A Tribute to Carissa Decelles
by Elanah Sherman, Avalonia Board Member
When I contacted Carissa Decelles in 2022 to ask if she would speak at the Cedar Wood Preserve dedication in Norwich on November 19 of that year, she did not hesitate to say ‘yes.’
This was in character, for ‘yes’ was the motivating force and singular theme of Carissa’s life.
Born with a form of muscular dystrophy that neither restrained nor limited her, Carissa brought joy, determination, and talent to a life drastically and unimaginably cut short by a vehicle accident.
As a child advocate at five or six years old, she participated in a successful effort to build the first accessible playground in Connecticut, advising on features and activities. According to her obituary, linked below, Carissa (still a child) “served consecutive terms as Muscular Dystrophy Association Connecticut Goodwill Ambassador (2002-2003).” As an adult, she continued the advocacy she honed as a child to tirelessly support the disability rights movement in Connecticut.
Growing up, Carissa explored and cultivated her artistic talent, graduating from UConn with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Communication Design. She worked several years for Miranda Creative in Norwich before leaving to start her own business. She was active in the Creative Directors Club, serving as President at the time of her death. On the Club’s contact page, her own information was followed by a picture and email address for her service dog, Ren, to whom she was devoted.
And she was stylish, very, very stylish, with a sense of chic befitting a successful design professional.
Carissa and I worked together several times over the past few years. She served on two panels I organized on disability law and employment. She spoke at that 2022 Cedar Wood dedication, addressing the importance of outdoor accessibility and the potential of Cedar Wood’s meadow area to offer a unique experience to outdoor lovers with disabilities. You can read her opening remarks HERE. We were periodically in touch on equity issues.
I turned to Carissa again by using her 2022 speech as a supporting document for a Cedar Wood accessibility grant that I submitted to the State of Connecticut on December 15, 2025. Four days later, Carissa’s life ended.
When Carissa died, she was driving her adaptive van. Of course, she was. Her life and its direction belonged to her in every way. Buoyed as she was by enthusiasm, flair, skill, and ambition, no one ever doubted that Carissa was going places.
Carissa Decelles
March 19, 1991 – December 18, 2025
To learn more about Carissa, see the links below.
Cedar Wood Preserve in Norwich Offers People with Disabilities Access to Nature