Rí Wa Community Organization is a Black-led, disability-led organization reimagining what equity, belonging, and collective liberation can look like when disabled people are centered as leaders, innovators, and changemakers.

Grounded in the lived experiences, cultural knowledge, and resilience of Black communities, we advance disability justice through transformative leadership, community-driven research, systems change, and meaningful engagement. Our work recognizes that disability intersects with race, gender, culture, migration, class, and other lived realities, requiring solutions that are holistic, community-informed, and rooted in dignity.

We believe that disabled people are not merely participants in conversations about change but essential architects of the future. By cultivating leadership, generating evidence through research, and building partnerships across sectors, we create pathways for greater inclusion, accessibility, and social and economic opportunity.

Our approach is culturally grounded and unapologetically community-centered. We amplify voices that have too often been excluded, strengthen the capacity of individuals and organizations, and advocate for policies and practices that dismantle systemic barriers while fostering belonging and shared prosperity.

At Rí Wa Community Organization, disability justice is more than an aspiration. It is a commitment to ensuring that every person has the opportunity to lead, contribute, and thrive in communities that recognize their inherent worth and celebrate the richness of human diversity.

Before founding Rí Wa, Sope built an accomplished career in international development and humanitarian cooperation, collaborating with organizations across Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, and Canada. Her experience includes leadership and communications roles with Women in Informal Employment: Globalizing and Organizing (WIEGO), Oxfam Canada, Samaritan’s Purse International, Street Kids International, the Rotary Club of Guayaquil, and other civil society organizations focused on economic justice, gender equity, and sustainable development. Early in her career, she worked alongside Indigenous women artisans in Ecuador to promote fair trade initiatives and cooperative business models that strengthened economic independence and community resilience.

An experienced governance professional, Sope has served on the Community Initiatives Board for the Government of Saskatchewan and has provided strategic governance and board management support to organizations including Oxfam Canada, Ranch Ehrlo Society, Ehrlo Child and Family Foundation, and RES & E Holding Corporation. Her expertise spans nonprofit governance, stakeholder engagement, communications, and organizational leadership, with a focus on building inclusive institutions that reflect the communities they serve.

Through her leadership, Sope continues to advance a vision of disability justice rooted in equity, accessibility, anti-racism, and collective liberation—working to ensure that people with disabilities, particularly those at the intersections of race, migration, and gender, have the opportunity to thrive as leaders, innovators, and changemakers.

Outside of her professional and advocacy work, Sope is an avid lover of the arts. She plays both the flute and cello, enjoys a wide range of dance styles, and can often be found immersed in a good book on a snowy or rainy day. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in International Development Studies from the University of Regina and a Master of Arts in Development Policy and Practice from the University of New Hampshire.

Sope Ogunrinde, MA

Co-Founder of RíWa Community

Sope Ogunrinde is a nationally recognized disability justice leader, equity advocate, and social impact strategist dedicated to advancing the rights, inclusion, and leadership of Black, racialized, immigrant, and other historically marginalized persons with disabilities across Canada. As the Founder of Rí Wa Community Organization, a Black-led and disability-led organization, she works to dismantle systemic barriers and build more equitable, accessible, and community-driven solutions that promote belonging, dignity, and social justice.

Drawing from her lived experience as a person with a disability and a first-generation immigrant, Sope champions disability justice through advocacy, policy engagement, systems change, and grassroots leadership. Her work centers on amplifying underrepresented voices, advancing intersectional equity, and creating pathways for meaningful participation in civic life, employment, entrepreneurship, and community development. She is particularly passionate about ensuring that Black and newcomer communities with disabilities are not only included in decision-making processes but are empowered to lead them.

Subscribe to our newsletter