Karen Willis is a disability rights activist, self-published author of her book My Life Journey With Autism. Karen is the current Vice President of Montgomery Pride United and the current state president of People First of Alabama. She is 28 years old and currently lives near Montgomery, AL with two dogs (one of which is her service dog in training).check this out
Text from Video
My name’s Karen Willis. I’m 28. I live in Montgomery, Alabama. I’m a disability rights activist.
Also the state president of People First of Alabama and I’m an adult with autism.
It would definitely be when I was in the public school system, especially in the fourth grade, my teacher would call me not so nice names and almost encouraged a male student to punch me in the face. But, and my parents had to fight hard to give me the best education in the school system, but it wasn’t until after the fourth grade that they decided to pull me out of the school system. And my mom started to homeschool me, which was the best decision they’ve made.
The ADA has made it possible for me to have my service dog in training Astro to go wherever I go in public. And there’s more work that I think that can be done to help improve the ADA even more.
I believe there’s more work that needs to be done, especially in the present times things. Likely, our fight’s only begun people with disabilities.
I think they deserve to have the right to get married to the person they love and to be able to keep their benefits, but also to be fully treated with respect in society. Be involved with disability rights or be involved in a self advocacy organization and definitely contact your legislators when there’s a disability rights issue that comes up in our government.
In partnership with Diana Pastora Carson, M.Ed.
Author: Beyond Awareness: Bringing Disability into Diversity Work in K-12 Schools & Communities, and children’s book Ed Roberts: Champion of Disability Rights, ADA 30th Anniversary Edition https://www.dianapastoracarson.com/store
