Disability Editor
Hi! I’m Natalia, a Disability Editor.
I’m here to help you create, edit, and/or review your disability-affirming content.
The disability community is varied and diverse. Disability-affirming language and accessibility practices surrounding disability can be unclear and, at times, overwhelming. That’s where I come in.
*waves* Welcome! I’m a Canadian freelance editor who specializes in disability/accessibility, plain language, and inclusive language.
I have lived experience, an educational background, and extensive professional development in accessibility. I am also disabled.
As a disability editor, I am here for you, whether you are
- an organization looking to revise your documents and/or policies from a plain language or disability/accessibility angle (including style guides and alt text),
- a self-publishing author who wants to ensure an authentic portrayal of disability in your manuscript, and/or
- a fellow disabled author looking to work with someone with similar lived experiences and/or who is part of the disability community.
Disability is a part of who I am, and creating disability-affirming content is something that I am extremely passionate about. Although my work is filtered through the lens of my personal lived experiences, I read extensively, am very familiar with disability history in socio-political contexts, attend professional development training, and keep up with language trends. Your project will be treated with the utmost care, reflection, and joy that it deserves.
If I am not the right fit or do not offer a specific service, I will recommend fellow colleagues.
Service Rates
Typically, my rates are approximately $50 CAD per hour. Please reach out anytime to discuss your project needs.
Disability Editor Services
Disability-Affirming Language Review
In terms of language review, I offer several services, including
- applying a plain language approach to documents;
- performing an inclusive language review (with a focus on disability, chronic illness, and neurodiversity);
- reviewing or developing disability-specific policies, statements, and web copy;
- developing disability-affirming style guides; and
- performing authenticity reading on content related to disability, chronic illness, and neurodiversity.
Accessibility Practices
I specialize in helping you reach your accessibility goals for your document and/or web copy, including
- developing alt text (beyond the standard basics), and
- considering document structure.
Disability-Affriming Speaking and Writing Engagements
Finally, I am also available to create written content or speak on disability. In particular, I offer
- public speaking engagements and writing on disability-affirming language from a historical, political, and (Canadian/US) cultural contexts.
Disability Editor Background and Experience
Selected Educational Background
- Editing Certificate – Simon Fraser University. Burnaby, British Columbia
- Plain Language Certificate – Simon Fraser University. Burnaby, British Columbia
- An Introduction to Accessibility and Inclusive Design – Coursera: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
- Basics of Inclusive Design for Online Education – Coursera: University of Colorado Boulder
- Some of the Things You Wanted to Know about Alt Text – Editors Canada (Amber Riaz)
- Intermediate Alt Text – Editors Canada (Allison Peacock)
- Editing for Conscious and Inclusive Language Course – Editorial Freelancers Association (Crystal Shelley)
- Trauma-Informed Editing – Editors Transform: Editors Canada Conference (Iva Cheung)
- Microaggressions in Editing: Understanding Bias and Undoing Harm – ACES: The Society for Editing (Crystal Shelley)
- Radical Copyediting: Prioritizing Care Over Correctness – Editorial Freelancers Association (EFA) (Alex Kapitan)
- Tips for Editing Genres That Include Violence, Suicide and Mental Illness – ACES: The Society for Editing (Karin Cather)
- Disability Awareness and Support – Coursera: University of Pittsburgh
- How to Host Accessible Events Certificate – Accessibility Services Canada
Recent Writing and Speaking Engagements
- Beyond Disability Affirming Language: A Series of Political and Cultural Considerations – BoldFace, 2026
- Editing Disability-Affirming Content: Deconstructing Media Representation, Tropes, Stereotypes, Euphemisms, and Slurs – Editors Toronto. Toronto, Ontario, January 2026
- Intersectional Activism in the Online Sphere – Ignite Change Conference for the John Humphrey Centre for Peace and Human Rights (JHC). Edmonton, Alberta, January 2024
- Nothing About Us Without Us: Accessibility, Accommodations and the Student Experience – AUSUnights. Edmonton, Alberta, July 2023
- Nothing About Us Without Us: Accessibility, Accommodations in Student Leadership – CAUS Conference. Edmonton, Alberta, May 2023
