Abraham Tieman (he/they) believes his experience with disability has always been a major factor in how society treats him, as well as how it intersects with his lived experiences of being multi-racial, of mixed socio-economic class, a veteran, and a member of the LGBTQ community. Originally from Rochester, MN, Abraham joined the Minnesota Army National Guard and graduated from the University of Minnesota with a bachelor’s in Communication Studies. They worked as a participant surveyor for the Olmstead Quality of Life Project, volunteered as a poll worker for the 2024 elections, and later joined the Minnesota Council on Disability. They also did work for the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Abraham is an active listener. When it comes to one-on-one conversations, he focuses on pressing concerns, life experiences, and opinions without judgement, ensuring that both people leave the conversation having learned something new. They are also a firm believer in the ability of people to do the right thing and in making their own decisions. He believes independence and community engagement are crucial in this day and age. Abraham’s intersectional background provides them with the opportunity to represent multiple perspectives. They appreciate meeting people who share a similar background, as well as educating others about issues people with disabilities face.
It is important to Abraham to make a meaningful, positive impact on his community and to contribute to our collective understanding of the disabled experience.
He enjoys listening to nonfiction audiobooks and relaxing music, as well as playing strategy and RPG games, especially with their friends. Occasionally he will binge watch a popular tv or anime series. Multitasking is the way they like to do things, which means he is almost always listening to audiobooks and music while taking care of household chores, out and about, or gaming solo. In recent years, Abraham has enjoyed going on long vacations such as backpacking solo across Europe and going on road trips to visit family.
