post has video

Friday, December 19, 2025 post has video

For Charlotte Iradjpanah, every day is a gift, but one that brings with it uncertainty.

"How does my body feel that morning?"

The moment she wakes up, she's taking stock of herself.

"Sometimes I need to wait a bit to wake up, so I can maintain my balance."

You can sense the resilience in her voice.

Iradjpanah, who's pursuing a master's in peace and justice at the Joan B. Kroc School of Peace Studies, was diagnosed with epilepsy as an infant. She had seizures that worsened as she became a teenager. She couldn't get a driver's license, she said it was harder to get and keep jobs, and the worst was not knowing whether she'd make it from one day to the next.

As an adult, Iradjpanah underwent surgery to treat her epilepsy, but there she was dealt another blow. An accident in the operation caused her to suffer a stroke, permanently impacting her mobility.

Today, she walks with the help of a leg brace that supports the side of her body that was impacted by the stroke. She chuckles when she shows it off, and makes sure it gets photographed. Iradjpanah wants the world to see her for who she is.

Her world has changed dramatically on multiple occasions, but to her delight, with some uneven progress, the world around her has changed too, to help her and others gain equal footing.

This year marks the 35th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) being signed into law, and Iradjpanah has seen firsthand how the law has been a force for change, directly impacting countless people's lives.

The ADA includes a number of requirements of both public and private organizations to improve accessibility, to "assure equality of opportunity, full participation, independent living, and economic self-sufficiency."

And a lot has changed since the law was passed in 1990. The ADA has evolved, changing with the times as its foundations were challenged or amended, broadening its reach and impact.

"I started working at 16, and it was brand new then, so they hadn't really been able to implement it. In school, they basically didn't have anything like that until I was a junior in high school," Iradjpanah said, speaking of accommodations. "Today, I think it's very helpful."

USD, like everywhere else in the country, has requirements it has to meet when constructing buildings or maintaining its campus. For those behind it, though, meeting requirements is only the beginning.

André Hutchinson, assistant vice president of Facilities Management at USD, has worked in construction for decades. In that time, he's seen how the ADA has changed - itself, and how builders adopt the philosophies behind it.

At USD, Hutchinson said, those ideals are integrated into everything they do.

"Our guiding principles don't even mention the word 'compliance' - we strive to go way beyond that," he said. "We don't think of it as something 'extra' we have to do to satisfy some requirement. Accessibility is something that's baked into our thinking. It's really part of the fabric of how we work at USD."

The goal is to give every student at USD the same experience and access to all the school's beauty and resources. It's ingrained throughout the planning process.

"Guiding principles" that act as a north star for project teams. Student and campus groups are brought into planning and key conversations. And when anyone is having issues or has ideas on how USD can enhance accessibility across campus, Hutchinson and his team are just a call away.

"USD has been wonderful. They're very conscious. It's like a totally different kind of culture," Iradjpanah said, adding that staff and students always make her feel welcome. Her classmates consider her mobility challenges when planning activities, and students regularly offer to help her carry her things onto the cross-campus tram.

Iradjpanah is grateful for all the ways the ADA has transformed to help her and others. A beneficiary of the past, now she hopes to become a catalyst for future change.

Her dream is for the ADA to expand beyond accommodation and toward greater awareness. It's why she's so happy to tell her story. Iradjpanah believes that a greater understanding of the challenges people face, both seen and unseen, can help everyone take better care of themselves and others.

And help grow the kind of caring community she's experienced here at USD.