Kristen Parisi
Journalist
Disability Advocate

Hello!

If you’ve stumbled upon this page, I’m a Gracie Award-winning disability expert, journalist, and speaker based in Washington, DC. I’m the DE&I HR reporter at Morning Brew, interested in the intersection of identity and the workplace. When I’m not reporting, I write lifestyle pieces and advocate for disability representation in the media.

In 2020, I founded Disable the Media, a community and mentoring program to bring more disabled professionals into journalism, communications, and social media roles. The organization is currently on hold as I collaborate with industry leaders, but I offer free resume services and mentoring to budding disabled media professionals who need mentorship. If you need anything, please feel free to reach out!

Background

I have a bachelor’s in strategic communications and previously attended the University of Massachusetts Lowell for music education. Before I became a reporter, I worked at public relations firms, developing integrated communications campaigns for companies like Hotwire, Schneider Electric, KAYAK, Personal Capital, and the United Nations Environment Programme.

My writing focuses on trends in media, travel, mental health, and relationships. I’m an expert in disability representation in the news and the workplace. I’ve been featured with the TODAY Show, CNN, NPR, Cosmopolitan, Refiner29, BuzzFeed, and others.

Like most people, my life has been a mix of successes and (many) failures. I was paralyzed at the waist in a car accident at age 5 and am a full-time wheelchair user. I struggled with internalized ableism for years, but thanks to the powerful, welcoming disabled community, I learned that Disabled is not a bad word.

I’m a Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation-certified mentor, so if you are newly paralyzed or have a loved one with a spinal cord injury and need an ear, please get in touch.

Recent Work