[Image: Kelly Bron Johnson is smiling, looking directly into the camera. She has a brown complexion, short, dark brown hair and brown eyes. She is wearing a white button down blouse with small gold buttons.]
What is your favorite memory/ moment that brought you lots of joy? Meeting my children for the first time.
What is something people generally don’t know about you? That I'm not that serious - I have a witty sense of humor.
Who is Kelly? I introduce myself as an Autistic and Hard of Hearing self-advocate. I'm the founder of Completely Inclusive, a consultancy focuses on teaching businesses how to be inclusive and accessible to all. I'm also a writer and a board director for a national nonprofit charity.
What gets your fired up about the disability movement? I love the camaraderie and support. I also get energized seeing other people speaking up and out and just doing everything they can to create a better and more equitable world.
What is your advocacy platform? My aim is to make the path easier for others. I didn't get my diagnosis until I was an adult and so many biases are the cause for that. Both my kids are Disabled, so it's important to me that I leave a legacy for them that includes a more inclusive society.
What barriers or challenges do you face in this movement? Change is slow. Trying to get people's attitudes or biases is so slow. It takes patience. This is a marathon.
What do you want those who do not identify with disability to know? Different isn't wrong or dangerous - it's just different. Most of the time people are scared of what they don't understand and that fear creates aggression towards Disabled people. We are victims of violence and abuse on a regular basis and that needs to stop.
What areas are you still growing/hope to grow? Personally? Professionally? I'm always growing and learning, that is the wonderful thing. I would love to one day be able to stop my internal battles with self-sabotage and Impostor Syndrome. I don't know if those things will always be with me, and I do manage to accomplish a lot even with them, but I wish I didn't have to find that a constant challenge.
Who was the person/role model who inspired you to look into disability advocacy? Why/how did they inspire you? Lydia X. Z. Brown. They taught me so much with their writing and showed patience and grace towards me when I was just starting out. I owe a lot to them.
When people look at you/up to you, what do you hope they see? I want to challenge the stereotype of what people think of when they see an Autistic person. I hope others see themselves in me and my story. I hope they feel energized and empowered to do what they need to do in their lives.
What are your next steps? I'll be releasing a book called "How To Parent Like An Autistic" soon.
How do we follow you?!
Completely Inclusive Website: compinclus.ca Linked In: Kelly Bron Johnson
Instagram: @kbronjohn
Want to be featured as an advocate??
Fill out this link!!
If you experience any difficulties please email us as DisarmingDisability@gmail.com
Join us on @thephmedia
Instagram: @disarmingdisability
Facebook: Disarming Disability