Bio
The author of her newly release book Shattered Dreams, Broken Pieces,had dreams of international stardom. All it took was one diagnosis at the age of eighteen to turn her life upside down. Through the power of reinvention,Walton got her new lease on life. Through Thousands of hours working with other amputees, receiving national recognition from the National Disability Institute, and being featured on C-SPAN for her community-building projects surrounding the beauty of being a black woman with a disability, Donna has taken refuge remembering that life is not how you survive the storm but more how you dance in the rain.

Walton credits her unforeseen success through life's journey that asks the question, “what’s a leg got to do with it?” Her latest endeavor as the founder of the Divas With Disabilities Project™ has made an unprecedented impact in disability and women of color communities as a hub for thoughtful discussion on issues, self-love, and showing up, unapologetically in all forms of media. She also is producing a film documentary “Divas with Disabilities” that explores the lived experiences of African America women who live with physical disability in the United States.

A Certified Cognitive Behavioral Therapist and Founder and CEO of LEGGTalk, Inc., a for profit empowerment service, Dr. Walton fills a void in the rehabilitation community through servicing underemployed women and teens with disabilities in the District of Columbia.

Dr. Walton has spent over 20 years’ experience in diversity, and disability employment services where she distinguished herself as leader, advocate, and proponent of equal rights for persons with disabilities, in both public and private sectors, including The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), The United States Department of Labor Office of Assistant Secretary for Administration and Management (OASAM), The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the George Washington University Center for Rehabilitation Counseling Research and Education (CRCRE).

In 2000, while Director of Employment Services at the Whitman-Walker Clinic in Washington, D.C., Walton started a program called “GO Now,” a vocational rehabilitation program that helped persons disabled by HIV/AIDS acquire pre-employment skills and the confidence to seek and gain equal employment opportunities

During the Obama Administration, Dr. Walton was officially tagged as an inaugural member of the White House Disability Liaison’s Disability-African American Kitchen Cabinet and selected to serve as Moderator for panel discussion on: Exploring the Intersectionality of Identity in the Quest for Social, Cultural and Economic Justice during National African American History Month. Dr. Walton was later invited back to the White House to serve as a Subject Matter Expert (SME) for workgroup on accessibility and inclusion.

As a public speaker, Walton reaches and moves her audiences using her unique journey as evidence of how to live life in the face of adversity with passion and courage. Walton’s ability to captivate and motivate audiences through her trademark blend of humor, storytelling, and education has earned her numerous speaking engagements including the African-American Women on Tour Conference, The United States Conference on AIDS, The Department of the Army, Equal Employment Opportunity and the J.W. Marriott Hotel Annual Associates Program, as well as at schools and universities, including Spelman College, Ball State University, and Georgetown University. Her impressive oratory skills have earned her awards as a member of the Capital Speakers of Toastmasters International.

The year 2016 culminated in Dr. Walton’s appointment to the National Disability Institute (NDI) Board of Directors, helping to build a better economic future for people with disabilities and their families. In 2017, Dr. Walton joined RespectAbility’s Board of Advisors to help fight stigma and advance opportunities for people with disabilities.

Articles by or about Walton have been published in several publications, including HealthQuest, inMotion, Barbara Faye Waxman Fiduccia Papers on Women and Girls with Disabilities , Amplitude, Disability Quarterly among others; Shattered Dreams, Broken Pieces is her first book.

Dr. Walton earned her bachelor’s degree in 1979 from American University; a master’s degree in 1985 in Adult Education from Syracuse University; and, in 2005, a doctoral degree in Counseling from The George Washington University. Dr. Walton is a former faculty member at The George Washington University, where she taught graduate-level rehabilitation counseling courses using a distance education format.

Overcoming what Walton considers “triple jeopardy” to get where she is today, she continues to live by the motto “What’s a leg got to do with it?”
"When Donna tells her story, it's very powerful; she projects a mix of confidence and humility that's both charming and reassuring."
CELESTE JAMES
"I learned that all people are the same, whether disabled or not."
Wanda James Participant at Dream Reach Win Empowerment Salon
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