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In 2016, Betty Williams received the Champions of Equal Opportunity Award from the National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities. Betty received the award for her leadership in promoting voting rights, serving on committees…

"I'm going to need to go to a college with a very highly rated psychology department." James Martin Cousins, who has autism, was a sophomore at a charter high school in Indianapolis when he was interviewed in 2011. He described his central role in…

This is a photograph of Jennifer Patterson (right) and her mother Dixie. Jennifer is shown in the first apartment she lived in on her own, in Bloomington, Indiana. The photo was taken on July 2, 2000.

"He slammed the paper on the principal's table and he says 'Don't tell me that this child is retarded - look at what she's done.'" As a child in Hammond, Indiana, Andrea Pepler-Murray had been placed in segregated special education classes. It took…

In 1991, Darcus Nims traveled to Washington D.C. to receive the national Victorian Award for Achievement from President George H. Bush, for overcoming overwhelming challenges in her life. She had lunch at the White House and it was "the first time I…

"I bought a three bedroom house. And it's just me and I have a dog, and that's very exciting." Norman talks about his dream to own his own home, getting the help he needed and taking 15 classes on homeownership to prove he was credit-worthy. Norman…

"When Mark left high school there was no plan," recalls his father. Mark Hublar went to work at a sheltered workshop. Today he is a motivational speaker who is asked to address audiences around the U.S. In these video interview excerpts, Mark and his…

Mark J. Hublar of New Albany, Indiana in 2014, when he began his studies at Jefferson Community & Technical College in Louisville, Kentucky. Hublar graduated the college on May 9, 2016. He grew up in New Albany and graduated New Albany High School in…

Richmond, Indiana native Betty Williams was appointed to the President’s Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities in 2014. She served as President of both the national organization Self-Advocates Becoming Empowered and of the statewide…

This is a school photo of Betty Louise Williams (1959-2018) in 1974, during her time in junior high school. Betty grew up in Richmond, Indiana in the 1960s and 70s. She became a leader in the self-advocacy movement, serving as president of both…