Ramp Your Voice!, the Brainchild Movement of Vilissa Thompson

Hi!  My name is Vilissa Thompson, and I am the Founder of Ramp Your Voice!, a consultation business & disability advocacy movement.  Ramp Your Voice! will focus on promoting self-advocacy and strengthening empowerment among people with disabilities. Becoming a consultant & disability advocate affords me the opportunity to define myself as an emerging leader and expert in addressing and educating the public and political leaders about the plight of people with disabilities, especially women of color with disabilities, in America and abroad.

Along with creating Ramp Your Voice!, I am also striving to use my writing as a blogger and the Domestic Policy and Advocacy Staff Writer for Socialworkhelper.com as mediums to empower and encourage people with disabilities, especially women of color with disabilities, to share their life stories and have a more visible presence in our society.

I am a self-advocate; I have spoken at public hearings with the hope of raising awareness about the needs of youth and adults with disabilities, as well as shared my life experiences as a woman of color with a disability.

I am also politically conscious; I am working towards becoming involved in politics so that I can spearhead the creation and implementation of more empowering and effective social policies and practices that will improve the lives of people with disabilities.  I’m currently the Secretary for the Fairfield County Democratic Party in South Carolina.

I am a Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW), as of March 2013.  I earned my Masters of Social Work (MSW) & Bachelors of Arts (B.A.) in Psychology degrees from Winthrop University.

I am affiliated with several professional, civic, and advocacy organizations, including the National Association of Social Workers (NASW); National Association of Black Social Workers (NABSW); Association for Community Organization & Social Administration (ACOSA); Phi Alpha, the National Honor Society of Social Work; the NAACP; the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD); and Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc.