(They/Them/He/Him)
Aura Valdes joined Disability Rights Arizona in 2022 as a self advocate/ Board member. They have over 15 years experience in community organizing, social advocacy and creating events for disabled, trans and gender diverse individuals. Currently Aura is the host of Poetic Presence: a virtual writing group, sponsored by Art Spark Texas Coalition of Texans with Disabilities. As a Queer Disabled Trans artist, their work and presence are an interruption to the conventional norms and binaries. Through participation in events such as More Than Words, Tucson Poetry Fest, Gender Unbound in Austin, Texas, and Tucson’s first Disability Pride Festival and other events, Aura has become known for creating spaces that prioritize care and invite self expression. In 2023, they co-received the 2023 Nightbloom Grant.for artists through the Museum of Contemporary Arts Tucson project. Aura also has work featured in Crip’d Ecologies:Unfurling Expanding Environments at the Roots Gallery, in San Francisco CA Spring 2024.