Meet Carly Fox
Carly Fox (she/her/elle) is a queer, neurodivergent, and invisibly disabled 23-year-old passionate about raising awareness of invisible disabilities, challenging oppressive structures perpetuating ableism, and creating space for all disabled persons to feel empowered to share their truths.
As a disability advocate, Carly aims to raise awareness of her own experiences with invisible disabilities and neurodivergence, provide educational resources on the policies and legislation shaping disabled persons’ lives, and create space for disabled youth to share their own stories through blogs, public speaking, and consultations. Carly believes in collaborating with a wide variety of individuals and organizations to tackle tricky conversations, challenge mainstream misconceptions, and empower impactful policy change and attitude shifts.
As the International Chair of the Council of Canadians with Disabilities, Carly advocates for mainstreaming disability across international development commitments and human rights funding, with an emphasis on improving youth representation and funding by-and-for disabled persons organizations at home and abroad. This work includes leading on awareness-raising and access to information for Canadian civil society’s parallel report to the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, advising federal ministers and intergovernmental bodies on disability rights, and monitoring the polycrisis for its disproportionate impacts on disabled people.
As an academic, Carly is entering Carleton University’s Master’s of Political Economy (Accessibility) this Fall, where she hopes to strengthen her understanding of systemic disabling forces to better advocate for policy reform, and further study how the labour market is both disabling and exclusive of disabled workers. Graduating from uOttawa’s International Development and Globalization program this Spring, Carly leaves with a strong foundation in institutional economics, post-conflict rebuilding and restructuring, and sustainable development.
About Her Work
Carly Fox Disability Advocacy offers events, trainings, and consultations designed to guide diverse audiences through a variety of important and emerging issues to arrive at a more informed, confident, and empowering approach to disability inclusion and accessibility. Drawing from her own experience becoming disabled at 16 and having her entire worldview fundamentally changed, Fox believes in creating compassionate, empathetic, and empowering spaces designed to allow for authentic discussion and well-intentioned exploration in order to support non-disabled allies moving from disability awareness to disability acceptance. Fox also draws from her time in by-and-for disability organizations to host empowering safe spaces for disabled and neurodivergent individuals aiming to improve their self-advocacy skills, develop cross-disability solidarity, and effectively communicate their concerns with decision- and policy-makers.
Selected Works
GDS Webinar on the Youth Call to Action
Following her time at the 2025 Global Disability Summit, Carly was invited to moderate an international panel on the GDS Youth Call to Action.
Accessible Media Inc’s Got Game Season 2
On the second season of AMI’s Got Game, Carly joined 6 other disabled youth to candidly discuss coming-of-age with disabilities in a board game café. Her episode explores her disability rights advocacy, chronic pain, and balance between life and work. Features include Frank Smith from the National Educational Association of Disabled Students (NEADS), Judith the Arthritic Dinosaur, and her 2025 graduation party.
Leadership in Canadian Disabled Youth Advocacy: Pathways and Intersections with Dr Laverne Jacobs
Collaborating with the University of Windsor’s Law, Disability, and Social Change Centre, Carly co-developed this virtual panel discussion to highlight the incredible depth of young disabled talent across Canada, and how the wider disability community can better include the next generation of leaders.
To Adulthood
and Beyond: Navigating
Transitions to Adult
Health Care, Post-
Secondary Education, and
the Work Force (Beyond Limits)
Carly was invited by Winnipeg’s Beyond Limits Conference to speak on the transitions disabled youth navigate across healthcare, employment, and education.
Celebrating Success, Challenging Systemic Ableism and Inspiring the Future of Accessibility (IDPD Keynote for the Manitoba Accessibility Office)
To celebrate the International Day of Persons with Disabilities with the Manitoba Accessibility Office, Carly delivered a keynote exploring Manitoba’s success as arguably the most accessible province.
Neurodivergence with Hyundai Canada
This one-hour presentation explored neurodiversity in an authentic and compassionate environment with Hyundai Canada employees to address common misconceptions, identify opportunities, and empower neurodivergent-inclusive workspaces.
Disability in Health & Phys Ed with OPHEA
Speaking to students, educators, and school board personnel, Carly shared her experience navigating gym class with an invisible disability and provided helpful class modifications embedded in Universal Design Learning.
COSP CRPD 16 Side Event on Economic Security
This side event will offer the opportunity to explore modern approaches towards building accessible and disability-inclusive support systems, employment opportunities and economic stability for persons with disabilities.
Minister Carla Qualtrough’s IDPD Youth Townhall
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Disability 101 Workshop with UOSU’s Feminist Resource Centre
Hosted by UOSU’s Women’s Resource Centre, Carly delivered a presentation covering everything from types of disabilities to the cycle of inaccessibility to wrap up Disability Pride Month.
Self-Advocacy Instagram Live with Take A Pain Check
Carly was invited by Take A Pain Check and Canadian Arthritis Patient Alliance to speak on the importance of self-advocacy as a young adult with a history of Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA) and Psoriatic Arthritis. To read Carly’s accompanying blog post, click here.
Systemic Nature of Inequity at uOttawa’s IDW ’22
Carly was once again hosted by uOttawa’s International Development Week, where she spoke on the systemic nature of ableism and how it intersects with other oppressive forces. Fox was joined by Alyy Patel of QSAW Network, Anjum Sultana from Plan International Canada, and Jasleen Kaur!
Take A Pain Check Podcast
Hosted by Natasha Trehan and joined by her twin Makayla Fox, Carly discusses her experiences being diagnosed with JIA, the unique experience of having a twin with the same chronic illness, and additional considerations taken when moving out with an invisible disability.
Equity x Design Documentary ’21
As a first year international development student at the University of Ottawa, Carly was fortunate to be given a platform to share how her disabilities impacted her experiences in the performing arts, and how they now shape her experiences in development academia and practice.