WBFO disability reporter Emyle Watkins, Able News editor Emily Ladau and Newsday transportation reporter Alfonso Castillo will join the Press Club of Long Island for a free discussion of disability reporting on Thursday, February 22, at 7 p.m. EST via Zoom.
Emyle Watkins is an award-winning multimedia investigative journalist with experience in newspapers, TV and radio, and currently WBFO’s disability reporter. Outside of their work as a reporter, Emyle also authored the Global Investigative Journalism Network’s Guide to Investigating Disability Issues. Emyle provides free workshops to colleges, journalists, and organizations on improving coverage of people with disabilities and disability representation in newsrooms.
Emily Ladau is a passionate disability rights activist, writer, storyteller, and digital communications consultant. She is the author of “Demystifying Disability: What to Know, What to Say, and How to be an Ally” and the editor of Able News, a monthly print and digital publication amplifying the perspectives of New York’s diverse, vibrant disability community. She co-hosts The Accessible Stall Podcast, a show that dives into disability issues. Central to all of Emily’s work is harnessing the power of storytelling as a tool to engage people in learning about disability.
Alfonso Castillo has worked as a reporter for Newsday for 25 years and has covered the transportation beat since 2008. Along the way, he’s won multiple awards for his coverage, including the 2023 Press Club of Long Island award for best transportation video, and the New York Press Club’s award for best continuing coverage in 2012 and 2019. As a father of a deaf child, Alfonso has prioritized accessibility issues in his coverage, including in stories about how the Long Island Rail Road’s service overhaul last year affected riders with disabilities, about the challenges faced by paratransit users on Long Island and about the need for more open captioned movie screenings on Long Island.