Meet Mariel

We recently interviewed Mariel Woodley, our Outreach and Education Coordinator. Mariel joined the Disability Empowerment Center team this summer.

Tell me a little about your background.

I am from Chicago and was previously working for Northwestern University as a research assistant. 

Why were you interested in joining Disability Empowerment Center?

Ever since I became disabled and received services from the Center for Independent Living in Chicago (Access Living), I have been motivated to help others who are working towards overcoming obstacles.

What's your favorite part of your job so far?

Promoting confidence in people who have been labeled as "disabled" for too long and showing them how "abled" they are!  

What do you like to do outside of work?

I moved to the Pacific Northwest earlier this year and absolutely love to explore nature here!  My favorite places so far are the watertaxi to Alki Beach, the ferry to Bainbridge Island and the seasonal city bus to Mount Si. (I climbed a mountain this year for the first time ever. It took awhile but was fun!)  It is way more beautiful here than it was in Chicago. If you have recommendations of places I should visit, please reach out to me.

Do you have any secret skills or something else to share that most people wouldn’t know about you?

For a little while I had a small business selling crafts at local bike stores and on Etsy. I sold my sewing projects and screenprints (it was mostly hats and apparel for urban cyclists).

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[Visual: Headshot of Mariel, a young white woman who has long wavy brown hair and wears glasses.]