At the age of 11, I was diagnosed with scoliosis, a spinal condition that other members of my family live with and that millions more around the world live with as well. My family and I never called it a disability. It was not until I became immersed in the world of disability justice that I began to see just how far I had gone to disguise and deny the growing impact this diagnosis was having on my daily life.

When I started at The New York Women’s Foundation (The Foundation) more than ten year