Melissa is a 19 year old author, blogger and disability activist. She is the founder of Alder Books, her own publishing company, through which she released her children’s book Doodle the Poodle’s Big Day Out which promotes acceptance and equality to young children through the inclusion of LGBTQ+, BIPOC and disabled characters. 

When traditional publishers overlooked her work, Melissa turned that setback into an opportunity — proving that disabled women can carve out their own space in publishing and beyond.  

Growing up with cerebral palsy, Melissa felt her voice as a young disabled woman was unheard in the mainstream media she was consuming. As a result, she started a blog at 14 to give herself a platform to share her experiences and connect with other disabled people. This evolved into writing for disability publications, speaking on panels and creating educational content on social media to raise awareness of the challenges people with cerebral palsy face.  

She’s been open about mental health, physical fatigue, and has consistently used vulnerability in her writing to paint a realistic picture of the experience of young disabled women — showing that disabled young people don’t just need physical accommodations, they need change in the societal perceptions of disabled people in order to achieve true equality.