Cosplay for All: Meet Gaby_cosplay

“That’s what I want to do, I want those disabled children who never get representation, especially little girls but little boys, too, to be able to feel seen and to know there’s absolutely nothing to be ashamed of. You can still be a princess, or a superhero, or a fairy if you want to be, it doesn’t change anything.”

How Gaby_cosplay Shows Anyone Can Be Whoever They Want To Be

If you haven’t followed gaby_cosplay on…well, everywhere, really, you’re missing out.

Even if you’re not into cosplay.

Even if you couldn’t name an anime movie if your life depended on it.

And even if you think you have no interest or stake or sewing, costume design or the amazing things that happen when skill, dedication, craftsmanship, and passion meet a modern day creative force.

Gaby, 30, has been creating costumes and has been an avid cosplayer for 10 years, mostly with her best friend, Momo (@momo_cos95 on Instagram).

By day a social worker who works with disabled children, Gaby – alongside Momo – have dressed up as and created content for just about any character in any genre imaginable.

Gaby is also an ambulatory wheelchair user, meaning though she is not paralyzed and can walk, her inflammatory arthritis limits her ability to do so for very long. On bad days, the pain can feel as though both her knees are fractured.

This partly inspired a recent encore of Gaby’s wildly popular social media series in which she posed as Disney princesses with disabilities. In a gown created by HolyClothing, Gaby played Ariel as a disability icon. In a way, this makes sense since in the story’s original telling Ariel does get legs in exchange for her voice but felt like she was stepping on knives with every step.

Gaby was formally diagnosed with Hashimoto’s disease in December of 2025, but has been living with illness for nearly five years. Severe arthritis is a common co-condition of Hashimoto’s disease and ever since Gaby has needed mobility assistance devices she has been a powerful and influential voice for people with disabilities, though not quite on purpose.

“I feel like once I started with my mobility aid there was no turning back,” Gaby said.

To her surprise, her first posts using mobility devices were met with an outpouring of gratitude and support.

“Overall the people were so nice,” Gaby said. “A lot of people were saying that they themselves were experiencing a lot of shame when it comes to their disability so to feel represented was really important to them.”

Sometimes Gaby will even opt to pose a photograph with her mobility aid even if the shot could work with her just sitting down on a regular seat just to ensure other disabled people are still given representation.

“I feel like it’s just a big way to reach as many people as we can,” Gaby said.

Gaby is particularly touched by the mothers of children with disabilities, who often tell her that they show Gaby’s photos to their kids. The kids inevitably appreciate seeing someone like them in such cool costumes and settings.

“That’s what I want to do, I want those disabled children who never get representation, especially little girls but little boys, too, to be able to feel seen and to know there’s absolutely nothing to be ashamed of,” Gaby said. “You can still be a princess, or a superhero, or a fairy if you want to be, it doesn’t change anything.”

So for the past five years, Gaby has built an incredible following of supporters in the cosplay and disability communities (and anyone who just appreciates good stagecraft, really). She’s created and given workshops on how to pose with or in a wheelchair, posted humorous takes on answering common questions from non-disabled people and gives excellent cosplay creation and styling tips that are useful for anyone in the cosplay community, regardless of their ability.

For Gaby creating costumes and content is a perfect intersection of many passions.

First there’s making the costumes, especially the sewing. Gaby learned to sew from her mother, who would sew all Gaby and her siblings’ clothes when she was younger. Sewing is an important bonding activity for the mother and daughter and to this day her mom comes over to sew with her once a week.

Then there’s the theater and acting and set design. Having studied cinema in college after being a theater kid in high school, it’s no surprise this is another aspect of cosplay Gaby loves.

And of course, there’s the actual community of her friends, loved ones and fellow con-goers.

“At the end of the day what I like the most is we’re just a whole bunch of nerds geeking out and going to conventions,” Gaby said.

A self-proclaimed extrovert, Gaby loves meeting her fans, new people and generally engaging with the creative, fun and vibrant community. Since many of her cosplay videos and photos are created with and feature her best friend and significant other, its also a fun way to enjoy her closest relationships.

And no genre, character, setting or story is off limits. Gaby, also a history and mythology nerd, even convinced her best friend to play Athena so she could create her personal cosplay masterpiece, Medusa. The costume, exquisitely detailed with a dark elegance, featured a 15-pound headpiece of writhing snakes. .

“I’m proud of all my costumes; they’re all my babies and I’ve spent so much time on each and every one of them, but this one had such a strong, feminist meaning to it so it’s probably the one that to this day I’m still the most proud of,” Gaby said.

Though she loves the impact she has on people and is proud of the mastery of her craft, Gaby admits that being an online presence has its dark side, too. She’s had her fair share of bullying and the casual cruelty wielded by keyboard warriors.

“I’m not going to sugarcoat it, people are going to mean,” Gaby said.

Her advice to anyone else who wants to create an online presence – advice she takes herself – is to not be afraid to take a break or simply silence the noise when necessary.

“Sometimes I have to remind myself I don’t have to go through this if I don’t want to,” Gaby said. “If it gets to a point where it affects your mental health, feel free to step back, feel free to block the comments section and remove the option for people to comment.”

For now, though, Gaby hasn’t let online toxicity stop her from sharing her sewing skills and creative life online.

And, Gaby has plenty of other interests, too.

“I’m a big nerd,” Gaby said.

She loves reading manga and delving into her passion for history by accumulating what she calls “unnecessary historical facts” that she happily pesters her friends with “all day every day.”

Gaby also loves to cook and bake, though she concedes that “being disabled, the things that I can do are pretty limited, but I try to do activities that I can do at home that I can do from the comfort of the first floor of my house.”

But most of her time is taken up with sewing and creating. Something everyone can appreciate and we are all grateful for, regardless of ability level.

ABOUT BRAIN INJURY ASSOCIATION OF ARIZONA

The Brain Injury Association of Arizona (BIAAZ) is the only statewide nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of adults and children with all types of brain injuries through prevention, advocacy, awareness and education. BIAAZ also houses the Arizona Brain Health Resource Center, a collection of educational information and neuro-specific resources for brain injury survivors, caregivers, family members and professionals.

What began in 1983 as a grassroots effort has grown into a strong statewide presence, providing valuable life-long resources and community support for individuals with all types of brain trauma at no charge.