It can be hard to find her in her jungle of house plants, but with more than 30 years experience in unconventional accessibility, Beth is worth trying to track down. Dont worry, the hair will help.
Now I know what you’re thinking, I can hear the wheels turning from here, you’re thinking “now, I would never question the narrator,” (this is very good advice) “especially one as wise and all knowing as yourself.” (Flattery will get you everywhere) “but what even is unconventional accessibility, and how could one possibly have 30 years experience in it?”
Well, you see, Beth has been a part of, and worked alongside the disabled community for as long as there has been a Beth, and since no one ever told her how to do that, she had to make it up as she went along. Against the conventional wisdom of the day, she decided the best way to do that was to listen to what the disabled community wanted, and problem solve to make that happen. When her disabled sister decided she wanted to get her black belt in karate, Beth said “sure.” And built an accessible karate class from the ground up. It didn’t matter that she was barely in high school. By that point it was already known that telling Beth that something was foolish or impossible basically guaranteed that she was going to make it happen. And sure enough 10 years later, that same sister became the program’s 7th graduate.
Beth Lawless
Once Beth was finally at a point where she could go to school and learn How Things Were Done, she realized she was already fairly well versed in disability support, and jumped instead into a degree in Sexual Diversity Studies at the University of Toronto. While she was there, she a designed innovative research methodology that allowed her to interview vulnerable populations about highly sensitive information, while satisfying the ethical limitations of conducting such research as an undergraduate.
It was through her time with the University and the volunteering she did with community organizations while studying, that Beth came to see the intersectionality and inter connectedness of systems and communities. After school she threw herself into asking not just why a system came to be, but how, and whom did it serve, and how could we change a system to make it serve those it ostracized. Whether this be supply chains, the environment, financial systems, social safety nets, or even where we get our food, Beth sees the path to security, and prosperity through inclusion, change, and asking hard questions.
These days, Beth is CEO of the AgTech startup Lawless Environmental Solutions, she is a writer, an analyst, and a mom of four epic kids, who remind her always that the biggest challenges are solved by looking in the unlikeliest of places.