Jennifer Keelan-Chaffins

Jennifer Keelan-Chaffins has spent her life fighting for her right to live a normal life; in school, on the public transit system, and on the steps of the United States Capital building. At age two, she was diagnosed with a condition called cerebral palsy, that left lesions within the motor cortex of her brain.

From an early age, because of her disability, Keelan-Chaffins was forced to take separate classes (regardless of her aptitude and ability). impeded by the sheer lack of accessible buildings and transit, and shunned by her peers. Instead of crushing her, it galvanized her fighting spirit.

When Keelan-Chaffins witnessed her first disability rights protest in downtown Phoenix, Arizona, it changed her life forever. From then on, Keelan-Chaffins and her mother, Cynthia, joined the disability rights movement and began organizing. At age seven, she and her mother were arrested for protesting peacefully in Montreal, in a moment that shocked North America. At age eight, through iconic footage and photography taken on the steps of the US Capital, she became an icon for the movement to support passage of the Americans with Disabilities act.

Outside of the disability rights movement, Keelan-Chaffins and her mother have battled valiantly for her right to an education, her dignity and privacy, and her fundamental civil rights. Despite so many setbacks and barriers, Keelan-Chaffins graduated from Arizona State University with a Bachelors of Science in family and Human Development, in 2017, with a GPA of 3.22.