By Shameka Andrews It’s hard for me to believe that my self-advocacy journey started 20 years ago advocating for people in wheelchairs like myself to be able to participate in graduation. Prior to my class people in chairs could go across the stage like everyone else because it was not accessible. This was my first time not only speaking up for myself but for those who would graduate after me. I am happy to say that they moved the graduation to a accessible location.   After graduation, I had another big moment in my self advocacy journey deciding to move out of my family’s home that was not accessible. The majority of my life we lived an inaccessible apartments that were on the second and third floors. The process of actually moving out took five long years of navigating lots of barriers ago the way,  but I eventually moved into an accessible ho apartment, where I’ve lived since 2005.   That same year, I began my professional advocacy journey by competing in Ms. Wheelchair New York which led me to joining SANYS AmeriCorp program Our Experience is the Best Teacher. Being involved with SANYS and Ms Wheelchair New York has helped me to be a better advocate for myself which always seemed to be harder than advocating for others. And even through the road seems long at times its filled with moments of joy, connection and purpose that continue to remind me why advocacy matters