UMSL Office of Inclusive Postsecondary Education faculty, staff and students traveled to Jefferson City to participate Disability Rights Legislative Day late last month. The group met with Senator Brian Williams and included (from left) Sarah Mosby, OIPE transition coordinator; Nathan Frick, OIPE intern; Javion Moore, OIPE student; Cooper Howard, OIPE student; Jaylin Brown, OIPE student, Magen Rooey-Kron, assistant professor of inclusive education; and Henry Orahood, OIPE student. (Photo courtesy of Magen Rooney-Kron)
More than 1,000 people gathered at the Missouri State Capitol in Jefferson City late last month to participate in the 25th annual Disability Rights Legislative Day.
The crowd included Missourians with disabilities, their friends and families, advocates and educators. Among that number was a delegation from the Office of Inclusive Postsecondary Education at the University of Missouri–St. Louis. The group included four UMSL OIPE faculty and staff members and seven students.
The annual event is hosted by the Missouri Developmental Disabilities Council, and it’s an opportunity for people with disabilities to make their voices heard and bring awareness to issues impacting people with disabilities.
“There’s a big rally where speakers talk about important legislation, and then they encourage and train everybody on how to set up meetings with their reps,” said Magen Rooney-Kron, assistant professor of inclusive education at UMSL. “The whole goal of the day is to advocate for disability rights.”
The UMSL College of Education has been a trailblazer in postsecondary education for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities since the founding of the Succeed Program in 2013. Over the past decade, it’s been a model for other programs across the country. It’s also grown to encompass the Succeed, Succeed Plus and Link programs, which help students develop academic, living and vocational skills as they work toward a two-year Chancellor’s Certificate, credentials or a degree program of their choice. The programs prioritize autonomy and encourage self-determination, including participation in events like Disability Rights Legislative Day.
During the daylong trip, students met with Senator Brian Williams and Representatives Ray Reed and Melanie Stinnett. The UMSL group included Jaylin Brown, a Succeed Plus student who has become a seasoned advocate.
The UMSL delegation spoke with Representative Melanie Stinnett (center), who has consistently worked to support disability rights during her time in Jefferson City. (Photo courtesy of Aina Ferris)
Brown has traveled to Jefferson City to meet with legislators previously, and last spring, he went to Washington D.C. for three days to take part in advocacy and policy training on a variety of disability-related issues, with a focus on inclusive postsecondary education. The trip culminated with one-on-one meetings with Missouri legislators and their staff on Capitol Hill, including Senator Eric Schmitt.
“The reason why I like advocating is to make a difference in disabled people’s lives,” Brown said.
Javion Moore and Leah Beilman, students in the Succeed Program, focused on education issues when they met with legislators.
“I thought it was important to use my voice to raise concerns about making education more accessible to people with disabilities,” Moore said.
Beilman concurred.
“I want to advocate for myself and to have more money for more students to come to our program and watch it grow,” she said.
Brown is also passionate about fair employment and pay for people with disabilities and discussed his opposition to the practice of sheltered workshops during the trip. He believes everyone should be free to pursue their career ambitions, and people with disabilities should not be relegated to menial part-time work.
“We should be able to be teachers or run for office,” he said.
Moore seconded the sentiment. “We’re smart and intelligent, and we’re capable of doing anything anybody else can do,” he said.
Rooney-Kron said the group was particularly excited to speak with Stinnett, who has been a champion of disability rights. Currently, she’s working to pass legislation that would create dedicated funding for disability services through the Missouri Department of Mental Health. This year’s event felt especially meaningful as programs across the country face funding challenges.
“It was really important this year for students to go and demonstrate the importance of higher education for kids with disabilities and highlight how capable they are and what they want,” Rooney-Kron said. “They want to go to go to college. They want to work.”
The students plan to continue speaking for their community in hopes of creating a brighter future for the next generation. They also plan to meet monthly with leaders from TASH, a national leader in disability advocacy, to further develop their leadership skills.
“Everyone needs to be treated equally,” Brown said. “The more we advocate for disability rights, the more accessible we make things for people with disabilities.”
