Class of 2020

Close up of Conchita smiling at the camera. She is wearing hoops earrings and has brown hair and light skin.

Conchita Hernandez Legorreta

METAS Chair

“Mentoring to me means all the ways we show up for each other. Everyone can be both a mentee and a mentor. We all have so much to learn from each other and community is what will ultimately get us through any situation.”

We are proud to induct Conchita Hernandez Legorreta into the Susan Daniels Disability Mentoring Hall of Fame.

Maria (Conchita) Hernandez Legorreta was born in Mexico and grew up in California. She advocates for the rights of blind children and their parents in the public-school setting in the United States and abroad through a lens of intersectionality focusing on social justice. Conchita received her Bachelor’s degree from Saint Mary’s College of California, majoring in International Studies, Spanish, and History. She then went on to Louisiana Tech University where she received her Masters in Teaching with a focus on teaching blind students. As well, Conchita earned a masters certificate in working with Deaf-Blind students from Northern Illinois University. She is currently a Doctoral student at George Washington University pursuing a degree in Special Education. Conchita has been published in Future Reflections and Rooted in Rights. Conchita keeps up with research in special education and serves as a peer reviewer on the Journal of Blindness Innovation and Research. Conchita conducts workshops on best practices for educators and professionals in the field of disability and advocacy in the United States and internationally. Conchita worked in the rehabilitation field in Nebraska where she set up innovative programming for disabled adults. Conchita is the founder and Chair of METAS (Mentoring Engaging and Teaching All Students) a non-profit organization that trains educators in Latin America that work with blind/low vision students and other disabilities. In this role she engages lawmakers in policy discussions around people with disabilities and inclusion. Currently, Conchita works as the Maryland Blind and Low Vision Specialist. Conchita strives to be a voice for change for educators, professionals and advocates to make full inclusion a reality for people with disabilities in Latin America.

Twitter: @Conchitahdz