Talina posing with her book “You Taught Me” © Courtesy of Talina Papazian
By Allie Murray
When Talina Papazian was six years old, her brother was diagnosed with an anaphylactic peanut allergy, which led him to face anxiety and social isolation. Seeing the challenges her brother faced, she felt a call to take action to make a difference for youth with disabilities, striving to understand the person beyond their diagnosis.
This journey brought her to Holland Bloorview Children’s Rehabilitation Hospital, where she began volunteering at their summer camp when she was 16. Now 18, Papazian is a long-term volunteer at the hospital, an advocate for disability inclusion, and a children’s book author.
Her book, You Taught Me, was released in August 2023 and follows a group of six children with visible and non-apparent disabilities. As the characters paint, garden, and blow bubbles, readers learn a series of skills, from being funny to finding happiness from within.
“While I had originally thought that I would teach the campers so many things as I was the volunteer, the kids taught me so much more than I taught them,” Papazian explained. “That’s when the words ‘You Taught Me’ were floating in my head and I thought to myself ‘okay, let’s do this.’ My goal was to share my story with the world.”
As Papazian puts it, the release of her debut book was just the tip of the iceberg: it kickstarted an organization with the same name, dedicated to sharing the importance of inclusion and accessibility.
“While the book itself was published in August 2023, I launched You Taught Me as a campaign in July of 2023, one month prior to publication,” she explained. “As I am hoping to share the importance of inclusion and accessibility with as many people as possible, having a campaign allows me to connect with so many individuals and create a community that champions inclusion and accessibility.”
Through the You Taught Me campaign, Papazian has partnered with organizations across Canada like McMaster Children’s Hospital, Treat Accessibly, ErinoakKids and more. Similarly, she has been a guest speaker at several schools across Ontario, been featured in the media, and earlier this year, received the 2024 Rick Hansen Foundation Difference Maker of the Year Award.
“The profound significance of the award truly touched me when I had the incredible pleasure of meeting Rick Hansen in person at a different event shortly after receiving the award,” Papazian shared when asked about the award. “To be able to meet the person who founded the whole movement behind the award made the whole thing very real. I was very touched when he said ‘keep doing what you’re doing because you are truly making such a positive difference all across Canada.’”
Through both the book and the campaign, Papazian has three goals of how she would like to encourage others to give back: to help kids learn the importance of inclusion and accessibility and think about how to make the world around them more inclusive, encourage youth to believe in themselves, and that the funds raised from the book—which are all donated to support children with disabilities and their families—allow children with disabilities to access the support and tools they may need.
“I truly believe that everyone has such incredible ideas, knowledge, and opinions to share with the world, and through my work I hope everyone has the chance to do so by accessing support and believing in themselves,” she shared.
Looking towards the future, Papazian shared that she has many exciting things in store: the future release of You Taught Me in French, more guest appearances at Ontario schools to teach young readers about the importance of inclusion and accessibility, upcoming partnerships, and perhaps even a second book.
Empowering Youth for Environmental Change Through EcoTeens
Photo © Pexels/Karolina Grabowska The call for action against unprecedented environmental challenges grows louder each day. Pragna Nidumolu, the founder of EcoTeens, a platform dedicated
Acts of Kindness, Acts of Impact: Young Leaders Transforming the World with GivingTuesdaySpark
Khloe Thompson In Ghana on a Buddy Bench Donated in part by Khloe’s fellow GivingTuesdaySpark Leader Sammie Vance © All Images Courtesy of Dante Plush
