Page 31 - October 2020

National Disability Employment Awareness

Month Achievers Award Winners

A.J. Nanayakkara Elijah Shannon
ADA/Accessibility Child Life Aide
Program Manager Johns Hopkins All
Johns Hopkins Health Children’s Hospital
System

A.J. Nanayakkara’s primary Elijah Shannon’s responsibility is to clean
responsibility is to provide guidance all toys and play spaces in the hospital
to managers and departments when to ensure that children have a safe place
evaluating accommodations or to play. He must follow strict regulatory
accessibility arrangements needed requirements and guidelines, which
for an individual. However, A.J. has requires critical thinking to ensure
a passion and mission that extends safety in each situation — and he does
much broader when it comes to this with great vigor and joy. Elijah
disability inclusion. He has created loves to interact with others, especially
an impactful and important disability children, making everyone feel
etiquette training program that welcome and comfortable regardless of
provides Johns Hopkins Hospital any disability or difference. He sets an
staff with a toolkit regarding disability example of how to treat others.
cultural competency. This training is
not available in any other part of our Elijah understands the importance of his
institution. Through A.J.’s commitment role, and he takes great pride in keeping
to disability inclusion, he has expanded the children safe. He has a great
his training offerings to reach a larger attitude and is a role model of success
portion of our community. As the for his peers in the disability community
Johns Hopkins Health System’s go- who admire and respect him. Elijah
to person for disability inclusion believes that hard work and having the
concerns, A.J. has successfully hosted support of those around you produce
discussions that broadened cultural excellence. We salute Elijah Shannon
awareness of the broad definition of the for modeling the core values of Johns
disability community and of the private Hopkins Medicine.
struggles that members of the disability
community may be experiencing.
Outside of work, A.J. has a long
history of helping to improve disability
inclusion. He founded the Global
Abilities Foundation, which helps
people with disabilities stay active.
This nonprofit organization has hosted
recreational festivals dedicated to
inclusivity of people with disabilities.
A.J.’s success in his efforts exemplifies
his commitment to inclusion for the
disability community and to living out
the Johns Hopkins Medicine core values
every day. DIV2009054
Johns Hopkins Medicine Office of Diversity and Inclusion © 2020 | Diversity@jhmi.edu