About
Instead of saying...
"SOMEONE ought to do something about this!"...
I became that SOMEONE
WHO IS DEKEDA (Momma Pump)?
Dekeda was just an everyday loving and devoted Momma, working hard to support her family. One morning, she tuned into a radio broadcast on her way to work that would unknowingly catapult her into a household name for special needs advocacy. After hearing a popular TV and radio personality exploit the persona of a woman with developmental disabilities for laughs, Dekeda was deeply disturbed and channeled her emotions into a Youtube video that went viral almost instantly. Dekeda's first child was diagnosed with autism at the age of two and for her the “radio skit” aired as comedic entertainment hit too close to home to be taken lightheartedly by anyone who has had the blessing of loving someone with special needs. With the outrage of social media backing her candid thoughts by the thousands, it was soon apparent that there were people all over the world that shared in her disdain for this form of hate and enough was enough.
It was clear that there was much work to be done in the area of disability acceptance.
Dekeda has the loving support of her youngest neurotypical daughter who is also an enthusiastic advocate for her big sister. With the fuel of inspired family, friends and supporters, she was motivated to use her newly found platform to serve as a voice to the voiceless and carry the torch for the autism and special needs community.
Fun fact: The name of Dekeda's organization came from the last line that she yelled in that video before her phone died: "Walk one day in our shoes..."
The Walk One Day In Our Shoes Mission is to promote acceptance for all people with autism / disabilities through a variety of avenues:
Content Creator
The WODIOS Mission is to share my personal journey, by having you "Walk One Day In Our Shoes" with real stories of trials and triumphs endured while raising a daughter with autism. The mission is to continue to promote acceptance and awareness for all people living with special needs . I also encourage an open dialogue regarding current news items regarding autism, inclusion/acceptance, and other interests. Walk with us on Instagram & Facebook.
Sensory Friendly Social Events
As an award winning advocate, families in the DMV know me best for the sensory friendly social events that I produce for individuals with disabilities & their loved ones. These events are strategically customized for our community to enjoy in a sensory friendly, judgement free environment. Learn more about these events under the "Events" tab!
Media Correspondent
I serve as a Media Correspondent for ABC7 / WJLA and FOX5 in Washington, D.C.
You can find my latest segments here
Artistic Consultant - The Kennedy Center Theater for Young Audiences production of "The Day You Begin" by Jacqueline Woodson
As Artistic Consultants on this production, my daughter and I consulted on the role of “Sam” - a character with nonspeaking autism and sensory processing disorder; just like Sneak! We worked to ensure respectful authenticity of the character so that individuals with nonspeaking autism would feel SEEN while also introducing & teaching neurotypical individuals (especially children) about people with nonspeaking autism & their use of AAC devices.
We viewed the musical during early phases of production & gave our opinions about the character, his use of AAC & interactions with others. We also worked with the actor playing Sam and was elated to hear that he studied Sneak via her videos on Instagram. Sneak visited the theater and showed the cast how she uses her AAC as the entire team was dedicated to portraying this character right!
Sneak was extremely proud to have been involved in influencing the portrayal of Sam & I am humbled to have been chosen to assist on the project.
Autism Sensitivity Training
As a public speaker, I am available to host training seminars virtually or at your school, church, camp or business. These Sensitivity Training seminars will teach you & your staff, employees, teammates how to properly engage with the autism / disability community.
Visit the "Work With Me" tab to book me today!