Yat Li (“Ya-at”)is a Hong Kong-Canadian born without ears and is Deaf and Hard of Hearing. Yat faced immense obstacles in life, living without ears and hearing. A target of bullying, Yat was often at the forefront of teasing and the center point of microaggression at school. With a bleak future, his feelings of isolation and hopelessness led him to think that this world was not meant for him. Yat preserved through challenges and discovered that self-disclosure unlocks a world of possibilities. Yat’s life experiences from childhood to the present have driven Yat to inspire kids, parents with Microtia children, or the Deaf and hard of Hearing that a congenital disability does not define them; making Yat a highly sought-after keynote speaker in North America! Thousands of people have found purpose, direction and aspiration to change through Yat’s inspirational speeches and educational coaching.
Yat is an accessibility and inclusion advocate who travels the world, speaking to thousands of senior leaders about the importance of diversity and inclusivity.
Yat is the founder of Let There Be Ears and is the previous founder of Acoustic Wear, an apparel company that inspires wearers to openly converse about hearing health through fashion.
Yat has been featured on CBC, Global News, CTV, California Connect, WorkBC, Small Business BC, Surrey Board of Trade, The Province, Ottawa Citizen, Business Wire, Tourism Vancouver Island, College of the Rockies, Xinhua, SFU, Fairchild TV, and many more. He connects with his social media following through Let There Be Ears on YouTube and engages through webinars.
Husband to his beautiful wife Angela and a recent parent of a new furry friend, Snow, Yat’s passion is to remove the stigma from hiring people with disabilities and inspire people to overcome every visible or invisible disability.
