Derek is a 21-year-old self-advocate and artist who lives in Albany, Georgia and attends Lee County High School. As an artist, Derek believe that a picture can say a lot, and he has used his love of art to help spread the message of equality around the rights of people with disabilities. He is especially passionate about disability voting rights and supports this mission as a board member of Uniting for Change, a network of self-advocates, and REV Up Georgia.
Outside of disability advocacy, Derek enjoys food, graphic design, painting, drawing and playing video games. In the future, Derek hopes to one day become a professional character design artist.
Derek and other Youth Ambassadors sit down for a discussion about alternatives to guardianship in their states for the Self-Determination channel hosted by Ashley Mathy.