Raquel is a lifelong disability advocate. Having grown up with several relatives with disabilities, Raquel’s commitment to disability advocacy strengthened in 2002 while providing direct supports to adults with significant disabilities, many of whom were previously institutionalized. She went on to advise Project ACTION!, the self-advocacy coalition of Washington, DC, and later shifted the scope of her advocacy work to the national level, previously at TASH and currently at the National Disability Rights Network. The eldest sibling of a man with cerebral palsy, Raquel is a founding member of DC Metro Sibs, an informal support group for adult siblings of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. She received her BA in Disability Studies from the City University of New York, and her MS in Nonprofit Management from Our Lady of the Lake University.