Jillian MacLeod engages in litigation, legal advocacy, policy advocacy, and education to advance and protect the rights of people with disabilities. Her work is largely focused on advocacy at the intersection of reproductive rights, disability rights, bodily autonomy, and self-determined decision-making. While working at DREDF, Jillian has filed amicus briefs with the Supreme Court in cases dealing with issues of bodily autonomy, worked on cases dealing with access to healthcare, public services and higher education for disabled people, led trainings for medical providers on improving the accessibility of their practices, advocated against cuts to Medicaid and Medi-Cal, conducted a nationwide survey of people with disabilities who have sought reproductive health care and co-authored an accompanying resource educating providers about how to make their care more accessible. Jillian has led the expansion in scope of DREDF’s reproductive rights and justice work.
Jillian joined DREDF as a Ralph S. Abascal Memorial Fellow in September 2023, became a DREDF Legal Fellow in September 2024, and became a Staff Attorney in June 2025.
Jillian graduated with Highest Honors from the University of California, Santa Barbara with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and a minor in Feminist Studies. She graduated magna cum laude from the University of California, College of the Law, San Francisco (formerly UC Hastings) with a Concentration in Social Justice Lawyering.
