Lauren Pires

A blue gradient background with white text has “The D-30 Disability Impact List” at the top centered above “2024 Honoree” which is in between two laurels. Below, text “Lauren Pires (she/her), Canada” are to the left of a picture of Lauren, which fills the right. Lauren is a medium-skinned woman with long dark hair and glasses. She’s wearing a pink top and pointing to a necklace around her neck. At the bottom left corner is text “Diversability, #D30DisList”.

Lauren Pires

She/her/hers

Invisible Disability Speaker, PR & Media Lead

Canada

An inspirational speaker and the first Invisible Disabilities Association (IDA) ambassador in Canada, Lauren Pires encourages audiences to embrace who they are. Born with Central Core Disease, a rare neuromuscular disorder, she has about 33% strength of the average person, but she's known for her enthusiasm, yay-saying, and positive spirit. In Nov 2023, she competed in the Speaker Slam Grand Slam, the yearly finale of North America's largest inspirational speaking competition, becoming the #2 Inspirational Speaker of the Year. Her participation with the IDA has raised over $4,000 USD for the organization since May 2023, and she became the first Canadian to receive their "But You LOOK Good" Inspiration Award 2023, previously awarded to actor/singer Wayne Brady & model/author Yolanda Hadid. In Feb 2024, she was featured in the Rare Disease Day #LightUpForRare campaign & led the lighting of 7 Ontario monuments. She's been featured on Breakfast Television, CityNews Toronto, RareDiseaseDay.org and more.