Biography

Tracy Odell is a life-long advocate for independent living and the right of people with disabilities to live in the community.  She has served on the Citizens with Disabilities – Ontario (CWDO) board of directors since 2009. Tracy has assisted in founding numerous supportive housing programs with attendant services, is credited with the establishment of “Nurturing Assistance,” has published articles and appeared in videos to raise awareness of issues relating to disability.

Tracy has a Masters degree in Critical Disability Studies, and received the John Lord Participatory Action Research Award for her Major Research Paper, “Not Your Average Childhood.”  She has a B.A and B.Ed. in English and Special Education. Tracy is a member of the Council of Canadians with Disabilities’ Transportation Committee.

In addition to these volunteer commitments, Tracy actively supports projects of the Centre for Independent Living in Toronto (CILT) such as the D-Net (Disability Network) Archives project. Self-managing her attendant services, Tracy lives with her husband in Scarborough. They are proud of their two grown daughters (who have inherited the advocate gene) and their talented granddaughter.