National Leadership Program, Spring 2025
Ruth Kraus
Ruth Kraus (she/her) is a Faith and Spirituality Fellow in Disability Belongs™’ National Leadership Program for Spring 2025. Disability Belongs™ is a national nonprofit organization fighting stigmas and advancing opportunities so that people with disabilities can fully participate in all aspects of community.
Kraus is a first-year Occupational Therapy Doctorate Student at the Duke University School of Medicine and a Theology and Health Care Certificate Student at the Duke Divinity School. She is an alumnus of North Carolina State University with degrees in Psychology and Interdisciplinary Studies. Kraus has five years of experience as an early childhood educator, and she has been profoundly shaped by the opportunity to create supportive, nurturing, and inclusive environments for all of her students to thrive.
Kraus envisions a world where all people have access to communities and opportunities that bring their life meaning, value, and wellness. Vocationally, Kraus aspires to contribute to disability inclusion and advocacy through her future work as an occupational therapy practitioner. While engaging her own identity of being a Christian, Kraus specifically hopes to be part of an actionable change to make faith communities an intentionally welcoming, affirming, and inclusive place for all people. In her free time, Kraus enjoys going to concerts, being in nature, spending time with loved ones, and watching the sunset!
