November 2025 Issue
- Editor’s note
- Cover Story
- Advocacy
- Recognizing our Changemakers
- Deaf Insights
- Inclusive Employment
- Inspirational Stories
- Families With Disabilities
- Community Spotlight
- Dating With A Disability
- Feature Articles
- Our Voice, Our Pride
- Technology
- Inclusive Arts
- Snippets from the WWW
- Voices Without Limits
Editor’s note
By Debbie Austin
Welcome to this issue of Accessibility for All, where we celebrate the individuality of the disability community. We share stories that challenge stereotypes, inspire connection, and amplify voices that too often go unheard.
In these pages, you’ll find stories that reveal not only the barriers that exist but also the brilliance that rises in overcoming them. On the cover, Capella Design’s accessible hotel suite at the 2025 Interior Design Show Vancouver proves that accessibility can be beautiful, setting a new standard for inclusive design that welcomes everyone with elegance and intention.
Cover Story
Capella Design: Proving Accessible Hotel Suites Can Be Beautiful
Kaly Ryan walked into the Interior Design Show (IDS) in Vancouver with a big idea and a bigger to-do list. The founder of Capella Design wanted to build a hotel suite that worked for different bodies, abilities, and ways of moving. Not just a demo that checks the accessibility boxes, but a space people would genuinely want to stay in.
IDS Vancouver highlights the future of interior design and this year one of the themes was hotels. Ryan pitched the idea of a fully functional, stylish suite built around universal design, a space anyone could use comfortably. The show loved it and gave her the green light. T
Advocacy
People with disabilities lead change at Good Humans 268 through empowerment not charity
What inspired the creation of Good Humans 268, and what does the name represent?
It was born from both challenge and purpose. In 2021, after losing one of my jobs, I discovered that the Disability Tribunal — established under the Disabilities and Equal Opportunities Act of 2017 — was still not up and running. This tribunal is meant to hear cases like mine, ensuring justice and protection for persons with disabilities in areas such as education, employment, and healthcare.
Recognizing our Changemakers
Everyone Is Good at Something
There are stories that quietly restore your faith in people and this is one of them. It begins with two men who couldn’t be more different: Ferose V R, a tech leader who’s spent his life in the boardrooms of SAP and Silicon Valley, and Vicky Roy, a world-travelling photographer who once lived on the streets of Delhi.
Deaf Insights
The Power of Inclusion and Belonging: My Journey as Ms. Nevada Corporate America 2025
I am Angela Lynn, Ms. Nevada Corporate America 2025. I’m a Deaf global advocate, educator, and talk show host who uses my platform, The Angela Lynn Show, to champion inclusion and belonging across Deaf and hearing communities. In this inspiring piece, I share my journey from 1st runner-up to titleholder, revealing how courage, faith, and self-belief can transform barriers into bridges.
How AV Systems create equal access for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
Sound often shapes how people share and understand ideas. In schools, offices, and public areas, it’s the main way messages travel. For people who are deaf or hard of hearing, these places become easier to join when technology supports equal communication. Audio-Visual (AV) systems now make that possible.
Inclusive Employment
How a Café is Tackling the Disability Employment Crisis
By Delani Li, Columbia News Service
The employment situation for people with disabilities in New York City is dire, according to advocates who want more companies to see the benefits of hiring an inclusive workforce.
According to a report from AHRC NYC, an organization that helps individuals with disabilities find jobs, only about 36% of individuals with disabilities are represented in the workforce, compared to 65% of those without disabilities.
Michele Shapiro, director of employment and business services at AHRC NYC, said that stigma and misconceptions about people with disabilities continue to create barriers and a significant employment gap.
Inspirational Stories
How Michelle Weger turned narcolepsy into a model for smarter productivity
When Michelle Weger first started nodding off in class, she thought she was just tired. University days stretched long, microscopes glowed dim, and ambition burned hot. She was one of ten students accepted into a coveted Diagnostic Cytology program, training her eyes to read cells that would tell life-and-death stories. Then the sleep attacks began. Random, fierce, and uncontrollable. A dream of becoming a neurosurgeon slowly flickered out under the fluorescent hum of a lab she could no longer trust herself to stay awake in.
Families With Disabilities
From Surviving to Leading, Part 2: The Rise of the Mama Bear CEO
By Christine E. Staple Ebanks, The Special Needs Mama Bear
In our last issue of Accessibility or All, I introduced you to Dawn Wangard, a Special Needs Mama Bear who stepped into quiet leadership—balancing the demands of caring for her son Dylan while building her Mary Kay consultancy, mentoring fellow special needs moms, and uplifting her community with encouragement and generosity. Her journey—from the raw uncertainty of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) to becoming a source of solidarity and strength—proved that the Special Needs Mama Bear movement isn’t just a nice idea; it’s a lived reality.
How raising a child with Down syndrome taught Hayley Newman about love, joy and inclusion
When Hayley talks about her daughter Natty, her voice carries both steadiness and laughter. It’s the sound of someone who has weathered shock, learned fast, and chosen to share what she knows so others might feel less afraid. Years ago, when Natty arrived in their Cornwall home, Hayley’s world changed in a single day. A medical team moved quickly, lights flashed, and hours passed before a clinician finally said the words “Down syndrome.”
Community Spotlight
Keep The Axis Project Alive
Founded by George Gallego, The Axis Project has long been a sanctuary where individuals with disabilities train, connect, and reclaim their strength and independence. Earlier this year, the center was forced to relocate, leaving its members without the uniquely accessible space that had transformed countless lives.
Dating With A Disability
Who Gets to Date Freely? Asking as a Disabled Black Woman in the Global South
By Thembelihle Ngcai
I’m a 31-year-old Black disabled woman living in South Africa—a country with deep economic fault lines and even deeper ableist attitudes. I’m not just disabled. I have a rare neuromuscular condition called Spinal Muscular Atrophy, which puts me in a wheelchair, in and out of private hospitals that don’t understand my diagnosis, and on the edge of financial ruin despite a full-time government job and award-winning career.
Feature Articles
Blindness is just another attribute
Since she first picked up a camera with her guide dog Olga by her side, Lucy Edwards has spoken with a confidence that never asks for permission, it simply commands attention. Candid, warm, and unapologetically herself, she’s built a voice that feels as real as the stories she tells. Now a well-known UK presenter and award-winning content creator, she’s proof that being blind changes how you navigate the world but it does not make your world smaller. Whether she’s in a BBC studio, chatting on TikTok, or walking the red carpet with Miss Molly, her ever-patient guide dog and sidekick, Lucy owns her space with the kind of energy that fills a room even if she can’t see it.
Finding the Right Fit: Job Search Strategies for Canadians with Disabilities
By Lillian Brooks
Starting a job search can feel like standing at the base of a steep hill—but for individuals with disabilities, that hill often comes with hidden barriers, unpredictable terrain, and unclear signage. Whether you’re just entering the workforce or reimagining your next chapter, navigating employment with a disability isn’t just about checking the same boxes as everyone else. It’s about knowing which boxes to question, which routes to reroute, and how to make space for your skills to shine in systems not always built with you in mind.
Social attitudes and representation of disability in the Philippines
By Lucky Mae Fornoles
Attitudinal barriers, media portrayals, and a lack of awareness are factors that contribute to the stigma and stereotypes about disability, both worldwide and in the Philippines. These stigmas and stereotypes stem from misconceptions and superstitions that discriminate against and limit opportunities for persons with disabilities (PWDs). In this two-part series we will look in more detail at misconceptions and then superstitions.
Transgender, nonbinary and disabled people more likely to view AI negatively, study shows
By Oliver L. Haimson
AI seems to be well on its way to becoming pervasive. You hear rumbles of AI being used, somewhere behind the scenes, at your doctor’s office. You suspect it may have played a role in hiring decisions during your last job search. Sometimes – maybe even often – you use it yourself.
And yet, while AI now influences high-stakes decisions such as what kinds of medical care people receive, who gets hired and what news people see, these decisions are not always made equitably. Research has shown that algorithmic bias often harms marginalized groups.
How Young Adults with Disabilities Can Thrive in the Modern Business World
By Martin Block
The professional world doesn’t always open its doors on the first knock — especially if you’re a young adult navigating both ambition and disability. But here’s the truth behind the curtain: the business world isn’t one monolithic system waiting for your resume. It’s a living, shifting ecosystem that responds to creativity, value, and determination. That means if you’re willing to step into your own lane, there’s room — real room — to thrive, contribute, and lead.
Our Voice, Our Pride
When visibility meets representation: Why representation of Queer people with disabilities in media and travel matters
By Matthew (Matty) Medeiros
Hi, I’m Matthew Medeiros, but everyone calls me Matty. I’m from Vancouver, British Columbia, and I wear a few hats in the travel world. I’m the Program Coordinator at Travel Best Bets, supporting more than 500 home-based travel advisors across Canada, and I’m also an Accessible Travel Advisor and Advocate. Those two roles go hand in hand because my mission is simple: to help make travel more inclusive for everyone.
Technology
The Mobility Unlimited Hub expands global reach with second cohort of changemakers
When people are free to move, they can fully realize their potential. That simple belief sits at the core of the Mobility Unlimited Hub, a program funded by the Toyota Mobility Foundation and delivered by MaRS Discovery District. In its second cohort, the team led by Morgan Lorimer, senior manager of innovation ecosystem and competitive acceleration programs at MaRS, turned that belief into a working platform where founders, clinicians and community partners build together, not in silos.
GiveVision’s wearable tech helps people with low vision see live events in a whole new way
Imagine sitting in a stadium packed with sound, colour and motion, yet only being able to catch fragments of the scene. That’s the reality for millions living with low vision who love live events but can’t fully see them. GiveVision, a London-based company founded by a mix of engineers and accessibility advocates, decided to change that. They’ve developed a headset that works like digital binoculars crossed with a VR visor, designed to give users sharper, more adjustable sightlines during sports games, concerts and cultural performances.
Smart orthosis Agilik helps people walk with confidence
Bionic Power is a Vancouver-based Canadian company that builds smart knee supports to help people stand taller and walk with less effort. Its flagship system, the Agilik™, is fitted into a custom leg brace made by a certified orthotist. Built-in motors and sensors read each step and deliver precise assistance at the right moment.
The company did not start in health care. Its first project turned the knee’s swinging motion into electricity for soldiers. They built a light knee brace with small gears and a generator inside. When the knee swung while walking, the brace captured a bit of that motion and converted it into power, like a tiny bike generator.
Assistive device from Steadiwear gives people with tremors steadier hands and independence
When Emile Maamary talks about Steadiwear, there’s a spark in his voice that catches your attention right away. He’s not pushing another shiny gadget or hiding behind buzzwords. He’s speaking from a place that feels real, talking about giving control back to hands that have forgotten what stillness feels like. And he means it.
The 10 companies that comprise the second cohort of the MaRS and Toyota Mobility Foundation’s Mobility Unlimited Hub
Bionic Power Inc. – This Vancouver-based startup has developed a smart orthosis to address knee-related gait deficiencies, allowing people with cerebral palsy, spina bifida and post-polio syndrome to move more easily, safely and independently.
GiveVision – This London, U.K. startup has developed sight-enhancing wearable headsets that allow visually impaired users to watch live sports and cultural events.
Tech That Supports Independent Living and Working at Home
Technology is fast emerging as a trusted ally in the realization of this type of living. Whether they are voice-activated products, health and wellness products, or home security systems, more and more innovations are being created to help people who wish to remain and work in their homes without compromising safety or comfort.
Inclusive Arts
Q&A with Bug Cru
By Lillian Brooks
Do you find that your disability shapes the themes or subjects that come up in your work?
Yes, the purpose of making art for me is expression, reflection, connection and communication. Visual art has the power to communicate beyond words. Being someone with autism, brain fog, and mild speech impediments artwork is a means of deeper connection than verbal language. I draw, paint and write my relationship to sanity and existing in a body. That’s inextricably connected to my disabilities.
Together We Shine: Building Inclusive Arts Spaces Across New York
By Carrie Ann Trubenstein, Constructive Partnerships Unlimited (CP Unlimited)
The sign-up sheet sits on a wrinkled piece of loose-leaf paper near the bar, names written in every direction. A few performers tune guitars while others rehearse poems under their breath. There is laughter, the clink of glasses, and that familiar mix of nerves and excitement. For those who frequent open mics, this is a familiar weeknight scene to meet other artists and share something new or play a favorite cover. Yet events like these are more than just performances; they are opportunities to build community, connect through creativity, and celebrate shared expression.
Voices Without Limits
Rory Feek is a father, farmer, author, and artist in the United States. His daughter, Indiana, has Down syndrome and often inspires the heartfelt stories he shares. Rory’s exceptional gift for storytelling spans music, film, books, and digital media. A Grammy Award-winning songwriter and New York Times bestselling author, he is celebrated not only for his creative achievements but also for the authenticity and hope found in his writing. Through his long-running blog, This Life I Live, Rory invites readers into his world with reflections on faith, family, and the beauty of everyday moments.
Snippets from the wWW
Essential Disability News and Inclusion Stories
Together We Shine: Building Inclusive Arts Spaces Across New York
We’ve gathered the latest disability news, accessibility updates, and inclusion stories from trusted sources across the web. These curated links highlight the trends, rights issues, and lived experiences shaping the disability community today.
