“He taught me love without words. He’s nonverbal. He communicates with American Sign Language as well as assistive technology devices. But he can get his point across to you without saying anything. And it’s a beautiful thing to see.”
Corhonda Corley is a proud mother of one child living with disabilities and rare disease disorders from East Baton Rouge Parish in Louisiana, currently living in Zachary. Her son, Corinth (10), is nonverbal with autism, communicating with American Sign Language (ASL) and an augmented assistive technology device. Corhonda has been fighting for her son’s needs since the day he was born, and fights every day for people with disabilities and those who face social injustices. For Corhonda, advocating for others is literally engrained in her DNA. Her parents were civil rights activists in the Jim Crow South and the first to integrate their respective schools.
Corhonda has fought for disability rights and social justice at the local and national levels, taking on entire systems by herself and emerging victorious in the court of law. Corhonda says that she will never stop fighting for her son, for others with disabilities, and herself until everyone is treated fairly and equally. Currently, Corhonda is creating more inclusive education programs and culturally competent curriculums in agriculture and the sciences on the college/university level.
Corhonda sits on many boards and works with various organizations statewide and nationally. She recently participated in the Inaugural Certified Health Equity & Advocacy Lactation (H.E.A.L) Professional Program at Dillard University, which was designed to create competent lactation specialists who will work to address the infant mortality crisis within the Black community in Louisiana and beyond.
Read the blog post from program associate Mike White on rwjf.org to learn more about how RWJF is prioritizing and responding to parent and caregiver voices.
