The Purple Vest Mission
When crisis strikes, the most vulnerable are often the hardest hit. The Purple Vest Mission was created to change that reality.
Founded in 2021, our first hands-on deployment took place just eight days after the war in Ukraine began—on the ground at the main refugee center in Przemyśl, Poland. From that moment forward, we became part of a growing global movement dedicated to ensuring that people with disabilities and older adults are never left behind in times of crisis.
What began as an urgent humanitarian response has evolved into an international network of action, training, and hope. Families who once had no safe way out now find trusted hands ready to guide them to safety. Those unable to leave their homes receive vital assistance, supplies, and the simple but powerful gift of human connection.
Why “Purple Vest”?
The vest itself is more than fabric—it’s a promise. Around the world, purple is recognized as a symbol of disability rights. When someone sees a Purple Vest Mission volunteer, they know help has arrived: skilled, equipped, and ready to deliver assistance with respect and compassion.
What We Do
- Train & Empower – From local responders to governments, we equip communities to act inclusively—because true preparedness includes everyone.
- Inclusive Evacuations – We partner on the ground to remove barriers, guiding people with dignity through every step of escape.
- Support at Home – Not everyone can or wants to evacuate. We make sure those who remain are cared for with food, medication, and companionship.
- Accessible Information – Life-saving updates are useless if they can’t be understood. We deliver information in formats everyone can access.
- Global Alliances – By teaming up with foundations, NGOs, and governments, we’ve scaled impact across borders.
Already, thousands of lives have been touched—over 7,000 people safely evacuated from war zones, and more than 15,000 supported with targeted humanitarian relief.
Our Vision
Emergencies test humanity. They ask us: who do we protect first, and who do we risk leaving behind? The Purple Vest Mission answers clearly—we leave no one behind. Our mission is to weave accessibility into the fabric of emergency planning worldwide, so dignity, inclusion, and safety are not optional—they are guaranteed.
Because in the darkest moments, every person deserves a chance at safety, and every life matters.
Accessible Evacuations: Over 7500 People and their families
Essential Supplied to: Over 15000 People
Online Training of Purple Vest Mission Volunteers: Over 6100 People
In person training throughout the globe Over 1000 People
*As of September 2025
Executive Director, Accessibility Accelerator
James A. Lassner
Board Member
Born in Bogotá, Colombia, and raised in the United States, Jamie has dedicated his life to helping others find safety, dignity, and belonging. As Executive Director of Accessibility Accelerator, he leads global efforts to build a world where people with disabilities and older adults are never left behind—especially in times of crisis.
Before stepping into the nonprofit world, Jamie spent over 25 years in international commodities business, developing leadership and sustainability expertise that continue to guide his work today.
For more than four decades, he has also served as a volunteer EMT in New York City, an experience that deeply shaped him—particularly during and after the September 11th attacks, when he was injured while responding near the World Trade Center. His recovery and journey through PTSD inspired a profound life shift toward service, education, and compassion.
Since 2021, Jamie has been a leader and active member of the Purple Vest Mission, a global initiative that ensures people with disabilities and older adults are included in every stage of emergency response. From Ukraine and Poland to Uganda and beyond, he has led teams that train volunteers and carry out inclusive evacuations for thousands in need.
Jamie’s vision of inclusion extends beyond crisis zones. Through projects like the #AccessibleTogether Kilimanjaro climbs, he has helped demonstrate that, when accessibility leads, everyone can rise.
A passionate storyteller and speaker, Jamie shares lessons of resilience and hope with audiences around the world. He finds his greatest joy in family, hiking, photography, hiking and the belief that small teams—with big hearts—can change the world.
Advisor for Strategy and Impact
Tamar Schapira
Board Member
Tamar Schapira is the Co-founder and CEO of SenseIT, streamlining accessibility testing so teams can deliver accessible digital products with confidence and ease.
Tamar serves on the Board of Accessibility Accelerator and contributes to the Purple Vest Mission, promoting emergency preparedness and evacuations for people with disabilities and the elderly during emergency times.
A mother, entrepreneur, and marathon runner, Tamar brings endurance, persistence, and resilience to building startups and advocating for accessibility and inclusion.
Alan T. Brown
Board Member
Alan T. Brown is a passionate advocate, entrepreneur, and leader for the paralysis community. At age 20, while on vacation in Martinique, an ocean wave crushed his neck, causing a C5–C6 spinal cord injury that left him a quadriplegic.
Turning tragedy into purpose, Alan founded the Alan T. Brown Foundation to Cure Paralysis, which evolved from focusing solely on research to improving quality of life through peer mentoring, outreach, and direct support for individuals and families living with paralysis.
Over three decades, Alan has become a recognized voice for accessibility, inclusion, and resilience—sharing his story to inspire others and drive awareness. Professionally, he built a successful career in public relations and marketing, working with Slim-Fast Foods, the Florida Marlins during their 1997 World Series season, and later founding PrimeTime Public Relations & Marketing.
Today, Alan serves as Director of New Partnership Engagement at the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, expanding awareness, partnerships, and advocacy efforts nationwide. A three-time NYC Marathoner, skydiver, and scuba diver, Alan continues to push limits. His proudest role is being father to his two sons, living proof that determination and heart can turn challenge into triumph.