Let's Talk About Life WIth a Disability - Depictions Media: Independent Journalism at the Intersection of Policy, Community, and Human Rights

More About Ghofran Alyssa, Author of “You Have 24 Hours to Live”

Ghofran Alyass is also a part-time professor at George Brown College, teaching in the Community Worker program. She has an extensive academic background, holding a Master’s of Education in Social Justice Education with a specialisation in Disability educational policy from OISE, University of Toronto. Her education also includes an Honours Bachelor of Arts in Disability Studies from Toronto Metropolitan University, a college diploma in Community Services, and a college certificate in preparatory Liberal Studies, both from George Brown College.

More About Emily Ava Gilispie, Author of “Wait With Me”

Emily Ava Gillespie (they/she) is a published author, disability activist, and professional daydreamer with fifteen years of experience working within the disability community. They hold an MA in Critical Disability Studies and a BA in Gender Equality and Social Justice, in addition to a certificate in Creative Writing from Concordia University.

A highlight of their career includes winning the 2021 Dr James Jamieson Influential Alumni Award from Nipissing University. Gillespie has extensive research and mental health peer support experience and has volunteered and worked as an activist, researcher, peer support, and facilitator. They have taught creative writing for over five years, focusing on memoir.

As a grant and award-winning author and performance artist, their work, including the novel Dancing with Ghosts (Leaping Lion Books, 2017), explores themes of memory, identity, and mental health journeys. Their poetry and short stories have appeared in numerous journals and anthologies. Most recently, they co-edited Mighty: an Anthology of Disabled Superheroes (Renaissance Press, Fall 2023) and released the novel Wait With Me in 2025.

Bringing their knowledge together, Gillespie has a passion for consulting on disability justice projects, particularly those focusing on art and leisure. They enjoy working in community spaces and examining individual and collective experiences.