We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Melissa DiVietri a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Melissa, appreciate you joining us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

The most meaningful project I have worked on is Blue Entity, the accessibility technology company I created from my own lived experience as a uniquely abled woman navigating a world that is not always designed with people like me in mind.

I was born with a physical disability and have used mobility devices throughout my life, including forearm crutches, a wheelchair, and a scooter. I have traveled internationally, built businesses, created art, published children’s books, spoken on stages, and continued to show up fully in the world. But behind those accomplishments is the reality that accessibility barriers are everywhere. A heavy door, an inaccessible website, a missing ramp, a form that cannot be navigated properly, or a business that does not understand accommodation can turn an ordinary day into an exhausting experience.

Blue Entity was born from that reality. I wanted to create something that could help businesses better understand access while giving individuals more support when engaging online. The project focuses on digital accessibility through tools that help improve how people interact with websites, including options related to readability, contrast, communication, and navigation. For me, it is not simply about technology. It is about dignity, independence, and making sure people are not excluded from opportunities because the world failed to consider their needs.

What makes this project especially meaningful is that it brings together every part of my life: my disability, my advocacy, my creativity, my business experience, and my purpose. For many years, I have used abstract art and storytelling to help people feel seen. I have written children’s books about service animals and disability etiquette because I believe inclusion starts with education and kindness. With Blue Entity, I am now taking that same mission into the business and technology space, helping build a future where access is not an afterthought.

Recently, Blue Entity received a $4,000 milestone grant through Lean Rocket Lab’s Sales & Marketing Accelerator, which was an emotional moment for me. It affirmed that my lived experience is valuable, that my voice belongs in innovation spaces, and that a disability-led company can create meaningful change. I have also had opportunities to speak with community members, investors, and organizations about why accessibility matters, not only as a requirement, but as a human responsibility.

This project means so much to me because I know what it feels like to have to fight for access. I also know what it feels like when someone makes room for you, listens to you, and recognizes your value. Blue Entity is my way of turning barriers into solutions and pain into purpose. I want people with disabilities to know that their experiences matter, their needs deserve consideration, and their unique abilities can become the very foundation for changing the world. 💙

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your background and context?

My name is Melissa DiVietri, and I am a uniquely abled abstract artist, author, speaker, accessibility advocate, consultant, and the founder of Blue Entity, an accessibility technology company. I was born with a rare congenital condition called sacral agenesis, which affects the development of the lower spine. I use mobility devices, including forearm crutches, a wheelchair, and a scooter, depending on the environment and what my body needs that day.

I have never wanted my life to be defined only by a diagnosis or by the barriers I have experienced. Sacral agenesis is part of my story, but it is not the whole story. I am also a woman who loves bold color, meaningful conversations, traveling, creating, building businesses, and helping other people recognize their value. Much of my work has grown from the understanding that being different is not something to hide from. It can become the very thing that gives you a stronger voice, a deeper sense of empathy, and a powerful purpose.

Art became my way of processing life and making something beautiful from emotions that were not always easy to carry. My abstract artwork is colorful, expressive, layered, and full of movement. When I paint, I am not trying to create something perfect. I am trying to create something honest. My paintings hold pieces of my experiences: resilience, independence, loneliness, joy, healing, faith, courage, and the desire to continue forward even when the road has not been easy.

I create original abstract paintings, large canvas works, collectible pieces, handmade wearable art, live painting experiences, and community-based art activations. I love when artwork becomes more than something hanging on a wall. I want a painting to begin a conversation, shift someone’s energy, or help them feel understood. For me, art is emotional connection. It is a way to reach people without needing every feeling to be explained first.

Travel has also been one of the most defining parts of my life and creative perspective. I have traveled internationally for more than two decades, visiting 38 countries while navigating the world with a physical disability. I have traveled with mobility limitations, language barriers, inaccessible spaces, complicated transportation, and the reality that accessibility looks very different depending on where you are in the world.

Those experiences have changed me in ways I cannot fully separate from my art or my advocacy. I have been in places where getting from one location to another required patience, creativity, and the kindness of strangers. I have also experienced the freedom of seeing new cultures, learning how other people live, and realizing that connection does not always require the same language. Travel has shown me beauty, but it has also shown me the very real gaps in access, inclusion, and understanding for people with disabilities.

I remember traveling through Colombia and going into the mountains of Cocora with my service animal, Coco. That experience held so many realities at once: the beauty of the landscape, the excitement of exploring somewhere new, the challenges of navigating with limited mobility, and the determination required to keep going. I have traveled through unfamiliar airports, stayed in different types of accommodations, navigated cities where I had to adapt quickly, and experienced moments where people stepped in with kindness when systems were not accessible.

Traveling as a uniquely abled woman has given me a perspective that is very personal. It has taught me that independence does not always mean doing every single thing without help. Sometimes independence means knowing how to advocate for yourself, plan ahead, accept support when it is offered with dignity, and still say yes to a life that expands you. I want other people with disabilities to see that they are allowed to dream beyond the boundaries that society may place around them.

That belief is also what led me into children’s books and disability education. I am the author of “A Tale of a Service Animal,” “Un Cuento de un Animal de Servicio,” and “The ABCs of Disability Etiquette.” My books were created from a very sincere place in my heart. I believe children are capable of understanding disability, accessibility, mobility devices, and service animals when adults give them thoughtful and positive ways to learn.

Children notice differences, and I do not think the answer is teaching them to look away. I think the answer is helping them understand with kindness. Through my books, bookstore signings, library programs, community events, and conversations with families, I want children to learn that someone may move differently or require a service animal, but that person still has dreams, friendships, talents, joy, and a full life.

When a child meets me at a book signing and asks a genuine question about my wheelchair or my service animal, those moments are meaningful to me. They are opportunities to create understanding early. Inclusion does not begin when someone enters the workplace as an adult. It begins when children are taught to be compassionate, curious, and respectful toward people who may experience life differently than they do.

My advocacy comes directly from lived experience. I know what it feels like to arrive somewhere and realize I cannot easily enter. I know what it feels like to ask for an accommodation and not be taken seriously. I know what it feels like when someone makes assumptions based on mobility devices before they know anything about my intelligence, creativity, independence, or leadership.

Over time, I realized that my voice could not only be used to advocate for myself. I could also use it to help create awareness for others who may not have the same platform, visibility, or ability to speak publicly about what they are experiencing. My advocacy focuses on accessibility, disability etiquette, inclusion, representation, self-love, and creating spaces where people with disabilities are not treated as an afterthought.

My point of view as a uniquely abled woman is at the heart of my platform. I do not believe disability should only be discussed through struggle, pity, or inspiration. My life contains hard moments, but it also contains joy, humor, ambition, love, leadership, creativity, business, travel, and beauty. I want to show a fuller picture of what it means to live with a disability: not pretending barriers do not exist, but also not allowing those barriers to erase everything else we are capable of becoming.

The phrase uniquely abled is meaningful to me because it reflects how I view myself. I understand the physical limitations I live with, and I do not minimize the need for accessibility or accommodations. But I also recognize that my experiences have developed strengths in me: adaptability, emotional intelligence, empathy, creativity, endurance, and a willingness to keep showing up. My platform encourages other people to see their own differences with greater compassion and to recognize that their lived experiences can become a source of leadership and purpose.

My work has also grown into speaking and consulting around accessibility and disability awareness. I speak about inclusion, emotional intelligence, accessibility, entrepreneurship, representation, and what it means to create experiences where people feel genuinely welcomed. My TEDx talk, “Using Eyes as Opportunities to Strengthen Emotional Intelligence,” was inspired by a lifetime of being looked at because of my disability and learning how to turn those moments into opportunities for connection and understanding.

As an accessibility consultant, I help organizations think more deeply about the experiences they are creating for people with disabilities. Accessibility is not only about a ramp, a button, or a legal requirement. It is about how a person feels when they enter a space, use a service, interact with a website, attend an event, or communicate with a business. Do they feel considered? Can they participate with dignity? Are they being welcomed as a valued customer, employee, guest, or community member?

I bring my lived experience into that work, along with my background in storytelling, community engagement, business, and advocacy. I help businesses and organizations understand disability etiquette, inclusive communication, physical and digital access considerations, and the importance of involving people with disabilities in conversations about the spaces and services meant to serve them.

That same mission led me to create Blue Entity, my accessibility technology company. Blue Entity focuses on helping businesses improve digital experiences through website-based accessibility tools and education. So much of daily life now happens online: finding information, shopping, applying for opportunities, completing forms, registering for events, or connecting with services. When a website is difficult to read, confusing to navigate, or built without different user needs in mind, people can be excluded before they ever reach the physical location.

Blue Entity is personal to me because I understand what it means to encounter barriers over and over again. I also understand how meaningful it feels when someone creates access intentionally from the beginning. I want businesses to see accessibility as more than an obligation. It is an opportunity to serve people better, build trust, expand their reach, and show that inclusion is part of their values.

Receiving a $4,000 milestone grant for Blue Entity through Lean Rocket Lab’s Sales & Marketing Accelerator was a deeply meaningful moment for me. It was recognition that my experiences have business value and that disability-led ideas deserve investment. It affirmed something I already believed in my heart: the people who have experienced barriers firsthand should be part of creating better solutions.

What sets me apart is that there is no separation between my mission and my life. I do not create artwork about resilience from a distance. I live it. I do not write books about inclusion because it is simply a topic of interest. I write them because I know how much kindness and understanding matter. I do not consult on accessibility because it is a trend. I do it because access affects my daily life and the lives of millions of people who deserve to participate fully.

I am proud of my paintings, my books, my international travels, my TEDx talk, my accessibility work, and the business I am building. But the part that matters most to me is knowing that my story can help someone else feel less alone or more empowered. Maybe it is a child who learns not to be afraid of someone who looks different. Maybe it is another woman with a disability who sees that her life can still be adventurous, creative, successful, and full. Maybe it is a business owner who realizes that accessibility deserves more care and attention.

I want potential collectors, clients, families, educators, organizations, and supporters to know that my work is created from lived experience and from the heart. When someone supports my artwork, my books, my speaking, my consulting, or Blue Entity, they are supporting a larger purpose: disability visibility, inclusive education, accessibility, emotional connection, and a world where people are valued for the fullness of who they are.

I did not choose to be born with sacral agenesis, and I did not choose every obstacle that came with it. But I do choose what I build from my life. I choose to paint with boldness. I choose to travel even when it requires extra planning and courage. I choose to advocate for access. I choose to educate with compassion. I choose to create opportunities for people to feel seen.

My hope is that everything I do leaves people with a greater sense of possibility. We are all carrying something, whether it is visible or invisible. What makes us unique does not make us less worthy of opportunity, joy, connection, or success. Sometimes the parts of our lives that require the most strength become the very parts that allow us to touch the world in the most meaningful way. 💙

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

I built my audience on social media by being willing to show my life as it really is — not only the beautiful finished paintings or the exciting travel destinations, but also the behind-the-scenes reality of navigating the world as a uniquely abled woman.

I was born with sacral agenesis, a rare congenital condition that affects the lower spine, and I use mobility devices to navigate daily life. For years, I realized that people might see my wheelchair, my forearm crutches, or my scooter, but they did not always understand the full person behind them. Social media gave me a way to share my perspective in my own voice and on my own terms.

A major part of my content has been created through point-of-view cameras and reaction cameras. I use them to document a day in the life of a uniquely abled person — traveling through airports, navigating cities and events, painting, running my businesses, attending community experiences, and simply moving through everyday environments that may or may not be accessible. The reaction-camera perspective is also powerful because it captures the way the public responds to someone who moves differently through the world. Some moments are beautiful and encouraging; other moments reveal how much education and awareness are still needed.

Travel has been one of the most meaningful parts of building my platform. I have traveled to 38 countries over more than two decades, and I have shared pieces of what it is like to explore the world with a physical disability. There is a very real side of traveling uniquely abled: arranging mobility support, dealing with accessibility barriers, adapting to unfamiliar environments, and sometimes needing the kindness of strangers. But there is also freedom, culture, joy, beauty, and the confidence that comes from refusing to let other people’s limitations define your life.

My art has always been woven into that journey. My paintings are colorful, emotional, and expressive because they carry the energy of what I experience. Social media has allowed people to not only see the artwork, but also understand the woman and the story behind it. They can see me creating, traveling, advocating, speaking, writing books, and turning experiences into something that helps other people feel less alone.

As my platform grew, I began hearing from more people with disabilities, parents, families, educators, and advocates who told me that my content made them feel seen or helped them understand disability in a different way. That has been one of the greatest gifts of social media for me. The disability community is incredibly large and diverse, yet so many people still feel underrepresented, misunderstood, or overlooked. When I share my everyday life honestly, I am not only sharing my own story; I am also making room for other uniquely abled people to see possibility in their own lives.

I am also a computer engineer, so I approach social media with both creativity and strategy. Behind the colorful content, travel videos, artwork, and advocacy is a lot of technical thinking. I have created workflows that help automate parts of my brands, organize content, communicate with audiences, support events, and build stronger connections across my different businesses and creative projects. I love combining technology with storytelling because it helps me make my message more consistent and allows me to reach more people without losing the personal heart behind what I do.

My audience was not built overnight. It developed through years of sharing honestly, experimenting with content, learning what resonates, showing different parts of my life, and continuing even when a post did not perform the way I hoped it would. I have shared joyful moments, frustrating access issues, artwork in progress, travel challenges, disability advocacy, business milestones, and personal reflections. The common thread is that I try to stay genuine. People can feel when something comes from a real place.

My advice to anyone beginning to build a social media presence is to be patient and experiment. It takes time to discover your voice, your audience, and the kind of content that feels true to you. Try different formats. Test videos, storytelling, behind-the-scenes moments, educational posts, point-of-view content, and personal reflections. Pay attention to what creates connection, but do not lose yourself chasing numbers.

I also believe people should not be afraid to share the parts of their story that make them different. For a long time, society has made disability feel like something that should be hidden, softened, or only discussed in certain ways. I have found the opposite to be true. The more honestly I share my perspective, the more people connect with it. My unique ability, my art, my travel, my technology background, and my advocacy are not separate pieces of my platform. Together, they are what make my voice my own.

Social media has allowed me to build more than an audience. It has helped me build a community around inclusion, creativity, accessibility, self-love, and the belief that a full life can look many different ways. My hope is that when people watch my content, they do not only see a uniquely abled woman overcoming barriers. I hope they see a woman living fully, creating boldly, building with purpose, and encouraging others to believe that they can do the same. 💙

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

My mission is **Pain Into Purpose**.

There have been moments in my life that felt heavy, isolating, and deeply unfair. For a long time, I carried experiences that could have easily made me feel smaller or more disconnected from the world. Instead, I began asking myself what I could create from them. How could I take the things that hurt me, challenged me, or made me feel different and turn them into something that might help another person keep going?

That is where my creative journey truly comes from.

When I create, I am not pretending pain does not exist. I am giving it somewhere to go. I am taking emotions that may be difficult to explain and allowing them to become color, movement, expression, conversation, and connection. Creativity has taught me that something beautiful can still come from the chapters of our lives that once felt impossible to understand.

**Pain Into Purpose** is not about being positive every second or covering up the difficult parts of life. It is about being honest enough to feel what we have gone through, and brave enough to decide that it will not be the end of our story. Pain can either remain something we carry silently, or it can become the reason we reach back, speak up, create change, and remind someone else that they are not alone.

I want my journey to encourage people who may feel unseen, misunderstood, different, or exhausted from constantly having to be strong. I want them to know that they do not have to have everything figured out in order to begin again. Their wounds do not make them less worthy. Their challenges do not erase their gifts. Sometimes the most meaningful purpose is born from the very experiences we never would have chosen for ourselves.

Everything I create is a reflection of that belief. I create because I know what it feels like to need hope. I share my story because I know what it feels like to wonder whether anyone understands. I continue building this mission because I believe that when we use our voices with honesty and heart, we give other people permission to find strength in their own stories too.

My goal is not simply to be recognized for what I create. My goal is for people to feel something through it — to feel encouraged, connected, and reminded that even after hardship, there is still meaning to be made, beauty to be found, and purpose waiting on the other side of pain. 💙

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.melissadivietri.com
• Instagram: @melissadivietri
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissadivietri/
• Twitter: @melissadivietri
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@MelissaDiVietri
• Other: https://www.pinterest.com/melissadivietri/

Image Credits

Miles Young Media