Beyond the Minimums: Accessibility Webinar Series / Part 3: Disability Park Awareness Panel

Botten who currently works as an accessibility consultant joined the U.S. Access Board in 2000 and served for 22 years (retired in 2022) in several capacities while on staff including as a senior accessibility specialist, technical assistance coordinator, and the training coordinator. He was part of a team that developed the combined guidelines for the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Architectural Barriers Act and was the lead staff for the development of guidelines and technical assistance materials for the rulemaking on outdoor developed areas. Bill specializes in accessibility issues related to recreation facilities and outdoor developed areas.

Kaelynn was diagnosed with autism at the age of 10. Hired by Project Hope in 2015 as a Registered Behavior Technician, Kaelynn is now a Lead Technician, providing services to elementary and middle school clients and helping to develop staff training content.

Featured on Netflix's Love On The Spectrum in 2022, Kaelynn amplifies her impact as a speaker, author, and social media influencer, reaching millions worldwide in her mission for autism advocacy.

As a two-time, 29-year, one-in-a-billion survivor of childhood cancer, Damian was an active teenager whose bone cancer diagnosis left him with an ambulatory disability at the age of 13. He quickly learned how to adapt to his “new normal,” today, he is an adaptive athlete, an adoptive father, and a successful social entrepreneur.

As in the years since his “recovery,” he has undergone 28 major knee surgeries, including a variety of replacements and revisions. His resulting disability gives him unique insights and passion into his quest to help and inspire others who face physical challenges in their lives.

Whether he’s playing and competing in a variety of adaptive sports (including wheelchair basketball, wheelchair tennis, mono-skiing, and wakeboarding, to name just a few), working with kids at various camps, or founding organizations such as The Opportunity Center, The Ability Center, and the Wisconsin Adaptive Sports Association, Damian always goes all out. 

Jules Edwards is a neurodivergent Anishinaabe writer, gardener, accountant, and disability justice advocate. She is the parent of neurodivergent Afro Indigenous people, and care provider to many neurodivergent children throughout the years. Jules is passionate about building community and works to improve child safety and disability policy. Jules’ educational background includes a 2020-21 Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (LEND) fellowship, 2021-22 Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD) National Training Director Council trainee, and 2022-23 Wilder Foundation Community Equity Program cohort member. Current roles include: care work of disabled youth, co-founder of Minnesota Autistic Alliance, board member for the Minnesota Ombudsman for American Indian Families, board member of The Arc Minnesota.  She serves as the elected chairperson of the Minnesota Autism Council, a workgroup of the Senate Human Services Reform Finance and Policy Committee. Her culture shapes her worldview and decision-making, and she is committed to making the community a better place for generations to come.