Forbes StaffSteven McCoy has earned a spot on the Forbes 40 Under 40 list, this inspirational figure is a testament to his dedication as the world’s first black DeafBlind journalist, entrepreneur and advocate. His nonprofit organization, Spoken Heroes, is at the forefront of his mission to bridge the gap between the able-bodies and disability community, providing trainings that specializes in self-advocacy, accessibility, assistive technology, communication, and workforce readiness, through the art of storytelling in hope to build a stronger and cohesive community for all. Through Spoken Heroes, McCoy continues to achieve his goal in raising the percentage of disability employment. We had the opportunity to speak with McCoy about his journey, current projects, and future aspirations.
When discussing the importance of safeguarding one’s vision, McCoy emphasized, “As an entrepreneur, I’ve learned it is paramount that you’re careful about placing your vision in the hands of others, that alone can cause blindness (laughs). As a businessman, but a human being first, I got lost in sacrificing a lot of myself to help others that truly was just self-serving. I begun to realize that my dreams were being used to manipulate for personal gain. I basically became a product of Tokenism. It’s a real thing, and once they’ve used up what they can get, they hop on the next train. It’s so important to set boundaries, for not only your business, but for yourself. I rely on God’s discernment to guide me. I prayed to God to remove anyone out of my circle that does not belong, and they absolutely disappeared. I trust in the answers of my prayers, I dared not to question the disappearing acts. I’ve made peace with what my spirit already known—the signs are always there, and wise not to ignore. However, I’ve found greater understanding through my disappointments. It not only made me a stronger person, but a sharper businessman. I work from the heart, and I don’t care of the famous shareholders primacy “well that’s just how business works.”. Were so used to seeing negativity being glorified, that people sacrifice their morals and values for the monetary gains. I don’t believe we need to conform to that mindset. My success was gradual and took longer because I did it my way. God made room for me to create more intentional circles, circles of true alignment, and that filled my soul with joy. Can’t be mad at that right? (laughs). My vision has a lot more clarity in so many ways—for that, I’m extremely grateful!
As he looks to the future, McCoy is enthusiastic about the growth of Spoken Heroes. “As we celebrate the one-year anniversary of Spoken Heroes, in January, we’re excited to announce our new office in Florida in partnership with the Blind Canvas Project and Ora Clinical. Our journey is just beginning, and we’re so happy to be participating in the 2025 Art Basel in Miami, as we showcase the amazing talents of our community. Yay!” he shared.
In addition to his nonprofit work, McCoy is also a writer for Able News, where he shines the spotlight on stories that often go unnoticed when pertaining to the disability community. “Writing for Able News allows me to amplify voices and issues that matter. As a Journalist, other outlets only pick up part of the covered story, if I interviewed a sponsor on the red carpet, they didn’t care to run the story, only one’s attached to a famous figure only, I charge it to the game, and put my thinking cap on, how will we ever move forward if we never hear of the good that is being done in the world, even the bad that gets overlooked for that matter? Good isn’t always being done by those who are popular, and bad shouldn’t always be glorified because it’s coming from your favorite star. It’s important to create spaces where everyone can be heard,” he noted.
Reflecting on the highlights of 2024, McCoy shared, “There have been so many amazing moments this year. Launching my 501(c)(3) tax exempt nonprofit Spoken Heroes and having a successful pilot and summer program was a significant milestone. Partnering with the state of New Jersey, starting this fall to ensure our programs remains operational, the state sees the need for our work. I had successful campaigns with The U.S Vote Foundation, the “YES” Campaign, to empower voters with disabilities to navigate barriers to the ballot box. Joining forces with Lifestyle Icon Kerri Rosenthal to promote early voting through the “Vote Love” Campaign well as launching US Vote’s summertime “Whatever Floats Your Vote”Campaign. The percentage of those with disabilities has risen tremendously, and we are so happy about that, we want those to know your vote counts too!” he said.
Another highlight was becoming a Film Consultant for two animation films to ensure authentic representation of disabilities. Being honored with the Spangenberg-Chappell Memorial Award at the 2024 Disability Impact Awards with Disability Belongs truly touches my heart because I see the change in the world that my community and I have been able to contribute change to. As someone who has hidden my disability for years, believing I didn’t have a space here in life, the strength and resilience I’ve gained and having to create that space makes me proud of myself. I would not have been able to do it without the support of my community, my family, friends, and God first and foremost.”
McCoy also experienced a unique opportunity this year by walking the runway during NYFW as a model for Runway of Dreams, showcasing his work with major brands like Target, Zappos, and Billy’s Footwear. “It was an incredible experience to model for such inclusive brands. You can catch an exclusive behind-the-scenes look on ‘The Advocates With Sonia Baghdady,’ which airs on the ABC Localish network and is available across various streaming platforms such as Hulu, YouTube TV, Fubo, Vidgo, Tubi, Samsung TV Plus, Amazon’s news apps on Fire TV and Alexa video-enabled devices, Prime Video, Freevee, Xumo, Rockbot, and ABC.com,” he added.
Looking to 2025, McCoy, there are no holds on this gentlemen’s calendar as he’ll be a keynote speaker at the USH2025 International Symposium in Nijmegen, The Netherlands and the 2025 Disability & The Church conference in Washington, DC. McCoy also promises on behalf of his Foundation Foundations Fighting Blindness team to deliver the best “Taste for Sight” and “Night for Sight” events. He says “It keeps getting better each and every year, we’ve been trying out new things, and building a stronger committee and we’re very excited for what we have planned in 2025!”
In addition, the Lions Club International member himself has teamed up Fox Family Foundation and will co-produce and co-host “Innovating Inclusion,” a podcast featuring interviews with leaders in accessibility, philanthropy, and technology. They’ll be also launching the InVisions program to encourage students to explore entrepreneurship and universal design. McCoy will also be releasing a book, published by award-winning The American Printing House (APH). “It was important to me that I publish with APH because of their longstanding commitments since 1858, to accessibility and inclusivity. Now moving into 2025 it makes me proud that my story will be in libraries and classrooms for people to read and educate themselves through my journey., it’s surreal.” he says.
McCoy continues to celebrate his role as the Board Director for the Usher Syndrome Coalition as they’ve just made a huge announcement, announcing their partnership with Sepul Bio to support clinical trial enrollment for a potential therapy, ultevursen, for USH2A-mediated retinitis pigmentosa. “I am always truly speechless when I see us moving forward and closer to treatment, the hard work of our team is truly paying off, and I’m just so touched to witness this potential therapy stopping the progression of vision loss in individuals with Usher syndrome type 2A, which I have, to mutations in exon 13 of the USH2A gene. On behalf of the team we deeply thank our USH Visionaries, and overall community for truly supporting us in advancing research.”
As McCoy continues to break barriers and inspire others, his commitment to advocacy and community remains strong. “There have been so many amazing moments this year, and I look forward to what the future holds,” he concluded. With a clear vision and a determined spirit, McCoy is not just a name on a list; he is a source of inspiration for many around the word, not just those with disabilities, not just those who are able bodied, not just those who are just black or white. Steven McCoy is a reigning universal and national treasure who the world should continue to support the good of his work. As he steps into 2025, the impact of his work will be felt far and beyond.
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