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In March, we had the chance to hear from Vesper Moore (they/them), an Indigenous activist and global mental health leader whose work has shaped mental health organizations and civil rights efforts across the U.S. and beyond. Their presentation encouraged us to grow as leaders and advocates by examining how mental health justice, disability justice, and human rights are deeply connected.
Following Vesper’s presentation, Disability Lead Member Sadaf Ajani lead a question-and-answer session. Here are some highlights from their wide-ranging conversation.
Vesper emphasized that justice goes beyond awareness — it’s about building a world where everyone belongs. As they said:
“One of the key important things when we talk about disability rights and justice is that a lot of the efforts to design and think of a society that is more accessible, more inclusive, where it ends up working for everyone are necessary.”
They also challenged us to act locally, reminding us that big change often starts with small steps:
“There’s so much we can do on the local level, you can go to your city or town council to say, hey, we need to focus on mental health priorities in our community that centers consent and autonomy.”
Vesper’s time with us was an inspiring call to move beyond performative actions and toward meaningful, justice-centered change — at every level.
Watch the full event below.