Events

Wendy is wearing a floral dress and sitting on a stage next to two other panelists on either side. They're speaking at an event called AmpLit Fest. A sign hangs above their heads with the words: "Summer on the Hudson / Riverside Park."
Wendy Lu speaks at an outdoor panel on literary citizenship at AmpLit Fest 2017. She’s wearing a floral dress and sitting between two panelists, Jayson P. Smith (black shirt) and Joanna Valente (scarlet dress and flower in her hair).

*UPDATE (11/11/2022): I am closed to speaking requests, interview requests, and freelance work for now as I work through my current projects and plan my wedding. Thank you for understanding!


I travel around the world to give university lectures, host company workshops and speak on panels about disability representation in the media. As a dynamic,
engaging and thoughtful presenter, I bring a range of unique perspectives and
experiences as a disabled journalist at various events. I’m able to speak on the
following topics:

  • modern disability language and disability pride
  • disability, relationships, and body image
  • the intersection between race, disability and gender
  • disability representation in the media
  • working in digital media as a disabled woman of color

I’m available for virtual or in-person bookings, both solo and in groups. Find below a snapshot of my previous speaking events. Book me for your next event here.

2022:

  • Disability Reporting Workshops, The New York Times — January and October 2022
  • Freelancing 101 Workshop for New, Unemployed & Laid-Off Journalists, Independent Event — March 2022
  • Guest Speaker for a Reporting Class, University of Wisconsin-Madison — May 2022
  • Disability & Accessibility Training, Wirecutter — June 2022
  • Disability Reporting Training Series (Three Workshops), Military Veterans in Journalism — July to August 2022
  • “Say What You Mean: Avoiding Disability Euphemisms In News Stories” Language Workshop, ACES: The Society for Editing Conference — September 2022
  • “Improving Your Election Coverage for People With Disabilities” Panel Moderator, National Press Club Journalism Institute — October 2022
  • “Brandy Schillace on ‘Year of the Tiger’ by Alice Wong” YouTube Show, Featured Guest, Peculiar Book Club YouTube Show — November 2022
  • Forbes 30 Under 30 Panel, Fordham University — November 2022
  • Disability Reporting Training, Pulitzer Center for Crisis Reporting — December 2022

2021:

  • Speaker at the Jane Hoppen Writers Salon, Paragraph — January 2021
  • “Conversations with Wendy Lu,” Emerson College — March 2021
  • Byte Size Learning on Disability Language & Inspiration Porn, Arts Access — April 2021
  • “Intersection Of Asian American & Disability Identities” Opening Plenary Speech, National Disability Rights Network Conference — May 2021
  • Disability in Journalism Panel, Summer Speaker Series, The Daily Princetonian at Princeton University — June 2021
  • Disability Reporting Panel, NPR — September 2021
  • “Disability & Journalism” Workshop for Tomodachi Story Jam, University of Massachusetts in Boston — August 2021
  • Disability Reporting Best Practices Training, HuffPost x Buzzfeed — October 2021
  • Guest Speaker for the Alliance of Journalists With Disabilities, Columbia Journalism School, November 2021
  • Covering Social Issues Lecture for the Opinion & Media Class, Humber College — December 2021

2020:

  • Guest Speaker on Union Bargaining for “Issues in Organizing” class, CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies — June 2020
  • Olmstead Anniversary Inclusion Hour: “Our Stories for Freedom & Inclusive Community,” The Kelsey — June 2020
  • “Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution” Panel Moderator, Film at Lincoln Center and Netflix — July 2020
  • “Covering the Disability Community” Panel, Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA) Festival — August 2020
  • “It’s Personal: Covering Social Justice” Panel, HuffPost for Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA) Festival — August 2020
  • “Power of Journalism in Disability Justice Work,” Color of DIS — August 2020
  • “Pitch Perfect: Everything to Know About Pitching Stories,” Freelancing with Tim — September 2020
  • “Shifting the Disability Narrative” Speaker, NBC Universal — October 2020
  • “Run” Film Panel Moderator, Film at Lincoln Center — November 2020
  • Building Resilience In the Workplace, HuffPost — December 2020
  • Covering Social Issues Lecture for Opinion & Media Class,
    Humber College — December 2020
  • Crafting Effective Opinions Lecture for Op-Ed Writing Class, Harvard Kennedy School — December 2020

2019:

  • Reporting on People With Disabilities Workshop, New York University in Abu Dhabi — March 2019
  • Disability Mentoring Day Panel, Verizon Media — May 2019
  • Disability Inclusion in Public Policy Panel, Digital Inclusion Conference by the NYC Mayor’s Office of People With Disabilities — May 2019
  • “Disability Reporting Best Practices” Workshop, HuffPost — July 2019
  • “When We Walk” Documentary Screening Q&A Moderator, Asian American International Film Festival — August 2019
  • “Science, Not Stigma” Workshop by the National Institute of Allergy
    and Infectious Diseases, ScienceWriters 2019 Conference in State College, PA — October 2019
  • Disability & Ableism Digital Panel, Lakeshore Foundation — October 2019

2018:

  • “Reporting on the Disability Beat,” Panel, New England Newspaper & Press
    Association Conference — February 2018
  • Digital Journalism & Disability Reporting Lectures for News Editing & Media Hub Classes, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill — April 2018
  • “From Flashpoint to Fatigue: the Lifecycle of a Narrative” Panel Moderator,
    AmpLit Fest — June 2018
  • “How To Kill It As A Freelancer” Panel, Her Conference — July 2018
  • Reporting Panel, Columbia Journalism School — October 2018
  • “Shifting the Disability Narrative” Lecture, Indiana University-Purdue University in Indianapolis, IN — October 2018
  • “Disability Narrative” Lecture, WEIRDD Poetry Series — November 2018
  • “Covering Marginalized Communities” Panel for the Women Action Media! (WAM!) Conference — December 2018

2017:

  • “Dating & Sex With A Disability” Episode, “I Want It That Way” Podcast by
    Bustle — March 2017
  • “Literary Citizenship: The Writer’s Identity” Panel, AmpLit Fest — June 2017
  • Reporting Panel, Columbia Journalism School — October 2017