed her secondary and undergraduate education in Venezuela. She finished her schooling with a master's degree in education at Oklahoma City University. Currently she is an adjunct professor in Oklahoma City. In addition to writing, Aura enjoys painting.

Isela Luévano started her career in radio at a young age. After several years of working at English and Spanish language radio stations out of high school, Isela recently returned to school to complete double bachelor degrees in broadcast journalism and Latin American studies. She is a María Elena Salinas scholarship winner and has worked with well-known media outlets such as National Public Radio and Univisión. Isela resides in Southern California.

Hailing out of El Paso, Texas, Joe Olvera works at a drug treatment, prevention and education agency. In addition to his expertise in social services, Joe also is an experienced journalist.   He was a columnist and journalist at the El Paso Times and the El Paso Herald-Post. As a journalist he covered Latino issues in El Paso and Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. His investigative reporting work includes a story for which he went undercover to test and report on accessibility of doctor's offices.

As director of Vehicle Access Network (VAN), Jose Rivas (also known as 'Joe') produces the VAN Transportation newsletter among other duties. Throughout his career Joe has assisted people with disabilities with academic, housing and transportation needs. In 1998 he completed a master's degree in Rehabilitation Counseling at the University of North Texas. Joe now lives in Denton, Texas.

Keep an eye out for articles from these freelance writers in upcoming issues of the newsletter.

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