Storytelling for Social Impact: How Personal Narratives Spark Collective Change

with lola dada-Olley

In an era of rapid policy shifts and political polarization, building lasting human rights movements can feel like treading water, with each step forward often met by two steps back. Yet, in the past forty years, the landscape of U.S. disability policy, awareness, and advocacy has undergone profound transformation. 

This progress didn’t come by chance but through the relentless efforts of caregivers, educators, researchers and neurodivergent people who shared their stories, data, and struggles with policy makers. Through the power of their voices, they’ve not only shaped more accessible and accepting spaces for themselves and their families but have also deepened society’s understanding and acceptance of neurodivergence. 

We spoke with author, disability attorney, and advocate Lola Dada-Olley about how storytelling is a driving force behind large-scale social change.

A Journey That Began with a Brother's Diagnosis

Lola’s journey began in 1989 when her brother, Kunle, was diagnosed with autism at a time when mainstream society’s understanding of the condition was still in its infancy. The UN had only recognized disability rights fourteen years earlier, in 1975, the same year that the US passed the Education for Handicapped Children Act (the precursor to the 1990 Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) that guaranteed free public education for neurodivergent and disabled children. However, public, legal, and medical attitudes toward neurodiversity still had a long way to go. Even the term “neurodiversity” is relatively new, having first been used in 1990, advocating for an understanding of ADHD and autism as part of natural human diversity.

As a young girl, Lola witnessed firsthand how the education, medical, and legal systems failed to address the needs of neurodivergent people. With few resources outside of her immediate family, the task of supporting Kunle and securing a future for him became a constant, urgent challenge. Even as a child, Lola was already researching his symptoms to help his doctors find an accurate diagnosis.

Lola's commitment to understanding her brother's condition didn't stop there. As an adult, she became an attorney—who would not only advocate for Kunle but also her children, both of whom were diagnosed with autism. Over the years, society made significant strides, although much work still remains. Some school systems became better equipped to support neurodivergent children, health insurance began covering essential therapies, and access to quality care improved.

Reflecting on her journey, Lola says, "When I was younger, I saw my life as a series of disjointed events. But the older I get, the more I see how those moments laid the foundation for the opportunities and decisions that came later. My skin color, gender, caregiver status, profession, and my proximity to disability and the immigrant experience all played into how I navigated life in America. The more you understand your role in the larger picture, the better you can recognize how your contributions to cultural change are valuable."

Storytelling: A Catalyst for Social Change

Lola's forthcoming memoir, her podcast Not Your Mama’s Autism, and feature in the documentary Sensory Overload (streaming on Hulu) have allowed her to explore the intersections of her personal story and the broader narrative of disability policy and advocacy. Through these platforms, she’s uncovered a powerful truth: “People are interconnected in ways that are not always easily seen.”

True change often begins with a small group of individuals deciding that enough is enough and that a perceived wrong must be righted. History, as Lola reminds us, isn't just about powerful figures or monumental events—true progress is a collaborative effort. “The story of the self-made person is a myth. History often highlights the leaders, but it’s the everyday people, through countless small decisions, who create the movement. Storytelling can be a powerful form of advocacy, as it provides context and nuance that raw data and statistics can't always convey.”

Storytelling isn't just about sharing personal struggles; it’s a vital tool for shaping public policy, guiding research, and fostering empathy. When we share our stories, we build awareness, shift perspectives, and mobilize communities toward collective action.

The Ripple Effect of Advocacy

Lola traces much of her family's journey to the sweeping legal changes of the last six decades. She reflects on how movements led to landmark laws that shaped her life: laws that helped her immigrant parents build a home in a neighborhood of their choosing, that provided her brother with access to specialized education, and that enabled Lola to pursue academic and athletic scholarships. These same laws also helped secure health insurance coverage for her children’s needs. “The people who fought for these changes may not have realized that their decisions would impact generations to come,” Lola says. “They fought for their families, but in doing so, they paved the way for people like me, decades later, to have a better life.”

The landmark Supreme Court case Olmstead vs. L.C. and E.W. in 1999 banned the segregation of those with disabilities. It was brought to court by Lois Curtis and Elaine Wilson, patients with intellectual disabilities who had been held in a hospital even though mental health professionals had approved them for community-based programs. The ’90s also saw improved diagnostic criteria for autism spectrum diagnoses, the popularization of Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) therapy, and better integration of public education programs in schools that met the needs of those with intellectual disabilities. These gains, won by neurodivergent people and their families, helped shift the public view that disability resources were personal responsibilities to a more holistic, social approach. That paved the way for many states to pass laws requiring medical insurance to cover disability treatment and medication, a change that’s largely happened over the last two decades. 

This is the power of collective advocacy. Families sharing their needs with educators, researchers, healthcare providers, and community leaders may not know it at the time, but they are helping to create a world that is more inclusive for everyone.

In 2019, Lola saw collective advocacy come to life when an all-abilities playground opened in her city—she was invited to give a speech at the grand opening. For Lola, the event was not just about the park; it was a manifestation of a dream that had been growing inside her since childhood.

“Preparing for that speech sparked something deep within me,” she shares. “Looking back, I realized that it was probably the first time I reflected on my own experiences of growing up in a time when there was little to no autism awareness. The playground was everything I had wished for as a child—and it was finally a reality. Knowing that my children would have access to something that my siblings and I didn’t is what inspired my podcast, my speaking engagements, and ultimately, the documentary.”

Lola’s message is clear: change doesn’t happen in isolation. She believes that many people shy away from advocacy because they don’t think their individual efforts will matter. But history tells us otherwise. It is the collective impact of individual actions that drives lasting social change.

“Whether the ultimate outcome is positive or negative, it is the collection of individual decisions as a community that becomes the foundation for social change,” Lola concludes. “Each voice, each story, plays a part in the larger narrative.”

The power of storytelling is not just in sharing one’s own experiences but in connecting with others, finding common ground, and driving forward a movement that has the potential to transform the world. By sharing our stories, we have the power to create a more inclusive, empathetic, and just society—one story at a time.