2009 40 Under 40 Honoree: Katheryne Staeger-Wilson

Katheryne Staeger-Wilson is a woman on a mission.

The director of disability services at Missouri State University, Staeger-Wilson is at the forefront of a paradigm shift in the field of disability.

"We are in the process of reframing disability from a negative medical malady to a positive individual difference and promoting disability pride through universal design," she says.

In 2005, Staeger-Wilson was one of 16 individuals selected to help the international Association on Higher Education and Disability embrace the universal design philosophy, which calls for products and environments to be usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized design. Universal design goes beyond the legally mandated minimum standards for accessibility to create environments that benefit people of all abilities and all ages.

"This philosophy shows that it is not the person with the disability who has limitations, but it is the design of our programs, policies, procedures and our environments that have limitations," Staeger-Wilson says. "The limitations do not reside in the individual but in our society, how we perceive disability and how we design things."

Staeger-Wilson's efforts are having an impact at MSU, where she has educated departments on universal design and disability issues. At MSU, she has worked directly with architects for the school's planned recreation center.

"This building will be proactively built with areas and space that will be usable for everyone," she says. "The programs and services, even down to the workout equipment, will be adaptable to meet everyone's needs, no matter their age, size or ability."

Changes Staeger-Wilson have made at MSU are being duplicated by her colleagues at other college campuses. She has also empowered students with disabilities to re-evaluate their perceptions of themselves and to advocate on their own behalf.

Last year, she helped line up co-sponsors for proposed legislation, HB 2459, addressing universal design in affordable housing. Although the measure did not pass, she is hopeful a similar bill will pass next year.

Staeger-Wilson serves on the Missouri Statewide Independent Living Council and the Mayor's Commission on Human Rights. She was named 2007 Educator of the Year by the Governor's Council on Disability Inclusion. She also serves on the board of Missouri Protection and Advocacy Services, which is federally mandated to protect the rights of persons with disabilities through advocacy.