Q&A with Palestinian Rights Advocate and Basketball Enthusiast Waddah Sofan
In 2017 and 2018, Northwest Health Foundation convened the Disability Justice Leaders Collaborative – a group of fourteen disabled people of color interested in deepening their understanding of disability justice and discussing visions and strategies for ensuring the needs of people with disabilities are centered in decision-making. Waddah is one of the leaders participating in the Collaborative.
Q. What communities do you consider yourself a part of?
A. I am part of Palestinian/American, Muslim, Middle Eastern, people of color and disabled communities. I am a very diverse individual who is lucky to belong to all of the above communities.
Q. What leadership roles have you played?
A. I was highly involved as a student government leader at Portland State University and community leader, community organizer and disabled rights advocate. I've also been involved with the following agencies:
Advisory chair for Multicultural Student Center, Portland State University
Student government leader, Portland State University
Head of disability advocacy cultural association student group, Portland State University
Outreach coordinator for Arab Persian Student Organization
Board member for Center for Intercultural Organizing (now known as Unite Oregon)
Wheelchair youth basketball coach for Oregon Disability Sports
Co-founder of Palestinian Federation for Disabled for Sport
Member of national wheelchair basketball team
Co-founder of Students United for Palestinian Equal Rights, Portland State University
Member of Disability Power PDX, City of Portland
Q. What leadership roles do you hope to take on in the future?
A. I would like to improve my leadership skills to be able to serve the disabled community at large, to help create and change polices at the local and state level that impact disabled peoples' daily life. Also, I would like to share my experience and train disabled youth to become independent and take command of their lives.
Q. What is most exciting to you about disability justice?
A. Advocating for disabled individuals around the globe is something that excites me about disability justice. Also, what excites me is that we, the oppressed people, are uniting and moving together as one to bring justice and equity to those who seek it.
Q. What do you hope to get out of being a part of the Disability Justice Leaders Collaborative?
A. I would like to be more familiar with policies and regulations that concern disability accessibility in our community, so I would be able to communicate them clearly to improve outcomes for people with disabilities.
Q. What is your vision for the future of our region?
A. In my simple opinion, I would like to see the disability rights and disability justice movements continue to grow and more people claim their own uniqueness or identity as people with disabilities or as an oppressed people. I would like for everyone to live in peace and harmony, and for our community to be very welcoming and understanding of those they don’t have common interested with.
Q. What is your favorite book, movie or song, and why?
A. My favorite movie is The Green Mile. It is a great story about forgiveness, kindness and love. The story was very uplifting and draws you into it most of the time. It was about an innocent man who has very soft heart on death row for a crime he did not commit. The man has nothing but hope and love for all people he came in touch with. He healed peoples' hurts on his own expense when either used his miracle of healing. He even healed those who were selfish and put him to death. It is a story of giving and making good in life despite knowing you won’t live long enough to see the goodness that impacted others.