Kevan Chandler invests his life in advancing the idea that all human beings have inherent value. Kevan also addresses disability issues, especially focusing on the crossroads of accessibility and friendship.

Kevan grew up in the foothills of North Carolina with his parents and two siblings. He was the second of their kids to be diagnosed with Spinal Muscular Atrophy, a rare neuromuscular disease. He has a Bachelor’s of Arts in Counseling from John Wesley College, which he has used to serve in prison ministries around the southeast United States.

In the summer of 2016, Kevan and his friends took a trip across Europe. Leaving his wheelchair at home, his friends carried him for three weeks in a specially designed backpack. Two years later, this same group of friends traveled together in China, visiting orphanages and enjoying their unique sense of accessibility with Kevan in the backpack.  

An avid storyteller, Kevan is the author of five books, including a memoir of these trips, entitled We Carry Kevan. He speaks worldwide about his unique life with a disability and the community around him. He is also the founder of We Carry Kevan, Inc., a nonprofit striving to redefine accessibility as a cooperative effort. The custom backpack Kevan used on his trips is now produced and distributed by the nonprofit to families all over the world, with whom the team then stays connected to encourage and further engage in the disability conversation.