Pronouns

She/Her/Hers

Background 

Camiel is originally from San Francisco and is a graduate of San Diego State University. Previously, Camiel worked as a caseworker for youth within the foster care system, a crisis counselor for LGBTQIA youth, and an educator.

How did you get involved with the Independent Living Movement?

Camiel has always strived to serve the communities that she belongs to. Having an intersection of identities being a visually impaired queer female, Camiel has immersed herself in causes that closely align with her identity and compassion for others. Camiel was diagnosed with an extremely rare retinal disease causing her to lose vision both suddenly and rapidly. Navigating through this extreme change, Camiel began getting involved in disability activism, striving for more visibility, accessibility, equality, and normalization in those with sight loss and various disabilities. From there, turning to her years of experience in advocacy work and experience with youth, Camiel found the role of Youth Program Coordinator with the Center for Independent Living and described it as a serendipitous merge between her lived experiences and her work with youth and advocacy.

Fun Facts

Camiel and her wife have two rescue dogs, a Chihuahua/Dachshund mix, a Chihuahua/Pug mix, and a sweet one-year-old daughter!