Leena Sansoa Uses Her Voice to Raise Awareness for Disability Inclusion
“Going into high school, I wasn’t comfortable sharing about my lived experience as a blind person. I wanted to step out of my comfort zone and raise awareness about my blindness and disability more broadly.”
Leena Sansoa, a student at Panorama Ridge Secondary School in Surrey B.C., lost her sight at age two following a brain tumor. She has been blind for 15 years this year.
In May 2025, Leena was recognized for her work in disability inclusion by receiving the Rick Hansen Foundation School Program (RHFSP) Difference Maker of the Year Award.
The RHFSP Difference Maker of the Year Award celebrates youth ages 5-18 whose accessibility projects go above and beyond to make their schools and communities more inclusive by creating more awareness and removing barriers for people with disabilities.
Leena wasn’t sure how to go about raising awareness about disability in her school initially, but after learning about the Surrey Schools' Accessibility Advisory Committee, she found a way to make a difference.
In 2023, Leena became the first student ever to be a part of the committee.
Working on the committee
The Surrey School District and the Surrey Schools Accessibility Advisory Committee work to remove barriers and ensure everyone, regardless of ability, can access all services fully. Leena was excited to be a part of the committee and raise awareness about some of the barriers she faces herself.
During her time so far on the committee, Leena has been able to work on a few projects. One in particular was being a part of creating and editing videos for the B.C. Council of Administrators of Inclusive Support In Education (CAISE) conference.
This conference brought together education administrators who are dedicated to supporting students – a perfect audience for videos about disability inclusion.
One video detailed an accessibility checklist for schools, and others raise awareness about physical spaces and the built environment and ways that people who are partially sighted or blind might communicate.
“In the accessibility checklist video, we talked about what is and what isn’t accessibility,” Leena explained. “And in another, myself, and a few other students, shared our lived experience and I talked about how disability is not everything you should be known for.”
For Leena, the committee has been a wonderful way to begin to make a difference in her community.
“The committee made me more comfortable to share my experiences and be able to spread awareness.”
Building awareness
Leena explained that after only two years on the committee, the impact has been noticeable.
“The outpouring of people who have reached out to me and said this has helped them has been amazing,” Leena said. “It’s been a relatively short period of time, but the impact has been bigger than I thought.”
While the Difference Maker of the Year Award was given to Leena for her work on the Surrey Schools Accessibility Advisory Committee, she did not stop there.
Leena also has her own YouTube channel where she shares her experiences with blindness and raises awareness for disability inclusion. Some of her shorts talk about the pros and cons of using a white cane, the importance of disability acceptance, and sharing bits and pieces of her life.
Going forward, Leena wants to continue on with the Accessibility Advisory Committee and grow her YouTube Channel, continuing to raise awareness and use her voice. Leena believes awareness is key to creating change in the community.
“For me, accessibility means that everyone is included whether or not you have a disability,” Leena explained. “Awareness is important because barriers can be removed, but we all need to be a part of the work to make a bigger impact.”
