CDHW Nexus Award

The University of Michigan Center for Disability Health & Wellness (CDHW) Nexus Award recognizes disability advocates whose partnership with academic researchers helps advance health, equity and wellness for people with disabilities.

Presented annually by CDHW, the award honors an individual who has demonstrated an outstanding commitment to bridging lived experience and scientific inquiry through meaningful collaboration with academic researchers.

The recipient receives a $1,000 award and is recognized at the annual CDHW Disability Health Research Symposium in October.

2026 Nexus Award Recipient: Theodore "Teddy" Dorsette III

Theodore "Teddy" Dorsette III is the inaugural recipient of the University of Michigan Center for Disability Health & Wellness Nexus Award.

A lifelong Detroiter, Dorsette is an award-winning filmmaker, entrepreneur and disability justice advocate who made history as the first Deaf candidate to run for the Michigan State House. A multigenerational Deaf leader, he has dedicated much of his career to advancing accessibility, representation and equity for Deaf and disabled communities. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Film/Cinema/Video Studies from the University of Michigan and later studied directing and producing at the Motion Picture Institute.

Dorsette has worked across filmmaking, communications, nonprofit leadership and disability advocacy. He currently serves as executive director of the Access, Equity & Leadership Collective and has held leadership and advisory roles with organizations focused on disability rights and access. His creative work includes documentaries, short films and other media centered on storytelling and representation. In 2020, he received a Gilda Award from Kresge Arts in Detroit in recognition of his work as a filmmaker.

Partnership with CDHW

Dorsette has been a valued partner of CDHW, contributing his expertise and perspective through his involvement on the advisory board, participation in panel discussions, and presentations at CDHW events. His contributions have helped bring community perspectives and lived experiences into conversations about disability health and research.

He also partnered with CDHW and disabled advocates across Metro Detroit to produce a video series highlighting the health care experiences, disparities and needs of Black disabled people in Detroit. The collaboration brought together lived experience, community perspectives, disability advocacy and creative storytelling to help make important disability health issues accessible to a broader audience.

The video series was featured during CDHW's Social Justice Through a Disability Health Lens webinar on January 22, 2026, held in recognition of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Dorsette's work exemplifies the purpose of the Nexus Award by connecting disability advocacy and lived experience with academic research and health education to advance disability health equity.
 

About the Nexus Award

The Nexus Award recognizes a disability advocate who has demonstrated outstanding partnership with academic researchers. The award honors collaboration that brings together lived experience, community knowledge and scientific inquiry to improve health, equity and wellness for people with disabilities.

Recipients are identified and nominated exclusively by University of Michigan academic research partners and selected by the CDHW selection committee.

Award Criteria

Nominees are evaluated in three key areas:

Meaningful Research Co-Design: Actively partnering with researchers to shape studies, incorporate disability community perspectives, and promote collaboration.

Translational Health & Wellness Impact: Advancing disability health equity through meaningful outcomes, improved health care access, and efforts to address systemic barriers.

Commitment to Accessible Science: Promoting inclusive research practices and making scientific information accessible and understandable to the disability community.

Award Recognition

Nexus Award recipients receive a $1,000 award and are recognized during the virtual CDHW Disability Health Research Symposium, held annually in October.