About Us
VDAC was founded in 2024 by a UVic student with disabilities to provide free and accessible opportunities for people with disabilities to participate in all things art and to uplift disabled artists and their work! We are a small non profit that is growing everyday, and our team is thankful for the opportunity to provide folks with disabilities access to the arts
Meet The Team
Emma Levins
Chairperson & Founder
Hi folks! My name is Emma, I'm the Founder and Chairperson of VDAC, and my pronouns are she/they. l’m Neurodivergent and Queer and I live with multiple disabilities, including ME/CFS, Anxiety, ADHD, and Chronic Migraine. I'm excited to plan lots of fun events that explore different art mediums, as well as creating some groups where folks can connect. When I'm not working on planning events and projects for VDAC, I like to color, make collages, swim laps, and cuddle with my cat Cheddar and my parents dogs.
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Riven
Co-Vice Chair
My name is Riven (zi/hir/hirs w a sprinkling of he/they), I am a queer; fat, nonbinary, white settler, former sex worker, and am chronically ill/neurodivergent/mentally ill. More specifically I have fibromyalgia, depression, anxiety and social anxiety, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, ADHD, self-diagnosed autistic, living with a brain injury, and grew up with epilepsy. I have studied somatics, work in the anti-violence sector, and can often be found cuddling my cats.
I am the new co-vice chairperson and am grateful to get to be a part of this amazing and radical team!
Joys: refurbishing furniture, writing, doing performance art, and drag/burlesque. Currently I am writing a sci-fi novella around grief/loss and artificial intelligence.
I also truly believe that the most important pieces in life are community, building and maintaining meaningful relationships, and practice this in all aspects of my life. Access to art , community, and joy is important for everyone - especially those of us who have more barriers. And I hope to make accessible and covid-conscious spaces for our community to cultivate care and creativity around grief.
Russ
Treasurer
Hey all! My name is russ (they/him), and I am the Treasurer for the Victoria Disability Arts Collective. I am a sick and disabled genderqueer settler who deals with mobility issues and a lot of chronic pain. In addition to a wide array of non profit experience, I have been advocating for disability and environmental justice for years, and am keen to bring this skillset to VDAC and continue building upon it! I am currently writing a speculative fiction novel, and am a fan of cooking, hosting dinner parties, and fine salts.
Emma Jory
Secretary
Hi! My name is Emma Jory, I’m the VDAC Secretary. My pronouns are they/them and I’m a self taught artist. I have an awesome dog named Bean and I’m looking forward to sharing my knowledge with the community.
Bella Jacobs
Director at Large and Social Media Manager
Hi everyone, my name is Bella Jacobs, my pronouns are she/her, and I am the Social Media Manager and a Director here at VDAC. As a disabled person, I was so excited to join the VDAC team and create a community for other disabled artists in Victoria and BC. I am passionate about disability advocacy and look forward to creating events to connect with the community. When I am not busy with school and VDAC, I crochet, play video games, and cuddle my cat, Augie.
Ty Wesley
Director at Large
Ty Wesley (any/all) is a 2spirit artist, organizer, and storyteller that hails from the tsm'syen nation. While they're still struggling to find a diagnosis that fits him, they have found comfort and care in the disabled community in the lkwungen and songhees nation and are excited to contribute in nurturing that connection.
Julia Denley
Director at Large
Hi! I’m Julia Denley, pronouns she/they, and I’m a director at large. I’m neurodivergent and queer and live with multiple physical and mental health disabilities. I love bringing my lived experience to advocacy work and am passionate about disability justice. I’m also the Co-Chair of the UVic Society for Students with a Disability and founder of the Access4All campaign at UVic. I have three cute cats; one is an elderly lady and two are mischievous youngsters that keep me busy. I’m looking forward to planning VDAC events!