The Youth Disability Advocacy Network (YDAN) is proud to introduce Isabella Choate (they/them) as our newly appointed Chief Executive Officer. Through an open and competitive recruitment process, Isabella stood out for their visionary leadership, strategic approach, and unwavering dedication to YDAN’s mission and core values.
As Western Australia’s leading voice for young people aged 12 to 25 with disabilities, YDAN advocates for systemic change, empowers youth through programs on self-advocacy, employment, and disability frameworks, and provides platforms for young people to share their living experience to inform and improve accessibility across communities. Our work spans policy development, community education, and capacity-building, all aimed at promoting equity and inclusion for young people with disabilities.
Isabella brings a wealth of experience and insight to the role, shaped by their living experience as a non-binary person of colour with multiple disabilities. A passionate advocate for youth leadership, they embody YDAN’s ethos of being led by young people, for young people. Isabella is the founder of the WA Disability Pride Festival (2024), a celebration of disability culture and identity, and has received recognition as WA Young Person of the Year (2023) and finalist for WA Young Australian of the Year (2025).
With academic training in Psychology, Peer Work, and Community Services, Isabella’s connection to YDAN began in a youth consultancy role, contributing to the co-design of several key initiatives. They have held roles with YDAN such as podcaster, project coordinator, and Director. Since stepping in as Interim CEO in January 2024, they have continued to lead advocacy efforts in key areas such as the School Education Act 1999 Review, NDIS reform, and national disability research. They also hosted the Disability Election Forum earlier this year and have introduced a services branch to support community organisations and local councils in enhancing accessibility.
Looking ahead, Isabella is committed to deepening YDAN’s impact by strengthening youth engagement, creating more employment opportunities for young people with disabilities, and elevating YDAN’s influence in policy spaces. A strong believer in collaboration, Isabella has initiated partnerships with organisations in the disability, education, and legal sectors and is eager to continue building cross-sector alliances to amplify the voices of young people with disabilities.
Please join us in celebrating Isabella’s appointment. We are excited for the future under their leadership and remain steadfast in our commitment to advancing the rights and representation of young people with disabilities across Western Australia.