Jennifer Kumiyama was born with Arthrogryposis and uses a wheelchair daily. She is a queer Asian, Pacific Islander, and Black woman with a disability.
A disability activist for over two decades, her work began in 2002 when Jennifer was cast in Disney’s “Aladdin; a Musical Spectacular” at Disney California Adventure Theme Park, where she was the first performer in a wheelchair to ever be on any Disney stage in the world. Jennifer used her platform at Disney to compete and earn the title of Ms. Wheelchair California 2010, during which she promoted empowerment for youth with disabilities, speaking throughout California and the nation during her reign. Other credits include ‘The Sessions’, MTV’s ‘awkward.’, and ‘Celebrity Undercover Boss’. Recently, Jennifer can be heard as the voice of ‘Dahlia’ in Disney’s animated feature film, ‘WISH’.
Jennifer is the founder of Long Beach Disability Pride, an annual event that celebrates the intersectional beauty of the disabled community and centers disabled joy. She is a proud graduate of Long Beach City College, where she received her AA in Communication Studies, and now attends California State University Long Beach. Jennifer most recently served as the Citywide Accessibility Coordinator at the City of Long Beach, and is now the Executive Director at the Disabled Resources Center, Inc.
