Award-winning filmmaker Teddy Dorsette III shapes storytelling into action, amplifying the voices of marginalized communities. He is a Detroit-based social entrepreneur and disability advocate with over 20 years of public service. A multigenerational Deaf leader, he champions disability justice, anti-ableism, and inclusion for Deaf, Hard-of-Hearing, DeafBlind, and disabled communities. Teddy serves on the boards of Michigan Disability Rights and Disability Media Alliance (founding board member), is a council member of the Michigan Department of Civil Rights Division of the Deaf, Hard-of-Hearing, and DeafBlind, and represents the Michigan Coalition for the Deaf, Hard-of-Hearing, and DeafBlind as a legislative stakeholder of the Access, Equity, & Leadership Collective (AELC), which he founded through the coalition’s legislative committee to expand equity and access for Deaf communities. He previously ran as a write-in candidate for Detroit City Council. As Executive Director of AELC, Teddy drives collaboration, communication equity, and meaningful change across communities and government. Through the Change Collective, he aims to expand civic engagement for Deaf, Hard-of-Hearing, DeafBlind, and disabled communities by providing accessible resources, including a legislative bill tracker in American Sign Language and plain language.
