Josie Badger is the co-director at the national RAISE Center. She is active and engaged in the Pittsburgh disability rights community.

Education

Badger co-founded a community service club at age 12 to train service dogs for those with disabilities. Badger earned her degree in Disability Law and Advocacy from

Geneva College Geneva College is a private Christian college in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1848, in Northwood, Ohio, the college moved to its present location in 1880, where it continues to educate a student body of about 1400 traditional under ...

in 2007. She received her graduate degree in Rehabilitation Counseling from the

University of Pittsburgh The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a public state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The university is composed of 17 undergraduate and graduate schools and colleges at its urban Pittsburgh campus, home to the universit ...

and later earned her doctorate in Healthcare Ethics at

Duquesne University Duquesne University of the Holy Spirit ( or ; Duquesne University or Duquesne) is a private Catholic research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Founded by members of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit, Duquesne first opened as the Pittsbu ...

in 2014. Badger is one of eight people in the world born with a rare form of the genetic disorder

muscular dystrophy Muscular dystrophies (MD) are a genetically and clinically heterogeneous group of rare neuromuscular diseases that cause progressive weakness and breakdown of skeletal muscles over time. The disorders differ as to which muscles are primarily affe ...

Career

Badger worked on ''Launching Into Adulthood: An Integrated Response to Support Transition of Youth With Chronic Health Conditions and Disabilities'', a project of the

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is the national public health agency of the United States. It is a United States federal agency, under the Department of Health and Human Services, and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgi ...

. She co-founded the Pennsylvania Youth Leadership Network and the Children's Hospital Advisory Network for Guidance and Empowerment, serving as president and vice-president, and also was served as president and vice president of the National Youth Leadership Network. She has been recognized as an advocate on behalf of those with disabilities. Badger is the Youth Director at The Parent Education & Advocacy Leadership Center and co-director of the national Rehabilitation Services Administration Parent Training and Information Center technical assistance center. She is the author of the TedxPittsburgh talk "Exceptional by Choice". She filed a suit against Preit Associates, LP for violating the Americans with Disabilities Act on January 3, 2017.

Awards

* Athena Young Professional Award (2015) * Ms. Wheelchair America (2011)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Badger, Josie Living people Geneva College alumni Duquesne University alumni American civil rights activists Year of birth missing (living people) American women civil rights activists Activists from Pittsburgh American activists with disabilities