James Ian is a singer, songwriter, actor, and newly permanent resident of New York City with Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) Type 3 and C5 palsy. A disabled leader and advocate for inclusive spaces in the entertainment industry and beyond, he’s the singer and primary songwriter on the viral hit “SPACES,” released in 2021. The song, sponsored by Genentech, was created to celebrate the wide range of talent within the SMA and larger disability community.
Ian was diagnosed with SMA as a teenager and explained in a 2023 interview with Daniel’s Music Foundation that music helped him process his diagnosis as it progressed in college. “I just kind of shut myself off from the world,” he said, adding that he used the alone time to express himself through music. “It just felt like this was my calling.” He’s signed to the inclusive record label, Just Call Me By My Name.
After disability advocate Judy Heumann’s death in 2023, Ian co-wrote and performed on a tribute song to her called “Lift Me Up” with Lachi featuring Gaelynn Lea. He has also performed live at the original site of the 1969 Woodstock music festival.
Ian grew up in Maryland and was a long-time resident of Los Angeles. He modeled for Kyle Denman in Los Angeles Fashion Week in 2024 and has modeled for major brands like JCPenney and Fruit of the Loom.
He’s also an actor who has appeared in “The Allnighter” and “Mariah Carey’s Christmas Sketchtacular.” A poet in his spare time, he has a poem featured in The Routledge International Handbook of Disability Human Rights Hierarchies. He’s also a frequent participant in the Easterseals Disability Film Challenge and starred in Anna Pakman’s 2025 short film, “Emergency Plan.” The film highlights inaccessibility in emergency preparedness conversations.
“I am thankful for every person and organization that fought for the passage of the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act), but this milestone anniversary serves as a reminder that we still have so far to go in guaranteeing the rights of disabled people in this country,” Ian told Able News.
“Since we are constantly fighting for disability rights and the enforcement and expansion of the ADA, I am always thinking about what is needed going forward for the disability community. I often use songwriting to express my feelings, and I have definitely written lyrics and songs about my frustration with the way disabled people are viewed and treated,” he said.
“I believe art is a powerful tool that helps to bring about social change, and my dissatisfaction with the state of disability rights motivates some of my songwriting in hopes of improving disabled lives.”
Read all 35 stories of the New York-based leaders profiled in our ADA 35 edition.