Mentor in Residence x Accessible Futures

Dev Ramsawakh is a disabled and non-binary multidisciplinary storyteller and producer. They were the 2019 TVO Short Docs Contest winner and their short films have been screened at CaribbeanTales Film Festival, Inside Out Film Festival, Toronto Queer Film Festival, and ReelAbilities Film Festival, among others. Their work has been published on Chatelaine, CBC, them, Xtra, and other publications. They’re included in the Disability Visibility anthology edited by Alice Wong and have fiction in the anthologies Two Times Removed and Toronto 2033. They also write poetry and facilitate workshops independently and with CRIP Collective around disability justice, storytelling, and more. 

Pree (they/them) is an artist educator currently based in Tkaronto, originally from Tiohtià:ke. They’re a child of immigrant settlers from Panjab. Pree’s work is an ode to their extended youth as a trans and non-binary person, and create art for their inner child. Their main medium is watercolour, but Pree also embroiders, creates short films, writes and performs drag. They have an interdisciplinary arts practice under the name: Sticky Mangos. Pree’s online shop has been featured in CBC, Xtra magazine, and BlogTo. Their art has been featured in Luminato Arts Festival, Design TO festival and the Art Gallery of Ontario.

Shay Erlich is a hard of hearing, multiply disabled, and genderqueer child and youth care practitioner, wheelchair dancer, and circus artist. Shay holds a MA degree in Child and Youth Care from X University. Shay is the co-founder of The Cyborg Circus Project, is a trans and disability led arts collective offering arts education, performance and social support to disabled young people aged 16-35 in Canada, centred in the Greater Toronto Area. Shay has also worked on dance and performance projects with a number of organizations including Political Movement, Theatre Passe Muraille, Jumblies Theatre, and Spur of the Moment Shakespeare Collective.

Furthermore, Shay has extensive experience working as an accessibility consultant in many settings including academic, artistic, and frontline services. They have spent the last ten years advocating for better inclusion and services for young people with disabilities, and currently work as an independent consultant assisting frontline service organizations and arts institutions in creating more accessible programs and productions for the diverse people that they work with through their business Shay Erlich Consulting. Shay also provides training and support for frontline practitioners who wish to improve their practice with disabled clients. Shay strongly believes in a social justice and disability rights approach within a child and youth care relational context. Shay’s vision for the future is one where disabled people have the support and resources that they need to thrive, and to fully participate in all areas of their lives, without having to constantly fight for resources.

I am Natasha Cecily Bacchus. I am an athlete and interdisciplinary visual artist, passionate about deaf advocacy, fitness and physical expression. Throughout my life, I have nurtured my passion for fitness competing as a professional athlete and securing medal positions in the Deaf Olympics, Pan Am  Olympics and many other competitive sporting events. As an actress, I have participated in numerous theatre and film productions and have a strong desire to continue to grow and develop as a performing artist, expanding representation to include differently-abled persons and empowering Black Deaf women in Canada to shine on and off the stage.

Alia Ettienne is a theatre writer, actor, performer and facilitator from Toronto, ON. Initially, she studied Performance at Sheridan College, moving on to explore Creative Writing and Arts Marketing. Her first solo piece, YellowZoned, premiered in The 2016 Toronto Fringe Festival and her creative wellness program, Chill N Do Art, has been running for a total of four years. Currently, she is most focused on The Creative Coping Kits Initiative, and writing her second full length piece Allow For Release: The Xiety Complex.

Jocelyn is a performing artist who is proud to return home to Canada. After studying at American Musical & Dramatic Academy (AMDA) and New School University in NYC, Jocelyn became involved with creating accessible theatre. From volunteering for TDF Autism Friendly Performances, directing pieces for Sign&Sing (Deaf & Opera performers sharing the stage), to teaming up with Drag Story Hour, Jocelyn is looking to expand inclusive art opportunities by sharing her learn knowledge and personal experiences. She has been advocating with award winning disability groups (CIDNY in New York City and Canadian Hearing Services in Toronto), she has developed a wide range of skills with the goal of achieving access for all in creative industries. Additionally, Jocelyn continues to perform in a myriad of projects with voiceover work, the latest being artist informational videos for Deaf Spectrum. She also has become inspired learning from other artists through the pandemic in different practices and now creates watercolours and ink illustrations.