Canadian disability rights advocate Taylor Lindsay-Noel is set to appear in the upcoming movie “Being Heumann,” aiming to shed light on the ongoing challenges faced by individuals with disabilities in accessing everyday services. Known as Access by Tay online, Lindsay-Noel creates content reviewing the accessibility of various establishments in Toronto, with some of her videos garnering over a million views.
Following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the 32-year-old began producing videos to showcase the obstacles individuals with disabilities encounter when frequenting their favorite locations. Through her social media presence, Lindsay-Noel urges restaurants and businesses to provide accurate information about their accessibility features.
Raised in Toronto, Lindsay-Noel emphasizes the city’s potential for greater inclusivity, highlighting the obstacles faced by individuals with disabilities, such as the lack of online accessibility information and physical barriers like inaccessible washrooms and entryways.
Many of the establishments reviewed by Lindsay-Noel have reached out to her, expressing their commitment to enhancing accessibility features. Lindsay-Noel, a former national gymnast who suffered a spinal cord injury at the age of 14, has since ventured into various endeavors, including launching her own tea company.
Driven by her passion for disability rights advocacy, Lindsay-Noel auditioned for “Being Heumann,” a biographical film centered around American disability rights activist Judith Heumann. The film, directed and written by Academy Award winner Sian Heder, is slated to kick off the Toronto International Film Festival.
“Being Heumann” portrays the story of the organizers of a landmark 28-day sit-in protest at the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare in 1977. The demonstration, demanding the enforcement of regulations safeguarding the rights of individuals with disabilities, was a pivotal moment in the disability rights movement.
Lindsay-Noel, who plays a protester in the film, views the experience as a rare opportunity and commends Heder for creating an inclusive and welcoming environment on set. The activist has been vocal about combating ableism, stressing the importance of open and honest conversations to foster understanding and dismantle misconceptions surrounding disabilities.
