Giselle is a proud mother of an adult on the Autism Spectrum. Her parenting journey began as a lone parent navigating the Ontario healthcare and education systems. Her persistence and dedication inspired her to obtain her sons diagnosis in time for early intervention and treatment. Giselle also worked tirelessly with schools to secure the best placements and educational outcomes for her child at the elementary and high school levels. She has been a strong community advocate for greater access to services for families and individuals with disabilities. In the midst of her parenting journey, Giselle suffered a life-threatening health crisis resulting from Graves Disease and Myasthenia Gravis that was triggered by years of gender and race-based micro-aggression in the workplace alongside the socio-economic pressures of life living in a low income neighborhood. Giselle was able to recover and rise above her circumstances to conceive a powerful movement in the form of The Empress Walk where she lead female support groups, awareness walks, fashion shows and conferences about the disproportionate affects of poor mental and physical health among BIPOC women in Ontario. As the lead collaborator for The Empress Walk Initiative, Giselle hopes to positively impact the lives of families, communities and the wider society in addition to creating more inclusion for neuro-diverse individuals.