Back to Advocates in Disability awards programs overview

2008 Awardees: Tatyana McFadden (left), Erin Thompson (center) and Ari Ne´eman

Tatyana McFadden has come a long way since her days in a Russian orphanage. Today, she is an 18 year old honor student, a champion athlete with spina bifida, who is heading to Beijing for the Paralympics, and a tireless advocate for the inclusion of youth with disabilities in school sports. For years, Tatyana has fought her school district and then the Maryland state court for the right to practice and race with her classmates. Her advocacy has paid off: The first law in the country, the Fitness and Athletics Equity for Students with Disabilities Act, was passed in the Maryland Senate and House in April 2008. Tatyana has been called the Rosa Parks of disabilities for breaking down the walls of exclusion in scholastic sports. Tatyana is a true champion of the disability community.

Erin Thompson, 21, is a student in George Mason University´s LIFE Program, designed for students with intellectual disabilities. Because LIFE was primarily a segregated program, Erin worked toward access to the University´s classes for the general student population. Erin has testified in front of the Virginia General Assembly and the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors on community funding and awareness for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. She was instrumental in getting the term “mental retardation” changed to “intellectual disabilities” in the Virginia State code, thus leading the way to eliminating the stigma of having an intellectual disability. Erin works at the Arc of Northern Virginia, serves on the board of the Down Syndrome Association of Northern Virginia, and is a buddy director for Best Buddies of Northern Virginia.

Ari Ne´eman, 21, is a candidate for a master´s degree in public policy at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Ari is an Asperger´s autistic and has been active in the autistic culture, neurodiversity and disability rights movement for a number of years. His advocacy work started in high school with the fight to be included and have access to high level academic coursework; it has since grown to disability and education policy advocacy. Ari is the founding president of the Autistic Self Advocacy Network, a nonprofit organization of adults and youth on the autism spectrum.

Ari serves as the policy workgroup leader for the Youth Advisory Council to the National Council on Disability and the public policy chair for the New Jersey Coalition for Inclusive Education.