Let me introduce myself… 

My name is Melody Powell, I am a Cisgender Disabled Woman who identifies as Pansexual or Queer and uses She/They Pronouns.

I use an electric wheelchair due to my disabilities (Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease and a secondary unknown neuropathy) causing me to have weak muscles, fatigue, and COPD due to severe scoliosis. I also have OCD which greatly impacts my day-to-day life.

As a Young Teen, I felt lost in my own skin, almost as if I never saw myself as a whole person. I felt that Disabled people like me were not worthy of romantic love, intimacy and respect. These experiences have made me passionate about creating a world where Young Disabled and Queer People feel like they belong.

Now, through many years of unlearning my internalised ableism and the love and support of friends and family, I am a strong, confident and proud Woman! I am determined to use everything I have learned to build a better, more inclusive society.