Partner/Speaker
he/him/his
Dylan M. Rafaty is a navigator, influencer, and disability rights activist committed to serving all people with disabilities in the cross-disability community. Because of his family roots, Dylan continues to devote his love for cultural diversity in communities since birth and is deeply well connected across the globe due to his character, kindness, love for people, and passion.
He is a transformational DEIA leader, social entrepreneur, author, start-up executive, and nonprofit leader who works across multiple industries and sectors in the United States and parts of the world to bridge alliances and collaborative partnerships. Dylan serves on several executive boards, including serving as Founder, President & Chairman for the North Texas Disability Chamber, Founding Advisory Board Member for MENTOR Texas, and the Director of Disability Rights Texas (DRTx).
It is because of these roles that he values the importance of lifting communities, helping organizations, businesses, academic and government entities thrive while opening doors of new opportunities including gaining access to services so that everyone can have a better quality of life.
Dylan’s successes include bringing in new, innovative ideas to the table, merging organizations, mediating, and bringing communities together to create systemic change for a common goal, creating successful events and advocating on numerous fronts with key legislators while building and maintaining new relationships. Lastly, in 2020, Dylan was inducted into the Susan M. Daniels Disability Mentoring Hall of Fame, named 2020 Oticon’s Focus on People Advocacy Award Winner, 2021 Dallas Business Journal’s Leaders in Diversity Award honoree, 2021 Plano Chamber of Commerce’s Rising Star Award winner, and the finalist for the 2022 Tech Titans Community Hero Award.
Dylan is a graduate of the Plano Citizens Academy, the Ruderman Family Foundation’s LINK National Leadership program, Plano Chamber’s Leadership Plano (Class 38), Communities Foundation of Texas’s Emerging Leaders in Philanthropy (4th Cohort), and currently attending North Texas Commission’s Leadership North Texas (Class 14) program.
Dylan proudly works as the Donor Relation Manager for the REC Foundation and is a resident of Plano, Texas. Dylan is a special education graduate of Plano ISD, earned his A.A. degree at Collin College, B.S. degree in industrial and organizational psychology at the University of Phoenix, and the M.A. degree in dispute resolution at Southern Methodist University.
Certifications & Education
- B.S. Industrial and Organizational Psychology, University of Phoenix
- M.A.,dispute resolution, Southern Methodist University
- A.A., Collin College
Focus Areas
- Changing to a culture of Flexibility
- Accessibility
- Community Investment – Aligning our values
Most Requested Presentations
- Adding Accessibility as Part of Your DEI
- Disability in Workforce Development
- ERG Ability Group – Beyond Education
Awards & Recognition
- 2020 Oticon’s Focus on People Advocacy Award
- 2021 Dallas Business Journal’s Leaders in Diversity Award
- 2021 Plano Chamber of Commerce’s Rising Star Award
- Susan M. Daniels Disability Mentoring Hall of Fame
