Leadership in Canadian Disabled Youth Advocacy: Pathways and Intersections on May 23, 2025 12-1:30pm (Webinar)

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While The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities recognizes the rights of children with disabilities, it is largely silent on how the rights of youth (aged 15 to 24) with disabilities should be advanced.

Join Windsor Law’s, Law, Disability, & Social Change Project and outstanding youth disability advocates for a panel discussion on Friday, May 23rd from 12:00-1:30pm EDT via Microsoft Teams, where we will highlight the different and incredible pathways that youth with disabilities in Canada are taking to address this gap, further their rights, and contribute to broader disability community leadership.

Panelists Jay Baldwin, Nicole Canzoneri, Anna Samson, and Logan Wong will join moderator Carly Fox to authentically speak from their lived experience as disabled youth, share their insights for other youth seeking advocacy opportunities, and identify how youth engagement can re-energize the Canadian disability rights movement. Dr. Laverne Jacobs will provide opening and closing remarks. 

Watch the full recording of the webinar here

Access the full transcript of the webinar here

Meet the Speakers- Full Bios

Panelists:

Jay Baldwin (they/them/iel) is a proud black, queer, disabled, neurodivergent, powerhouse, educator and activist for all things human rights, currently based in Ottawa, Canada. Born and raised in the GTA. Jay lives with Spastic Cerebral Palsy, Chronic Pain and ADHD, they are in the process of getting their Bachelor of Arts Honours in women and gender studies with minors in critical race studies and disability studies and they are aiming to graduate by December 2025. Everything Baldwin does stems from their passion and drive to make the world a better and more equitable place for everyone but especially those who are marginalized and stigmatized by society. For instance, they are the admin and creator of the Facebook group: “Disabled, Queer, and Fabulous!”. Baldwin started this group in October of 2020 with the aim to provide an online community for disabled, queer people and their supporters to combat isolation in a safe(r), accessible environment away from the pandemic, as well as to allow folks with identities meet up at this intersection to feel seen and heard by individuals who “get it.” Since 2020, this online space has blossomed into a not so small community of 1.2k members worldwide and counting. Jay has a very intersectional mindset/approach to life, and they plan to use it to teach university students, how to be better humans.

Nicole Canzoneri (she/her) is a 24-year-old with an invisible disability who is studying Law and earning her Master of Social Work degree at the University of Windsor. Nearly everything in her life has been dedicated to advocacy and inclusion work for/with people with disabilities. She currently sits on Community Living Ontario’s Board of Directors as the youngest member ever, chairing their Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee and their Youth Advisory Committee. Nicole holds an Honours Bachelors in Disability Studies, worked for the University in various accessibility roles, sits on their Accessible Built Environment Committee, and is a Research Assistant for The Law, Disability & Social Change Project at Windsor Law. She is passionate about deinstitutionalization, youth empowerment and disabled-led initiatives. Over her years navigating life with an invisible disability, Nicole finds power in telling her story and sharing with others. You can follow along with Nicole’s work and journey on her socials:

Anna Samson (they/she) is a desi, queer, disabled person living near Toronto, Canada. They are a writer, poet, and an advocate for disability and mental health. They have Ankylosing Spondylitis, Fibromyalgia, and some mental illnesses. They have experienced AS and fibro symptoms since they were a child but it worsened during their teens. Anna now uses a cane full-time and frequently uses a walker. They have a Bachelor of Arts in English and use their writing and communication skills to create content about their conditions and how it affects their life. They are passionate about using their intersectional lived experiences to raise awareness for chronic illnesses, disabilities, and mental health, along with patient engagement in research. You can follow Anna’s journey over on their socials:

Logan Wong (He/Him/His) identifies as a trans, bi-racial, Autistic wheelchair user. As an Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Consultant, he works from a trans-inclusive feminist, anti-colonial, anti-racist, and anti-oppressive framework. Logan has dedicated his career as a social worker to work within the equity space conducting training, writing equity-focused policies/proposals, and supporting the creation, implementation, and sustainability of diverse, equitable and inclusive workplace cultures. Logan is the owner and operator of IDEAA Perspectives – Training & Consulting and has worked with many organizations across the Greater Toronto Area including ARCH Disability Law Centre & The Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital. You can follow Logan’s journey on his socials:

Moderators:

Carly Fox (she/her/elle) is a queer, neurodivergent, and invisibly disabled 23-year-old passionate about raising awareness of invisible disabilities, challenging oppressive structures perpetuating ableism, and creating space for all disabled persons to feel empowered to share their truths. As a disability advocate, Carly aims to raise awareness of her own experiences with invisible disabilities and neurodivergence, provide educational resources on the policies and legislation shaping disabled persons’ lives, and create space for disabled youth to share their own stories through blogs, public speaking, and consultations. Carly believes in collaborating with a wide variety of individuals and organizations to tackle tricky conversations, challenge mainstream misconceptions, and empower impactful policy change and attitude shifts. As the International Chair of the Council of Canadians with Disabilities, Carly advocates for mainstreaming disability across international development commitments and human rights funding, with an emphasis on improving youth representation and funding by-and-for disabled persons organizations at home and abroad. This work includes leading on awareness-raising and access to information for Canadian civil society’s parallel report to the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, advising federal ministers and intergovernmental bodies on disability rights, and monitoring the polycrisis for its disproportionate impacts on disabled people. As an academic, Carly is entering Carleton University’s Master’s of Political Economy (Accessibility) this Fall, where she hopes to strengthen her understanding of systemic disabling forces to better advocate for policy reform, and further study how the labour market is both disabling and exclusive of disabled workers. Graduating from uOttawa’s International Development and Globalization program this Spring, Carly leaves with a strong foundation in institutional economics, post-conflict rebuilding and restructuring, and sustainable development. You can follow her work on her socials:

Laverne Jacobs (she/her/elle) is a Full Professor and legal scholar at the University of Windsor, Faculty of Law where she holds the Research Chair in Disability Equality & Administrative Justice. Professor Jacobs is an elected member of the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the first Canadian to serve on this UN Human Rights Treaty Body. A socio-legal scholar, Dr. Jacobs’ publications have addressed the rights of persons with disabilities to live independently and in the community; women with disabilities; accessibility; and access to postsecondary education, social benefits and adequate standards of living for disabled persons. She is particularly interested in the intersectional engagement of persons with disabilities with the law, especially with respect to administrative law, processes and justice. Dr. Jacobs founded and directs The Law, Disability & Social Change Project,  a research and public policy centre at Windsor Law that works to foster and develop inclusive communities. She is also Co-Director of the Disability Rights Working Group at Berkeley Law’s Center for Comparative Equality & Anti-Discrimination Law. Throughout her career, Professor Jacobs has held public appointments on boards, committees and tribunals, including serving on the Board of Directors of the Income Security Advocacy Centre and of the Canadian Institute for the Administration of Justice. At the University, she was Associate Dean (Research & Graduate Studies) for the Faculty of Law between 2018-2021. As a legal scholar and author, she has published and presented extensively in her fields, both in Canada and internationally. Dr. Jacobs is the recipient of a number of awards including the Canadian Bar Association Touchstone Award (2021) and the Canadian Association of Law Teachers (CALT) Academic Excellence Award (2022). You can follow Dr. Jacobs’ work on her socials:

You can follow The Law, Disability & Social Change Project’s work on their social media:

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