DISABility Justice Activist
Four inspiring young activists leading the charge to reform the justice system and advance disability justice.
Mia Mingus
A writer and transformative justice advocate who lives with physical disability, Mia is a leading voice in abolitionist movements. She challenges criminalization of disabled people and centers access intimacy and communal care in prison abolition discourse focusing heavily on the intersection of youth, race, gender, and disability justice
Daphne Frias
A climate, voting, gun control, and disability advocate living with cerebral palsy, Daphne has championed intersectional justice through youth-led activism. Although best known for her work with March for Our Lives and Future Coalition, she also centers disability-justice language in policy efforts, emphasizing how incarcerated and criminalized disabled youth especially those facing poverty or racism need justice system reform
Helena Donato‑Sapp
A youth activist spotlighted at the 2023 NEA Representative Assembly, Helena urged educators and lawmakers to confront disability discrimination in school discipline. Her advocacy highlights how disabled youth, especially students of color, are disproportionately funneled into the juvenile justice system through exclusionary school policies.
Leah Zelaya
A high school senior with a rare muscular dystrophy (SPSMA), Leah advocates for disability rights beyond the classroom. She has lobbied on Capitol Hill for better healthcare access particularly air travel accommodations and promotes inclusion through community speaking, national outreach, and performances at New York Fashion Week. Her work includes raising visibility for policies that ensure disabled youth are treated with dignity in public systems and is also the founder of the story telling platform Heros 4 Harmony.