Ava Deakin’s response to the 2025 Flora Marie Jenkins Memorial Disability Scholarship prompt moved Marc Whitehead & Associates’ scholarship selection committee. In less than 1,000 words, Deakin painted a picture not only of her own accomplishments but also of the ways that young people with disabilities are forced to go above and beyond for their own sense of ease.
Deakin has spent her life pushing back against anti-disability legislation and inaccessible building codes. Instead of letting her communities treat accessibility as an afterthought, she made her voice heard, navigated difficult accessibility campaigns, and became a voice for young people struggling to find a place for themselves in an able-bodied world.
It’s in light of her efforts that the Houston disability lawyers with Marc Whitehead & Associates are proud to award Ava Deakin $5,000 to dedicate toward her continued education at the University of Southern California.
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A Lifelong Battle for Mobility
It’s one thing to live with a life-changing disability. It’s another to struggle to put a name to that disability for an extended period of time. Deakin’s doctors suspected that she had muscular dystrophy from a young age, but couldn’t offer her a definitive diagnosis.
Deakin reports a childhood filled with symptom management. She underwent physical therapy, surgeries, and experimental medical trials to maintain her mobility and address other symptoms that made her day-to-day life more challenging.
After years of testing, medical professionals diagnosed her with PNPLA6 Ataxia. She was 17 at the time. Fortunately, Deakin reports that her formal diagnosis made it easier to get the mobility aids she needed – and continues to need – to navigate her everyday life. In her own words, “leg braces assist me for short distances, while a wheelchair handles longer trips.”
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The World is Not Inherently Accessible – But It Should Be
Even before her diagnosis, Deakin had to learn how to live in a world that didn’t always – and still often doesn’t – accommodate her. Her scholarship essay goes into detail about her parents’ efforts to find an accessible apartment as her ability to climb stairs declined.
Even once her family found a home they could modify for Deakin’s comfort, they faced backlash from historical preservation groups intent on prioritizing preservation over accessibility. Deakin and her family filed a lawsuit demanding the right to install a wheelchair ramp outside of their home under the Fair Housing Act and won, but not without facing hostility.
However, Deakin’s efforts in court benefited more than just her. The attention her case brought to her neighborhood saw her community receive a grant to add curb cuts. The community also received funds to relaunch an annual accessible arts fair. Access Living in Chicago also connected Deakin with legal experts and rights leaders who shaped her future goals.
Deakin Fights Back
Deakin’s fight didn’t stop after she won her ramp and greater accessibility throughout her local community. Her confrontations with anti-accessibility efforts drove her to pursue disability advocacy. Instead of letting disability become an afterthought in local and global conversations, Deakin began speaking in schools to educate students about disability rights.
She spoke on NPR and broke down the systemic inequalities that can prevent people with disabilities from getting the care and aid they need to live happy, healthy lives. She even brought a book, going into detail about the long history of youth activism, particularly through the height of the civil rights movement.
That book, Tomorrow Begins Now: Teen Heroes Who Faced Down Injustice, remains available and goes into detail about the work activist legends like Minnijean Brown of the Little Rock Nine did on behalf of people in need.
What to Expect From Ava Deakin in the Future
Deakin has achieved more than most people will achieve in a lifetime as a young college student, but her work isn’t done yet. She’s currently attending the University of Southern California, where she’s pursuing degrees in Political Science (Pre-Law Track) and Themed Entertainment.
As a resident assistant with the institution, she serves as a disability advocate, ensuring students with additional needs get the support they deserve. She also collaborates with the university’s Society of Women in Law, connecting with her peers to discuss the logistics of equal access to and through the law.
While Deakin has dozens of new opportunities at her fingertips, she’s true to her roots. She does not hesitate to point out accessibility failures on her college campus and hopes that her advocacy can reduce the risk that students, staff, and faculty face of being barred from events and opportunities made more accessible to their able-bodied peers.
About Marc Whitehead & Associates’ 2025 Flora Marie Jenkins Memorial Disability Scholarship
Marc Whitehead & Associates offers its Flora Marie Jenkins Memorial Disability Scholarship in hopes of making it easier for young people with disabilities to go to college with less financial stress. The firm believes in the power of higher education and hopes that its $5,000 can break down barriers that might prevent some of today’s sharpest students from achieving their goals.
Students interested in applying for the Flora Marie Jenkins Memorial Disability Scholarship must compose essays going into detail about their conditions and how those conditions have shaped their goals for the future. Marc Whitehead & Associates also requires participants to submit the following for consideration:
- Medical documentation of disability
- Proof of legal U.S. residency (driver’s license, birth certificate, passport, etc.)
- College Acceptance Letter – or – Current College ID
- Most recent transcript (college or high school)
The team also reserves the right to ask students to provide the firm with a copy of their class schedule for the upcoming semester.
We Wish Deakin the Best of Luck With Her Academic Career!
Deakin’s scholarship essay depicts the life of a creative, determined young woman with a unique commitment to bettering the world not only for herself but also for others she can lift up. Her dedication to disability advocacy, paired with her packed schedule of social obligations and pre-law education, suggests that there are great things to come from her future.
Marc Whitehead & Associates believes that the Flora Marie Jenkins Memorial Disability Scholarship should go to a student as dedicated to her community and personal betterment as Deakin. The team applauds her history of accomplishments and looks forward to seeing what she achieves next.
Students who want to follow Deakin’s example and apply for the $5,000 2026 Flora Marie Jenkins Memorial Disability Scholarship can keep an eye on Marc Whitehead & Associates’ websites for updates to the scholarship’s terms and conditions.
