Scott Patterson is a LEND Pitt self-advocacy trainee. Scott is currently in the process of applying to medical schools, as he hopes to use his lived experience with a disability, as well as the mentorship, policy, and advocacy knowledge and resources given to him by LEND Pitt. He aims to go beyond a purely medical model of patient care, focusing on the patient as a whole person. His training in LEND’s Maternal and Child Health leadership competencies will uniquely equip him to use his disabled identity and knowledge of policy to be a tireless advocate for all of his patients’ needs.

The unending campaign of disability advocacy is a critical effort, one that Scott has honed over the past five years, through being an ambassador for the Muscular Dystrophy Association, and an experienced leading officer at his alma mater’s disability advocacy, community, and outreach organization. Scott was named Officer of the Year by the officers of this organization, as well as having received the Certificate of Achievement and the Service and Impact awards from the University of Notre Dame’s Center for Student Support and Care. Furthermore, he immerses himself in disability rights legislation and causes as a member of the FSHD (Facioscapulohumeral Dystrophy) Society. Additionally, Scott used his experiences as a disabled student and citizen to advocate for the needs of others with disabilities on campus. Advocacy for his fellow students demonstrated the drawn-out nature and indefatigable resolve needed by advocates. Broken elevators in dormitories or a lack of subtitles on recorded lectures were not merely minor grievances to his community, but flashpoints around which disability advocacy was centered. Given that Scott’s experiences were with physical disabilities, he also served on multiple advocacy panels for incoming students with disabilities, fellow pre-medical students seeking a perspective of someone with a disability, and on panels for his university’s accessibility office. Scott subsequently pursued the incredibly enriching medium-term traineeship with LEND Pitt, which allowed him to delve into the IDD (intellectual and developmental disability) advocacy space. Following this medium-term traineeship, he wanted to expand his knowledge and advocacy base, leading him to LEND’s Pitt’s long-term traineeship program.

Scott’s future goals are to go beyond his university sphere and advocate on a truly wide-spanning and broad systems level. In this way, he can ensure that his efforts may one day be felt in his own community of western Pennsylvania. Having embarked on this journey of education, activism, and team-based action, Scott feels well-equipped to learn, listen, understand, and most importantly, to act in the furtherance of the rights of those with physical and cognitive disabilities.