Emma Adelman was a Program Development and Fundraising Fellow at RespectAbility. She also managed the organization’s Twitter account and contributed to the Born This Way #BTWchat Twitter chats.

Adelman strives to make the world a better place, and is dedicated to the Jewish value of Tikkun Olam. After graduating from Mount Holyoke College, Adelman joined Repair the World to help launch an innovative fellowship in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Repair the World strives to engage millennials and other community members in service learning. Adelman later joined the Jamie Kirk Hahn Foundation as Program Coordinator. She organized a range of programs, which fought for better food access and an improved educational system, including the Fresh Food Challenge.

As a child in North Carolina, Adelman became accustomed to advocating for her own rights and the rights of her classmates. While in high school and at Mount Holyoke College, Adelman worked with faculty, staff and students to advance the status of students with disabilities on campus. After living in Peru and Spain, she recognized and appreciated the importance of the Americans with Disabilities Act—too many students don’t know their own rights to be able to fight for them.