In February 2019, Governor Albert Bryan Jr. announced longtime disability rights advocate Julien Henley as Territorial Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Coordinator.

Mr. Henley has served as an advocate at the Virgin Islands Disability Rights Center and a chairperson for the State Rehabilitation Council. He has an ADA certificate of completion for Cornel University/ Northeast ADA. As a former radio host, he and others provide information and education on DRCVI initiatives and advocate the needs of Virgin Islanders with disabilities. He still frequents radio shows in his capacity as ADA Coordinator.

Aside from volunteering on the advocacy committee with the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) Virgin Islands, Mr. Henley has also served on the Board for the Virgin Islands University Center of Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (VIUCEDD), and the Workforce Investment Board. The Governor’s ADA Coordinator’s vision is for a Barrier-Free Territory, with a mission to provide equal access to all Virgin Islanders and visitors, sharing the understanding that each person has different needs and each disability should be accommodated by everyone. 

As a differently-abled individual himself, this more than just a role for our ADA Coordinator—he lives, breathes, and sleeps it.  His hope is to inform and empower through education and opportunities to grow. Inside and outside of his role, he continues to push for a more accessible Virgin Islands for all. 

“Everyone needs to know what their rights are and be motivated to act on them.” – Julien E. Henley, Sr.