The Disability Changemaker of the Year Award celebrates the achievements of leading innovators and advocates from the disability community who are making real change happen across Canada.
The award is presented annually to an individual or group of individuals with lived experience whose personal and/or professional efforts are making an exceptional difference in the areas of disability awareness, action, and advocacy for an inclusive, barrier-free society.
Eligibility Criteria
- Canadian resident(s), 18+
- Lived experience of disability
- Demonstrated impact at a national level in 2023-2024 in awareness, action and advocacy for an inclusive, barrier-free society
- Note: MODC staff are ineligible for this award
Nominations are now open!
Nomination deadline: Friday, August 9, 2024 at 4 pm ET
Disability Changemaker of the Year Award Past Winners
Congratulations to the Disability Changemaker of the Year Award winners. All the winners were celebrated at MODC’s annual signature gala, The Changemakers Supper Club, held in Toronto.
2023 Disability Changemaker of the Year Award Winner – The Honorable Carla Qualtrough
The Honourable Carla Qualtrough has been a source of inspiration and strong advocate for change for people with disabilities across Canada.
First elected in 2015 as the Member of Parliament for Delta, Minister Qualtrough is the first Paralympian to be elected to the House of Commons. Since 2015, she has served in several portfolios as a federal Cabinet Minister including as Minister of Sport and first ever Minister of Persons with Disabilities from 2015 to 2017, Minister of Public Services and Procurement and Accessibility from 2017 to 2019, where she passed the Accessible Canada Act, and Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion from 2019 to 2023, where she launched Canada’s first- ever Canada Disability Inclusion Action Plan and proudly passed Canada’s first-ever Disability Benefit Act. Minister Qualtrough now serves as Canada’s Minister of Sport and Physical Activity.
Minister Qualtrough has been legally blind since birth and is a passionate advocate for the rights of persons with disabilities. As a mother, lawyer, dedicated volunteer, and Paralympic swimmer, she is committed to addressing inequality and championing diversity.
2022 Disability Changemaker of the Year Award Winner – Maayan Ziv
Maayan Ziv is a Toronto-based photographer, activist, and entrepreneur living with muscular dystrophy. Her innovative crowdsourced app, AccessNow, helps people with disabilities around the world find accessible public spaces and was created in response to her own experiences navigating society in a wheelchair. Maayan is one of Canada’s Top 40 under 40, and the recipient of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal, the City of Toronto Access Award, and the David C. Onley Leadership in Accessibility Award.
