Anjali Forber-Pratt named head of the Department of Disability and Human Development
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Anjali Forber-Pratt — disability activist, two-time Paralympic medalist and director of research at the American Association on Health & Disability — has been named head of the Department of Disability and Human Development. Beginning Aug. 16, she will succeed interim department head Carrie Sandahl.
Forber-Pratt comes to DHD with 20 years of high-level experience in research, sport and organizational leadership. She previously served as the presidentially appointed director of the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research, and she has held academic appointments at Vanderbilt University and the University of Kansas. The author of more than 65 peer-reviewed articles and numerous chapters, her research focuses primarily on disability identity development. And as a wheelchair-user herself for more than 40 years, her lived experience informs her work.
“I’ve spent my career working at the intersection of disability justice, racial equity and health equity,” she said, “embedding equity into strategy, operations, funding, organizational culture and really being able to treat this as an integrated effort, not just on the peripheral.”
Forber-Pratt was a member of Team USA at the 2008 and 2012 Paralympic Games, where she medaled and became an American record holder in wheelchair racing. She has since dedicated her life to helping others recognize their potential and believes members of the disabled community are often the best suited for leadership in their areas of focus.
“As a disabled person, adapting — it’s in our blood, right? We adapt constantly, just for existing. We’re natural problem solvers, because we have to be. But also because this turns into a real asset when it comes to work.”
Forber-Pratt has worked on a global scale to advocate for disabled people’s access to employment, education and sport, with projects in Bermuda, India, Zambia and Ghana. She has also received numerous recognitions from influential organizations, including a Special Contribution Award from the Alliance for NIDILRR Grantees in 2026, the Citizen Psychologist Award for Advancing Disability as a Human Right and Social Justice Issue Award from the American Psychological Association in 2020 and the Paul G. Hearne Leadership Award from the American Association of People with Disabilities in 2013. She was also honored by the White House as a Champion of Change in 2013 and participated in a roundtable discussion with President Obama about disability policy issues.
With deep experience and respect across different sectors of disability policy, advocacy and identity-building, Forber-Pratt is well positioned to lead DHD through this moment in which equity-driven work is often sidelined.
“We can be at the table in this critical time in our country when disability funding, programs and services are being threatened, and DHD can help shape that future. My hope for the future of DHD is that we not only continue being recognized as a disability leader, but as a disability champion in uncharted territories — that we bring our collective expertise to all of the tables.”