A Lifetime of Learning: From college to a Career in Disability Advocacy

I’ve always known that I love to learn. That passion has taken me places I never expected and set me on a path toward making a difference in advancing disability rights.

Thriving in college

When I was in high school in Clarksville, Maryland, I knew I wanted to attend a four-year college, and I worked hard in physical therapy to master the activities of daily living I would need to live independently on campus.

Naomi at Princeton University

Educational attainment is lower for disabled people due to the many physical and attitudinal barriers in higher education. A 2025 analysis by the Bureau of Labor Statistics found that about 23% of people living with disabilities have a bachelor’s degree or higher, compared with about 42% of people without disabilities.

As a high schooler, I didn’t know many people with my diagnosis of congenital fiber type disproportion, or other neuromuscular diseases, who went away to college, so it was hard to imagine what was possible for me. Luckily, I visited a friend from MDA Summer Camp at her college, which opened my eyes to the resources available to college students with disabilities and showed me I could thrive on campus.

I applied to several colleges and was fortunate enough to be accepted to Princeton University in New Jersey. At first, I was worried about how I would navigate the campus in my wheelchair. After all, the school is older than the country itself.

I visited the campus and met with the college’s Office of Disability Services, which settled most of my nerves. I think these two steps are essential for all students with disabilities considering a specific school, because seeing the school in person and meeting the office that provides essential accommodations is the best way to determine if the school is a good fit.

Finding my calling

I graduated from Princeton in 2022 with a major in Public and International Affairs and certificates in Journalism and Gender and Sexuality Studies.

I had the most amazing experience that taught me so much, both in the traditional academic sense and also about what I was capable of.

When I began college, I was just starting to become politically engaged. But my public policy classes at Princeton helped show me that I wanted to work in disability policy, and my extracurriculars, especially serving as Associate News Editor for The Daily Princetonian, gave me the writing and leadership skills I use every day in my professional life.

I also made incredible friends who accepted and included me. Due to the efforts of myself and other students with disabilities in the student government’s Disability Task Force, which I founded, there have been substantive improvements to campus accessibility. I have continued my advocacy for more accessibility and inclusion through my position on the university’s Board of Trustees. It means so much to me that my peers elected me to this role because they believed in my ability to speak up for the needs of students with and without disabilities.

Starting a career

Because of my academic explorations of disability and several meaningful disability policy internships, I successfully started my career in disability policy.

Naomi in Washington, DC

I moved to Washington, DC, after college, where I worked at Mathematica, a public policy research organization. Then I worked in the Administration for Community Living in the Department of Health and Human Services, which serves people with disabilities and older adults. There, I managed grants that support disabled people and wrote material about the agency’s programs.

I loved living in DC, which is an extremely accessible city. I lived in my very first apartment, mastered the public transit system, and made so many memories with old and new friends. After the 2024 election, government work felt unstable to me, and I decided it was time to apply to graduate school. I thought an advanced degree would give me more skills and tools to learn about my interests and progress in my career.

Back to school

This fall, I started pursuing a master’s in Media Advocacy at Northeastern University in Boston. This unique program is at the intersection of journalism, public policy, and law, and it perfectly aligns with my interest in using media to generate social change.

Leaving DC was a difficult choice, but if I learned anything from my time at Princeton, it was that taking risks in pursuit of education leads to unexpected opportunities. While pursuing my degree, I’m also working in communications for the American Association of People with Disabilities. I’m glad I can directly apply my learning to my job and do my best to advance the organization’s mission at a time when advocating for disability rights is so important.

I hope anyone else who loves to learn does not let accessibility barriers prevent them from following their educational dreams. Even if it takes some effort to overcome these barriers, higher education is an incredible experience.

Naomi Hess, 25, is a graduate student at Northeastern University in Boston and the Editorial Manager at the American Association of People with Disabilities. She is happy to be a resource to others with disabilities who are interested in pursuing higher education. Find her online at naomihess17.substack.com and on Instagram at @naomihess17.