He knows firsthand about the cultural stigma toward people with disabilities. As a result of his experiences, he became a strong advocate for inclusion when he was a student at the University of California, Berkeley. Wangeman said the most significant barrier for people with disabilities is the attitude of others. When the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)<\/a> was passed in 1990, the University of California already had more inclusive laws than what the ADA mandated for the rest of the nation. Wangeman\u2019s background at Berkeley and experiences with cerebral palsy inspired him to keep pushing for more improvement, and he\u2019s still working to expand inclusion and accessibility to this day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI really think the ADA is a great civil rights law, and it has put disability on the map in this country. But for people with significant disabilities, the ADA has not done that much in the grand scheme. Employment is a great example,\u201d Wangeman said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Wangeman isn\u2019t just speaking theoretically. He brings his personal perspective to the classroom as well. After Berkeley, he moved to Phoenix and became integral in creating a new program\u2014funded by a grant from the IHD\u2014with Assistant Clinical Professor Katherine Mahosky. Wangeman knew this was an opportunity to advance public understanding of social identities and the strengths of the disability community. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhen I moved to Phoenix, I got on the Arizona Developmental Disabilities Planning Council<\/a>. And Richard Carroll<\/a>, the director of the IHD at that time, said he was writing a grant. They obviously got the money. And then I started working for the IHD. I was also on the IHD board and developed a five-year plan for what the IHD will be focusing its goals on,\u201d Wangeman said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Although it takes time to develop initiatives, Wangeman has demonstrated time and time again there is no limit to what one can achieve through resilience and persistence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI really want my students to be advocates for people with disabilities, and I really believe we can make a society that values all people,\u201d Wangeman said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Notable alumnus\u00a0Alexander Davenport<\/a>\u00a0continues to work closely with the IHD to create data on the program. Davenport is leading his own way as the founder and executive director of the Northern Arizona Adaptive Sports Association.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Contributions from Wangeman are life-changing, especially for students to have access to the education they wish to pursue. Difference matters and ability matters, and NAU is becoming a catalyst for exemplifying what can<\/em> be done instead of what can\u2019t<\/em> be done with intersectional learning spaces. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I really want my students to be advocates for people with disabilities and I really believe we can make a society that values all people.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n In 2020, the IHD was awarded a five-year, approximately $2.5 million grant from the United States Department of Education, Transition, and Postsecondary Programs for Students with Intellectual Disabilities<\/a> (TPSID) to develop and implement a radically-inclusive support and coaching program for students with intellectual disabilities to attend post-secondary educational institutions throughout northern Arizona.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/398\/2021\/10\/58A8103IHDDisStudies03132018-1024x683.jpg\")
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