Heidi Notario, M.A. (she, her, hers) is a Queer immigrant Latina, community organizer, disability and racial justice activist. She works at the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence (NRCDV) as the Vice President of Strategic Partnerships & Systems Change. Heidi has advocated for the rights of gender-based violence survivors, to include Latinxs, persons with disabilities and Deaf individuals, for more than a decade. She works closely at the intersections of disabilities and violence against people of color, LGBTQ+ individuals, and immigrant communities. She also devotes her time working at the intersections of housing insecurity and gender-based violence, with particular attention to racial inequities and lack of sovereignty in that space. Her interests include a wide variety of issues related to the treatment afforded to survivors of gender-based violence, those with disabilities, indigenous people, and Deaf individuals by the legal system, service providers, and society at large. Heidi keeps on the forefront of her anti-oppression work the elimination of barriers that impact survivors with intersecting identities, such as LGBTQ+ people of color and Native people. Heidi views “accessibility” from a human rights framework and is committed to bringing this perspective into her work and personal life. She believes in transformative justice, community and healing. Heidi is originally from Cuba and resides in the U.S. since 1995. She holds a Masters’ Degree in Sociology from Lehigh University and is Noah’s mom.
International work:
Presentations on a variety of topics to include:
LGBTQ+ identities and GBV, teen dating violence, disability and GBV, housing insecurity and GBV, developing action plans to prevent and respond to GBV, linguistic justice, trauma informed strategies to respond to GBV and others.
Countries: Mexico, Dominican Republic, China, Peru, Taiwan, Costa Rica, Cuba.
Aspirations:
- Continue my international work, specifically in Latin America.
- Keep the local community organizing work and begin a collaborative on Transformative Justice in Central PA to promote healing and accountability for survivors and those that cause harm within the Queer community.
- Write