Xian Horn is a vibrant writer, disability advocate, and accessibility consultant with cerebral palsy. In 2011, building on her passion for lifting up others, she launched a series of self-esteem programs for New York University’s Initiative for Women with Disabilities. These efforts evolved into her thriving nonprofit organization, Give Beauty Wings, in 2018.
Through her nonprofit, Horn’s mission is to create a more inclusive world while redefining beauty standards for people with disabilities. The organization regularly hosts panels and workshops about beauty, inclusive media representation, leadership, and self-esteem for disabled people.
When Horn is not hosting panels or consulting on accessibility at places like The Whitney Museum and Microsoft, she can be found writing as a current Forbes contributor. Since 2018, Horn has been covering many topics, including leadership, empowerment, and disability, in her column. She has interviewed the likes of celebrities including Jane Fonda, Brooke Shields, Gloria Estefan, and Troy Kotsur, who all work in their own ways to illuminate underrepresented communities and redefine the boundaries of art and beauty.
Horn has received a multitude of well-deserved accolades. She was featured on the Diversability 2024 D-30 Disability Impact List, was named one of 21 Leaders for the 21st Century by Women’s eNews, and was inducted into the National Disability Mentoring Coalition’s Mentoring Hall of Fame in 2018.
All that Horn does drives forward the work of advocating for disability rights in a way that celebrates the work of those who have come before her.
“I think we should always celebrate the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). I believe much of the reason that I call my disability a blessing is because of that legislation and the Section 504 regulations before it,” she told Able News. “Both mean even more to me now that they’re trying to take 504 away.”
Horn also reminds us that we must honor the legacy of the ADA not just on its anniversary: “We need to celebrate by preserving what we have and building on it. There’s so much more to do, not just in July but all year.”
Read all 35 stories of the New York-based leaders profiled in our ADA 35 edition.