ABOUT RACHEL

Rachel Fox is the Founder and Executive Director of NWA Girl Gang in NW Arkansas. She has over 10 years of experience as a Director in Marketing, Advertising, and Communications, and has worked as a consultant for businesses, brands, and nonprofits globally. Her main focus is on representation and diversity in the industry, and she has had a successful career as a published writer, advocate, educator, Inclusion and Accessibility consultant, and community leader. Rachel's marketing background and extensive knowledge of Universal, Inclusive, ADA, and Accessible design, along with her lived experiences, have shaped her community efforts and provided a foundation for her philanthropic work in Arkansas and beyond.

As a consultant and advocate, Rachel has recently developed an Equitable Design framework that provides guidelines and support for those seeking to provide access to a diverse community on all fronts. Her Integrative Equity Assessment takes a unique "beyond ADA code" approach to accessibility, involving continuous evaluation beyond the physical space. This includes identifying opportunities to integrate an equity focus into creating and updating digital spaces, language, marketing techniques, and activities from an intersectional perspective. The goal is to ensure that every step of engagement aims to create an equitable experience and engagement considering all members of the diverse community in each process, regardless of their abilities, disabilities, or marginalized identity.

NWA Girl Gang, founded by Rachel in 2018, has been able to pilot and test this framework through its organizational efforts. As of 2024, NWA Girl Gang is the 4th organization in the state of Arkansas to have had a Health Impact Assessment (HIA) completed on the organization's programmatic efforts, determining that the organization's work creates health equity and overall quality of life in the region through social determinants.

Inspired by her daughter, who was born with Down Syndrome, Rachel has written articles on sensory-friendly design, accessible design, and the future of universal design. This work has helped connect parents of neurodiverse and disabled children through digital platforms and communities worldwide. Rachel has served as a Community Access Advisor and Community Access Committee member at Crystal Bridge's Museum of American Art since 2020. She is also a founding member of the Bentonville Moves Coalition for Active Transportation. Originally from Rochester, NY, Fox has also lived in Raleigh, NC where she received Cary Magazine's "Mover & Shaker Award". Rachel aspires to continue educating for a more inclusive and accessible future for her daughter and community.