Our Steering Committee

  • Rabia Khedr, a Punjabi Musilm woman, is wearing a neutral beige hijab. She is smiling in front of white curtains in the background.

    Rabia Khedr

    CEO, DEEN Support Services

    Rabia is the CEO of our parent organization, DEEN Support Services, a disability support organization created by and created to support Muslim Canadians with disabilities. She is a consultant with diversityworX, previously served as a commissioner at the Ontario Human Rights Commission, on the board of Accessibility Standards Canada, and a member of the National Disability Advisory Group organized by the Minister of Disability Inclusion, Carla Qualtrough. Rabia was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012. She is the founding member of Race and Disability Canada.

  • Sricamalan Pathmanathan, a Sri Lankan Canadian man in his mid 50s is smiling while wearing a teal coloured shirt.

    Sricamalan Pathmanathan

    Founding Member, Organization of Canadian Tamils with Disabilities (OCTD) & Ethno-Racial People with Disabilities Coalition of Ontario (ERDCO)

    Sricamalan (Sri), in his mid-50s, immigrated to Canada from Sri Lanka as a victim of the minority Tamil ethnic cleansing. After earning a Master’s degree from New Dehli and London, Sri is a Human Resources professional at Toronto Metropolitan University and a founding member of OCTD and ERDCO.

  • Bhrapa Bhrapakaran, a Sri Lankan Canadian man, is sitting by a white table with his hands on top of each other. He is smiling and wearing a light pink dress shirt and a call center headset, with a view overlooking buildings in the background.

    Selvamanikam Bhrapakaran

    ATI Foundation

    Selvamanikam (Bhrapa) was born in Jaffna, Sri Lanka with perfect eyesight. His 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.

  • Ingrid Palmer, a Black woman with medium length, curly hair, smiling at the camera. Outfit includes: black button-up sweater, floral shirt with assorted blues, and a silver necklace with circles as charms.

    Ingrid Palmer

    Focus on Ability

    Ingrid (She/Her) is an award-winning speaker and bestselling author and holds the position of IDEAL (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, Leading to belonging) Chief Officer at Realize Canada. Ingrid is committed to helping combat discrimination in all forms, driving systemic change and debunking myths and stereotypes of stigmatized identities. Her dedication is deeply rooted in her lived experiences of early childhood trauma, living in foster care, disability, and gender-based violence.

  • Shahina Siddiqui, a Pakistani Canadian woman, is wearing a purple hijab and purple glasses. She is smiling in front of a bookcase.

    Shahina Siddiqui

    Co-Founder, Volunteer Executive Director, Islamic Social Services Association (ISSA)

    Shahina is an educator, speaker, social justice activist, writer, and author. She is widely recognized for her work in anti-racism advocacy, social justice and combatting Islamophobia. For over two decades, Shaina has worked to highlight the ongoing growth of Islamophobia and its impacts through her writing, community organizing, media engagement, public speaking and offering training across various sectors.

  • Meenu Sikand, an Indo-Canadian woman with short hair, is smiling with a white background. Outfit includes: light rose gold top with an intricate weaving pattern and a necklace made of gold, white, and black beads of varying sizes.

    Meenu Sikand

    CEO, 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.

  • ​​Stephanie Debisschop, a white woman with golden brown hair smiling in front of a background of greenery.

    Stephanie Debisschop

    Executive Director, Plan Institute

    Stephanie and Plan Institute lead efforts to empower individuals with disabilities to live fulfilling lives. With a focus on addressing intersectional barriers, Plan Institute provides educational material, collaborative community projects, and advocacy for policy reformation. Stephanie has a Bachelors degree in Political Science and a Masters degree in Human Security and Peace-building, and has spent 15 years working with nonprofit organizations on disability issues, as well as working internationally on community integration initiatives. Stephanie has a strong belief in the right to full and equal citizenship for all those within the community.

  • A black man with a beard wearing a dark grey shirt.

    Leroy Ennis

    Ethno-Racial People with Disabilities Coalition of Ontario (ERDCO)

    Leroy Ennis is a disability advocate that started working with the disability community in 2014 with ERDCO. He is currently the ERDCO board chair. Leroy has worked with numerous organizations and committees to address issues that create barriers for people with disabilities. He continues to work with and support organizations that advocate for disability rights, poverty reduction, accessibility and other barriers to people with disability.