Over the past few months and through COVID, I was part of the Vancouver Foundation's @level_vf Youth Policy Program. Today, we got to present our policy briefs to our faculty, mentors and loved ones, and celebrate the end of our YPP journey.

I wrote my policy brief on how we need stronger accessibility and disability policies in universities and post-secondary institutions in BC. BC is the largest province in Canada without any form of accessibility legislation to protect disabled people.

As the BC government is in the process of developing our first provincial accessibility legislation, this policy brief puts forth six recommendations to be included in the design of the legislation in order to ensure inclusive education for all.

This policy brief would not be possible without the support of @level_vf. I have so much gratitude for Ale, Marcus and Aida and the entire YPP team for the care, and love that they have so intentionally weaved into the program.

Thank you to my mentors @reddyforchange and @grewal_lily for your time, feedback and affirmation in the process and to @the_tweedy and @HannahntheWolf for your brilliance and advocacy for disabled students at UBC, without which I would not have found the courage to write this.

My brief was built on the wisdom and labour of many others who have been doing this work for years. I want to thank @mssinenomine, @bambinoir and @kwardvancouver, who collectively drafted the Submission to the BC Government on Accessibility Legislation, for leading the way.

(Read their report here! https://www.bctf.ca/uploadedFiles/Public/SocialJustice/Issues/DisabilityRights/Submission%20to%20BC%20Government%20on%20Accessibility%20Legislation.pdf)

Most of all, all my gratitude goes to @MittertreinerEm for introducing me to disability justice, taught me to embrace my disabilities and walked alongside in my journey and in the blurriness of everything.

You can find the policy brief, along with others by my beautiful cohort members, here: https://levelvf.ca/youth-policy-program/project-library-2020/

To @Laurent_Adri @njoki_13 @juliachai_ @kathrynbmcleod and everyone else (who are not on Twitter), thank you for sharing your stories, joy and laughter with me.

I still have so much to learn (and unlearn) and do. Thank you for being here.