Connie Vandarakis (she/her) identifies as a person with non-apparent disabilities and bilateral hearing loss.
As an international disability consultant, Connie was recognised as a Zero Project Ambassador in 2023. She is an Inclusive Arts expert with the Zero Project Inclusive Arts Steering Community and serves as a mentor. She has spoken at the Zero Project Conference at the United Nations in Vienna and has both performed and spoken at the United Nations Conference of State Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in New York City, as part of a side event with Zero Project.
Connie is the CEO of Our Motion, a consultancy focused on inclusive movement in dance and wellness. She works as a Master Trainer with DanceAbility International and has been a keynote speaker at inclusive dance conferences, as well as teaching and performing in several countries since 2012. She has 30 years of leadership experience at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, PA, where she formerly served as Associate Dean and Professor. Connie has also held board positions at the University of the Arts, DanceAbility International, Disability Pride Pennsylvania, and the Include Everyone Project SCV.
Connie is part of the leadership team at Disability Pride Pennsylvania and has worked in various capacities since the organisation obtained its status as a charitable organisation in 2019. She also serves on the Circuit Trails Coalition Steering Committee and leads the Outdoors for Everyone programme at DPPA. Additionally, she worked with the Philadelphia Mayor’s Office for Equitable Community Engagement and Volunteer Services as the Trainer for the Equitable Community Toolkit project from 2022 to 2023.
2025
