MSVU student Isai Estey travelled to the United Nations in June to appear as a panelist for the event: The intergenerational transfer of knowledge towards an inclusive future – A tribute to Steven Estey.
A recording of the panel is available on the United Nations website.
Isai is a student in the MountAbility program at MSVU. Since enrolling in the program in 2022, he has studied Psychology, Sociology, and Family Studies, with a focus on IT. MountAbility is a pathway to university studies for students who self-identify as having a disability that might otherwise have been a barrier to university studies.
Isai is a graduate of Dartmouth High School, the Achieve program at the Nova Scotia Community College, and the RISE program at Independent Living Nova Scotia.
During his presentation, Isai noted the importance of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) and the need for youth with disabilities to get involved to help make sure that the CRPD enables people with disabilities to be part of their communities around the world. Isai is part of the group called “My Home, My Rights” in Nova Scotia – a participatory action research team working on disability rights. He shared more on that topic at a side event at the UN.
The panel presentation included a tribute to Isai’s father, the late Steven Estey. As the Canadian Human Rights Commission said at the time of his death, “Steven was a passionate disability rights advocate, whose tireless efforts with and on behalf of people with disabilities, including his contributions to the drafting of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, have left an unparalleled mark on the course of human rights progress both domestically and globally.” Isai reflected on how Steven was just dad to him – a world traveler who shared stories about the countries he visited.
Isai presented on the panel together with his mother, Anne Macrae. Anne has worked in the disability sector for more than thirty years, including more than a decade of experience with the Federal government.
Congratulations, Isai!