Mao Yang (she/her) is a 30-year-old, Asian Hmong American woman with Cerebral Palsy living in Cottage Grove. She works as a Disability Justice Self-Advocate. Mao grew up as the youngest of eight siblings and the only one with a disability. Throughout childhood, she experienced ableism, stigma, inaccessibility, and exclusion.
Mao has lived in a group home for about four years. She would like to find affordable, accessible housing of her choice where she can still receive the care she needs. Because Mao uses a wheelchair, she has especially struggled with accessible housing and reliable transportation. These struggles create barriers for Mao to access her job, her family, and her friends.
Mao is excited to be a part of the next Olmstead Plan. She shares, “It brings me so much joy to know that I am not only speaking for myself, but for all of those that don’t have the same platform that I do and will not have the same access to opportunities like I do.”
Mao believes inclusion, accessibility, and community integration are not just things you “do,” but core values you live by. She envisions a world where people with and without disabilities can share life together and give and receive in ways where each individual is valued. This is the mission of L’Arche Twin Cities, a nonprofit where she has been working for the past year. Mao was just featured on WCCO news for disability advocacy day 2025, as well as a featured poet during Disability Advocacy 2024. She has also been interviewed by Minneapolis/Saint Paul magazine and workday magazine discussing different aspects of her disability. At times, she even writes about her lived experience for Cow Tipping Press.
