The North Texas Disability Chamber (NTDC) “aims to convene, educate and navigate individuals, organizations and communities across North Texas and beyond.”
The chamber will honor its inaugural Hall Of Fame inductees — leaders, advocates and change-makers who have advanced accessibility, equity and disability across Texas — on Friday, February 6, at the Plano ISD’s Robinson Fine Arts Center in Plano.
The class of 2026 inductees includes:
- Charmaine Solomon of Plano — Charmaine is a licensed professional counselor, parent, and special needs advocate turned founding member of My Possibilities, a continuing education adult college-like program for adults with special needs in Collin County. Charmaine is now the Director for Leadership Plano, a program under the Plano Chamber of Commerce.;
- Neva Fairchild of Flower Mound — Through personal lived experiences, Neva has years of specialized higher education and a life-long career in the blindness and low-vision rehabilitation and services world. Her current and past work experiences include the Dallas Lighthouse for the Blind, Texas Commission for the Blind, Texas DARS Division for Blind Services, and American Foundation for the Blind. Currently, Neva is the owner of Experts on Blindness.
- Clay Boatwright of Frisco — Clay, a staunch advocate, parent, motivational speaker and published author of “God’s Plan, Our Circus,” has served the Texas disability community, including as Board President of the Arc of Dallas and Arc of Texas, founding Chairman of the Texas IDD System Redesign Advisory Committee in Austin, and an appointment by President Obama to the President’s Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities. Clay can be frequently seen advocating for improvements in support of the IDD community locally and in Austin.
The organizers’ goal is for the Hall Of Fame platform to:
- celebrate and honor outstanding leaders with and without disabilities, allies who are advancing accessibility and disability inclusion.
- recognize lifetime achievements, groundbreaking contributions and transformative impact across Texas.
- inspire future generations by elevating stories of resilience, innovation and leadership.
Starting with a check-in at 8 a.m., the gathering — officially, it’s billed as the group’s 2026 annual meeting — will commence at 8:30 a.m. and conclude at 11:45 a.m…