Our Founders
Race and Disability Canada was born out of a consortium of race and disability leaders and was founded by DEEN Support Services, Organization of Tamils with Disabilities (OCTD), ATI Foundation, Ethno-Racial People with Disabilities Coalition of Ontario (ERDCO), and Accessibility for All.
Rabia Khedr
Founder | CEO of DEEN Support Services and National Director of Disability Without Poverty
Rabia is the CEO of our parent organization, DEEN Support Services, the national director of Disability Without Poverty, and serves on various advisory groups, organizations, and boards addressing the intersections of race and disability. She has more than 25 years of experience in community organizing, including extensive work for disability justice causes, at local, provincial and national levels.
Sricamalan Pathmanathan
Founding Member | Organization of Canadian Tamils with Disabilities (OCTD) & Ethno-Racial People with Disabilities Coalition of Ontario (ERDCO)
Sricamalan (Sri) is a Human Resources professional at Toronto Metropolitan University and a founding member of Race and Disability Canada, Organization of Canadian Tamils with Disabilities (OCTD), and Ethno-Racial People with Disabilities Coalition of Ontario (ERDCO). Sri continuously raises awareness about accessibility and inclusion and works with many EDI-focused committees. He particularly advocates for diversity and inclusion within disability organizations and immigration settlement services to better address the needs of immigrants and/or racialized people with disabilities.
Selvamanikam Bhrapakaran
Founding Member | ATI Foundation - Uplifting Canadian Tamils with Disabilities
Selvamanikam (Bhrapa) is a disability rights advocate and co-founder of Race and Disability Canada, ATI Foundation, and Organization of Canadian Tamils with Disabilities (OCTD). Born in Jaffna, Sri Lanka with perfect eyesight, Bhrapa’s visual impairment was caused by optic nerve and retinal issues caused by an accident while playing at a young age. He pursued his education in Colombo and obtained his Bachelor’s degree with Honours from the University of Jaffna. Due to the ongoing war in Sri Lanka, Bhrapa moved to Canada in 1997. He began working at Scotiabank, becoming the first person with vision loss in their call centre department. He has continued to work there for more than 25 years.
Leroy Ennis
Founding Member | Ethno-Racial People with Disabilities Coalition of Ontario (ERDCO)
Leroy Ennis is a prominent disability rights advocate, currently serving as the Chair of the Board of Directors at Ethno-Racial People with Disabilities Coalition of Ontario (ERDCO), and a steering committee member for Race and Disability Canada. Since 2014, he has been actively involved with various organizations and committees that advocate for disability rights, poverty reduction, accessibility, and addressing issues that create barriers for people with disabilities. In 2010, Leroy wrote and published ‘Dream in Colour,’ an inspirational poetry book with messages of love and community to empower people with disabilities.
Meenu Sikand
Founding Member | CEO and Founder, Accessibility for All
Accessibility for All is a non-profit organization that helps other organizations make practices more accessible, with a specialized focus on youth, women, seniors, and people from racially marginalized communities. Meenu currently sits on the board of United Way GTA, the Canadian Women’s Foundation, and the Accessibility Standards Advisory Committee and has volunteered with several other organizations, including the Centre for Independent Living in Toronto (CILT) and ARCH Disability Law Centre. Meenu was inducted into the Canadian Disability Hall of Fame in 2020.
