My Voice Counts Too Is an Unconfined Life Foundation Project, created to ask three questions;
Who gets heard?
Who gets believed?
Who gets to decide?
Through storytelling, humor, and lived experience, Christopher Deon Coleman examines how eight interconnected systems affect people with disabilities—and how institutions can better respect their voices, choices, and citizenship.
Continuing the conversation raised in his article selected for the Louisiana Bar Journal, the project invites legal professionals and other institutional leaders to examine when everyday practices become barriers to meaningful participation.
My Voice Counts Too Project
FROM LIVED EXPERIENCE TO INSTITUTIONAL CHANGE
Created by author and longtime national speaker Christopher Deon Coleman, the project brings together lived experience, writing, storytelling, and humor to explore how ableism becomes embedded in everyday practices.
Christopher’s experience navigating legal proceedings as a person with cerebral palsy informs a central question: What happens when a system recognizes someone’s rights but fails to give their voice meaningful weight?
His article, selected for publication in the Louisiana Bar Journal, brings that question to the legal profession. This video series continues the conversation, inviting attorneys and other professionals to examine how their practices affect the people they serve.
WATCH “MY VOICE COUNTS TOO”
Explore the series and join the conversation:
EIGHT SYSTEMS. CONNECTED EXPERIENCES.
Our lives do not fit neatly into separate institutions. A housing barrier can create financial pressure. Family assumptions can influence legal decisions. Disability services can shape where and how someone lives.
The project explores eight interconnected systems:
• Housing
• Financial
• Legal and Judicial
• Political and Public Policy
• Education
• Religious and Cultural
• Family and Social Narratives
• Disability Services and Nonprofits
A CONVERSATION FOR THE LEGAL PROFESSION
Meaningful access to justice requires opportunities to communicate, understand, make choices, and participate.
Do we address the person directly? Do we mistake a speech impairment for a lack of understanding? Do our procedures provide enough time and accessible ways to respond? Does the individual’s judgment remain central when relatives, caregivers, and professionals are involved?
These questions help connect professional responsibilities with the everyday experiences of people with disabilities.
THE UNCONFINED QUESTION OF THE WEEK
Each week, we invite viewers to consider a question about accessibility, citizenship, and governance: whose voice is missing, what barrier is being overlooked, and what could change?
Watch. Reflect. Share your perspective.
BRING THE CONVERSATION TO YOUR ORGANIZATION
The Unconfined Life Foundation welcomes inquiries about speaking, facilitated discussions, and educational collaboration.
Use this website’s Contact page to connect with Christopher and the foundation.
My voice counts too. Meaningful participation begins when our systems act accordingly.