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InvisiYouth Introduces New Celebrity Ambassador, Actress and Disability Activist Melissa Johns

December 27, 2017

InvisiYouth Charity is excited to announce its newest Celebrity Ambassador, British actress and disability activist Melissa Johns.  Best known for her role of Sade in BBC’s The Interceptor and most recent role of Imogen Pascoe on ITV’s Coronation Street, Melissa has been able to show her talents across England, and her star keeps on rising.

From Herefordshire, England, Melissa is a change-maker, and the entire team at InvisiYouth Charity feels so honored to have her support and enthusiasm to join our community and give back to the older youth population living with health struggles and disabilities.

Melissa was born without her right hand and forearm, and while having a limb difference has brought many challenges, but it has also made Melissa a strong advocate through her acting. Breaking barriers and owning one’s uniqueness is part of Melissa’s mission.

She attended East 15 Acting School in London as one of a few actors with a disability accepted, won the prestigious Laurence Olivier Award as one of the first physically disabled actors, and has appeared on numerous theatre shows across the UK and TV series.

What makes Melissa stand out to the InvisiYouth team is her passion to use her platform from her acting career to give back others living with a disability. With a fellow Coronation Street actor, Cherylee Houston, Melissa co-founded TripleC, a disability-led organization in England that uses drama and theatre workshops to enhance the lives of people living with disabilities.

Melissa is so passionate about giving back, motivating others and bringing change, so her enthusiasm to join the InvisiYouth family means the world.

“Becoming an ambassador for InvisiYouth is an incredible honour,” Johns said. “To work with a charity that advocate for teens & young adults with chronic illnesses/disabilities as well as provide programmes/events that support independence and empowerment means the world to me. I’ll certainly do all I can to help these incredible individuals be anything but invisible.”

From her role of Imogen on Coronation Street and her disability activism work, Melissa was recognized by the JCI UK Ten Outstanding Young Persons Award for breaking the mold and getting people with disabilities positively shown on stage and screen.

And she’ll even be working with modelling organizations to motivate change on positive body image for those with physical disabilities.

Having Melissa Johns as a Celebrity Ambassador is something InvisiYouth Charity is so proud of because Melissa extends her mission to inspire other with limb differences.

“Use what makes you different,” Johns said.  “Magnify it. Glorify it and use it to make the changes that you want to see.”

She is such a strong, proud advocate for this community, and we’re thrilled that Melissa will now be able to motivate older youth with all types of disabilities and chronic illnesses, as our new InvisiYouth Celebrity Ambassador.

Her ability to inspire and shatter the stereotypes surrounding disability is amazing and we cannot wait to work more with Melissa in InvisiYouth’s work and help young adults navigate their life and feel empowered with health struggles or disabilities.