The Annual Florida Youth Leadership Forum (YLF) is a special leadership training program for students with disabilities ages 15 to 21. It is run by the Florida Independent Living Council (FILC) every July. Students from across Florida attend as delegates at the state capital. At YLF, delegates build confidence and learn how to speak up for themselves. They also learn about the history of the disability movement and find out how to get help from community resources that support independence. YLF helps students get ready for jobs and lets them explore different career paths. In 2025, Disability Rights Florida (DRF) sponsored the event and gave a presentation to 35 youth with disabilities about their voting rights. DRF helped the students create mock bills and run a practice legislative session, where they experienced how laws are made. DRF also worked with the Leon County Supervisor of Elections to offer a mock election using the county’s accessible voting equipment. Thanks to DRF’s involvement, several students signed up to be poll workers or registered to vote.
