Strength, tenacity, and intelligence are just a few words that come to mind when describing 2022 Easter Seals Provincial Easter Seals Ambassador, Hoor Ulain. In her own words, “I am a person who never gives up despite the many challenges that I face.” The 17-year-old is currently in Grade 12 at John Fraser Secondary School in her hometown, but she already has big plans for the future. This hard-working student plans to pursue a career in psychology, working either as a clinical, counselling, or developmental psychologist. An avid writer, she also aims to become an author and publish her life story as a book. And her plans don’t stop there. Hoor Ulain dreams of becoming a mother one day and building a family of her own.

Hoor Ulain currently lives in Mississauga with her parents, younger brother Aws, younger sister Laureen and their cat, Petal. She was born with Cerebral Palsy Spastic Triplegia, which affects her legs and left arm. True to her strong nature, she maintains her independence with the support of a variety of mobility and accessibility equipment, which Easter Seals Ontario helped her acquire. She uses a manual wheelchair for indoor use, a power chair for outdoor use, a stander, and a modified van with a ramp so that she can travel with her family.

Hoor Ulain attended Easter Seals Camp for two years and looks back on these memories fondly. When asked to describe her favourite part of camp, she says “It’s not easy to pick a favourite thing about the whole camp experience. There is no word in the English dictionary that can fully describe what this experience feels like and the kind of impact it has on me and every other camper.”

As an Ambassador, Hoor Ulain hopes to spread awareness about children and youth with disabilities and the challenges that they face. She also plans to use her platform to drive the cause for greater accessibility throughout the province of Ontario. “In order for us to live an independent and proactive life, we need to have a world that’s equipped in a way that is 100% accessible. As a result, we would feel like we have no boundaries to achieving our goals and dreams just like anybody else would,” she says.

Despite the challenges of her disability, Hoor Ulain says that she is “grateful for Cerebral Palsy, because it taught me what being strong looks like.” This year, she looks forward to empowering and advocating for other youth with disabilities, spreading disability and accessibility awareness, keeping in mind her personal slogan, “accessibility matters.” She is also excited to leave her own mark on Easter Seals’ 100-year history. In her own words, “Easter Seals has provided me with assistive devices that made and continue to make my life easier and has also given me opportunities to make happy memories in the camps. I would like to contribute my efforts to encourage people to donate to Easter Seals to help make more children and young adults in the province of Ontario benefit from these life-changing experiences.”