Heather Carley is a parent to 4 neurodiverse humans in Sidney BC.  From the first days Heather knew that  the language, opportunities, and visions for the future her children and family were presented with didn’t align with what she knew to be true and possible.  

Jessica and Heather joined forces, together with their husbands, and started looking for other families with a vision of inclusion and belonging.  In 2005 Heather & Jessica began job sharing the coordinator position for inclusive post-secondary at UVic and found mentorship in Tamara Hurtado, Judith Mosoff, Sandy Phillips, Janice Maxwell and Inclusion Alberta.

​ As Heathers family grew, so did her dedication to full lifelong inclusion.  She does this work because she has seen the differences in outcomes and opportunities, confidence & skills, well-being and joy that it brings to disabled people and the communities who widen to inclusion, accessibility and greater diversity.

My professional background is in both public and private administration. I presently hold the position of President on the Board of Directors of STEPS FORWARD organization, BC-Inclusive Post Secondary Education.

Navigating the challenges of autism, it was very isolating for both our son and myself. Transitioning into adulthood, we could not envision him in the usual shared and grouped service programs. Over the years, I have met amazing people who are strong advocates of inclusive lives for those with developmental disabilities.

​Being part of REA-L (Real Equitable Authentic Lives) gives me hope and support to continue working toward a true inclusive and equitable life, for not only my son, but every individual with a developmental disability struggling to live a life without all the conflicting and opposing barriers facing them.
​
Keep room in your heart for the unimaginable - Mary Oliver 

Mandy is the mother of a youth with multiple disability related challenges to systemic inclusion. She works extremely hard at keeping person-centred planning front and foremost when helping her child to live their best life, intertwining health, wellbeing, and the opportunities available to all youth as they transition to adulthood.  

For the last 9 years Mandy has worked collaboratively with the Faculty of Medicine and UBC Office of Health-Patient & Community Partnership for Education on many patient Partner projects. She now works in the department as the community engagement coordinator. 

Her love of teaching and learning drives her to continue working with students and the community.

  
Mandy is also co-founder and board president of Families Supporting Regular Equitable Authentic Lives (REA-L) 

Like so many other mothers of a child with a disability, I've become a fierce advocate for change. My journey into the disability movement is driven by love, determination, and a vision for a more inclusive equitable world. Community organizing is grounded in a deep belief in the power of group action to bring about meaningful and lasting change. I have learned to never underestimate the power of families to bring about these big changes one small step at a time. 

This is hard and isolating work. Having a support system of like minded families to reflect on what does an inclusive life look like, to share experience and learning, to lighten the work, to question historical practices, and to generate new exciting ideas is essential to the sustainable of the work each individual family is doing.