Mỹ Lê Sandaine

Mỹ Lê Sandaine is a disability inclusion leader focused on whole systems employment transformation. She serves as a Systems Change Liaison with the University of Arizona Sonoran Center for Excellence in Disabilities, based in Tucson, Arizona. Her work centers on designing, piloting, and scaling employment models aligned with competitive integrated employment and Employment First.

At the Sonoran Center, Mỹ Lê has led multiple pilot and model development efforts. From 2020 to 2022, she designed and implemented Pre-Employment transition pilots, including model development for Pre-Employment transition services and the inaugural summer work program. In 2024, she was asked to return to lead the Arizona Customized Employment Pilot and later assumed leadership of the Arizona Employment First initiative. She then leveraged and advocated for funding to establish the dedicated Employment First team at the Sonoran Center, strengthening statewide coordination and implementation. These pilots informed practice, policy, and cross system collaboration.

Mỹ Lê brings a strong foundation in diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility. She centers lived experience, belonging, and shared accountability in systems change work. She has guided organizational transformation, including supporting a large Phoenix based provider in transitioning from center-based services to supported employment, with measurable outcomes.

A member and past Board Chair of Arizona APSE, Mỹ Lê advances Employment First policy, elimination of subminimum wage, and the expectation of work.

As a speaker and thought leader, Mỹ Lê shares her perspective as a Vietnamese, queer, refugee woman of color. She speaks on leadership, intersectionality, and building employment systems where people with disabilities belong and contribute.

Short Version

Mỹ Lê Sandaine is a Systems Change Liaison with the University of Arizona Sonoran Center for Excellence in Disabilities. She designs and leads pilot and model employment initiatives aligned with competitive integrated employment and Employment First, including the Arizona Customized Employment Pilot and the Arizona Employment First initiative. Her work focuses on whole systems transformation, policy informed practice, and provider change from segregated services to integrated employment.

As a speaker and thought leader, Mỹ Lê shares her perspective as a Vietnamese, queer, refugee woman of color. She speaks on leadership, intersectionality, and building employment systems where people with disabilities belong and contribute.