Aimee Louw is a disabled activist, writer, and radio host currently living in

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

, Canada. She works to fight

ableism Ableism (; also known as ablism, disablism (British English), anapirophobia, anapirism, and disability discrimination) is discrimination and social prejudice against people with Disability, disabilities or who are perceived to be disabled. Ableis ...

and her work is informed by

queer ''Queer'' is an umbrella term for people who are not heterosexual or cisgender. Originally meaning or , ''queer'' came to be used pejoratively against those with same-sex desires or relationships in the late 19th century. Beginning in the lat ...

and

feminist Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...

theory. She studied

Political Science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...

Concordia University Concordia University ( French: ''Université Concordia'') is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1974 following the merger of Loyola College and Sir George Williams University, Concordia is one of the t ...

. She has presented at conferences at both

McGill University McGill University (french: link=no, Université McGill) is an English-language public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter granted by King George IV,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill Universit ...

and

York University York University (french: Université York), also known as YorkU or simply YU, is a public university, public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's fourth-largest university, and it has approximately 55,700 students, 7,0 ...

about her research on

social movements A social movement is a loosely organized effort by a large group of people to achieve a particular goal, typically a Social issue, social or political one. This may be to carry out a social change, or to resist or undo one. It is a type of Group ...

and disability

rhetoric Rhetoric () is the art of persuasion, which along with grammar and logic (or dialectic), is one of the three ancient arts of discourse. Rhetoric aims to study the techniques writers or speakers utilize to inform, persuade, or motivate parti ...

. She works for

Cinema Politica Cinema Politica (CP) is a non-profit media arts organization based in Montreal with nearly 100 screening locations all over the world (as of September 2011). Each chapter ("local") screens independent political documentaries for free or by donation ...

, cofounded Accessibilize Montreal, and co-hosts the radio show Native Solidarity News. She has also spoken on the radio show Talking Radically. She is the creator of the zine and tumblr Underwater City Project. She has been published in the ''

Montreal Gazette The ''Montreal Gazette'', formerly titled ''The Gazette'', is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Three other daily English-language newspapers shuttered at various times during the second half of th ...

''.

Underwater City Project

''Underwater City Zine 1: Searching for the Most Accessible City'' in Canada details Louw's travels to different cities in Canada. The zine is a reflection on living with limited mobility and the

accessibility Accessibility is the design of products, devices, services, vehicles, or environments so as to be usable by people with disabilities. The concept of accessible design and practice of accessible development ensures both "direct access" (i. ...

of various cities. The zine is composed of journals and conversations with other disabled people. The name is inspired by Louw's idea that an underwater city would be an accessible utopia for all people.

Challenging the Société de transport de Montréal

Louw has been vocal about ablecentrist practices of the

Société de transport de Montréal The Société de transport de Montréal (STM; en, Montreal Transit Corporation) is a public transport agency that operates transit bus and rapid transit services in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Established in 1861 as the "Montreal City Passenger Ra ...

(STM). She has filed a complaint for getting caught in a

turnstile A turnstile (also called a turnpike, gateline, baffle gate, automated gate, turn gate in some regions) is a form of gate which allows one person to pass at a time. A turnstile can be configured to enforce one-way human traffic. In addition, a t ...

while in a wheelchair and also filed a complaint when a bus driver refused to lower the bus ramp for her. Louw demanded answers, supported by other activists, for the second incident at an STM monthly meeting when she pointed out that an early STM report said that ramps only work half the time.

References

External links

Underwater City Project

Accessibilize Montreal
{{DEFAULTSORT:Louw, Aimee Activists from Montreal Canadian non-fiction writers Living people Canadian women non-fiction writers Writers from Montreal Canadian disability rights activists Concordia University alumni Canadian women activists Anglophone Quebec people Canadian writers with disabilities Year of birth missing (living people) Canadian activists with disabilities