Disability is so limited to the idea of people not being able to
do anything.
And I do everything.
This is my birthday weekend.
She's paving the way, breaking down boundaries,
getting into modelling.
I'm just a black woman in a wheelchair who happens to be trans.
I would like to see Aaron Philip in her chair on a runway,
this year.
I don't want to limit myself to anything.
This is such a revolutionary moment.
My dad learnt how to do edges better then me.
- No laughing on camera.
I was born in Antigua and Barbuda.
I emigrated to the States with my family when I was 3 years old
in search of medical attention.
I needed to move here because of my CP.
I was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at birth.
It's a neurophysical condition that affects my motor skills
and the way I'm able to generally move
it kind of affects my speech and movement
but my brain is totally unaffected by it.
I remember growing up with a sense of feeling alienated at times from
other people, being that my disability was so stigmatised
that people didn't want to even hang out with me.
So disgusting.
The ableism that I faced even at such a young age.
I came into modelling
because I realized how much lack of visibility there is for people
in wheelchairs, and people who are trans and black.
Why is existence so radical? Why can't I just exist and be beautiful
and be gorgeous.
I want to be seen as a woman that people want.
Watch me finesse. Watch the drip!
I'm about to get into this car.
It has wheelchair access, it has a ramp.
I figure I have to explain explain that because not a lot of cars
have wheelchair access in the first place.
And then we go like this.
Now we are about to head to my high school and we're going to explore my
upbringings, and what made me the way I am today.
A lot of things even within school were not made for me
so it was hard navigating a space where you felt like
you didn't necessarily even belong.
My first year of high school was hell.
I literally came, I didn't know anyone here.
It's like I didn't know what to do with myself.
I was struggling with my identity but then junior year happened
and I started my modelling career the summer of junior year.
And I started like truly becoming into my own.
I was a nobody at one point like no one wanted to know who I was
and no one knew who I was.
And it stayed like that for a long time.
When I was younger I used to struggle with it where I was like:
"Oh, I can't play with people," and that was really tough,
but as I got older I was just like I'm content
I'm my own being.
I don't have to feel the need to compete with people
because they're able bodied and I'm not.
I took myself to the internet because
the internet was the place where I felt as if I had the resources
I need to belong and create something for myself.
From then on I was able to be like "Oh! This is me."
"OK, I found me."
"Let's build it."
We're on our way to the photo shoot downtown.
The concept is more so like maturity and coming of age and growing up.
It's going to be super exciting and beautiful.
We've casted some really beautiful friends and models.
It can be really hard to find accessible studios in the city.
Honestly anywhere, it kind of depends.
You just have to be really mindful of where you're searching at
and make sure they have the access.
Good morning baby. Hi.
Hi baby!
This is it, this is really it.
With Taylor, the stylist, we thought about like 70s,
60s vibe... retro.
I got signed by my agency Elite Model Management in New York City
because they saw my visions for the industry and
how I want to do things and the way I want to do things
will benefit the culture more than anything.
I'm here with my agent Richie Keo,
from Elite Model Management New York City.
Why do you think there aren't more opportunities for disabled people
in the fashion industry?
You know being physically disabled there's limitations.
I think people get scared of those limitations and I think they like to
choose the easy way out.
I think that's the simple answer.
And it's gonna take someone who isn't scared of those challenges.
It's really nice, we have like a big group of friends just downstairs
like having fun and like getting able to like be in a professional
environment and finally be seen for the talent that we have.
Victoria's Secret just said that trans people aren't a fantasy.
So I want her to like walk for Victoria's Secret, do some real like
f**k you s**t.
People see labels and just degrade us down to that one term.
And they need to understand our stories, our voices, our opinions.
Things are slowly progressing and changing within
the fashion industry for sure.
People will generally want to support people and see themselves.
High fashion is so restricted to only one type of body, you know,
and we're kind of destroying that narrative right now,
because I have all my bad bitches
posted up with me, like period.
We are going to my sexy birthday party. Yes!
I just feel gratitude to even be alive another year.
And I feel gratitude to be older and experience more things.
There's no limits for me.
I try to stretch myself out as much as possible,
and play and experiment, and have fun.
There's no limits.
When you see people like her achieving these things, creating
these spaces, you want to be there and you want to be a part of it
because it's where you know you belong.
It's just validating as a queer person to see someone being accepted
and knocking all those social norms down.
Know what you want and go for it completely.
Once you know what you want
and you set your sights on it and you know who you are,
and you know you're worth, and you know your passions,
nothing will stop you.