Courtney Wallace

I attribute my success to long-range vision and the refusal to accept exclusion as inevitable. I have spent a lifetime navigating systems that were not designed with disability in mind, which sharpened my ability to recognize structural gaps and reimagine what infrastructure could be. I do not build for attention. I build for durability. By pairing lived experience with disciplined strategy, I focus on redesigning systems, not reacting to them. Access UpRising is not a project; it is a movement toward environments where inclusion is engineered from the start.

The best career advice I’ve received didn’t come in the form of a single sentence. It came from watching my daughter pivot when her original plan didn’t work out. Instead of seeing change as failure, she treated it as recalibration. She adapted, redirected, and moved forward with conviction.

That resilience mirrors what people with disabilities do every day: modify, adapt, and overcome in environments that were not designed with them in mind. Watching her navigate uncertainty with courage reinforced something I already understood; progress requires flexibility and forward motion, not perfection.

Her example gave me the confidence to fully commit to launching Access UpRising Foundation. Building systems that work for everyone demands the same mindset: when something isn’t accessible, we don’t retreat, we redesign.

My advice to young women entering this field is to build depth before visibility. Learn how systems function. Understand policy, economics, and design standards. When you speak, let your authority come from substance, not volume. Credibility is earned through preparation.

You will encounter rooms where accessibility is treated as optional or secondary. Do not internalize that framing. Accessibility is infrastructure. It influences who participates in education, who enters the workforce, who travels, who builds wealth, and who is seen. Speak about it with precision and confidence.

There will be moments when you are encouraged to be less direct, more patient, or “realistic.” Listen carefully, but decide intentionally. Change rarely happens because someone waited quietly. It happens because someone questioned what everyone else accepted.

And finally, do not underestimate the strength required to adapt. Especially for women and particularly for women navigating disability or exclusion. Adaptability is not compromise. It is strategic resilience. The ability to pivot, recalibrate, and move forward is leadership.

Build your expertise. Protect your integrity. And never apologize for expanding the standard.

The biggest challenges in accessibility right now are funding, enforcement gaps, and widespread lack of awareness. Many businesses and homeowners do not fully understand their ADA responsibilities, and compliance is often treated as reactive—addressed only after a complaint or legal action arises. Despite the ADA being in place for over three decades, proactive accountability remains inconsistent.

There is also persistent misinformation, particularly around historic properties. While certain limitations exist, historic designation does not automatically exempt a building from accessibility requirements. Unfortunately, that misconception often goes unexamined.

At the same time, the opportunity is significant. One in four Americans lives with a disability, and nearly everyone will experience a temporary or permanent mobility limitation at some point in their lives. Accessibility is not a niche issue—it is a market reality. When environments are inaccessible, businesses are not just excluding individuals; they are excluding families, networks, and long-term customers.

The aging-in-place movement further reinforces this shift. Universal design benefits everyone—curb cuts serve wheelchair users, parents with strollers, delivery drivers, and older adults alike. Inclusive design strengthens communities economically and socially.

That’s why education is critical. Future designers, architects, and planners are eager to build better systems. By working with students and institutions, we have an opportunity to embed accessibility into the design process from the beginning, rather than correcting it later.

The challenge is awareness. The opportunity is redesign.

The values that guide both my work and personal life are integrity, stewardship, and responsibility to others.

Family is foundational for me. My daughter, an aviation student at Purdue University, challenges me to think bigger and act with courage. Watching her navigate her own path with resilience has reinforced the importance of alignment; building a life and career that reflect conviction rather than convenience. Time with family and close friends keeps my work grounded in what ultimately matters.

Professionally, I value advocacy rooted in education rather than accusation. Accessibility is often misunderstood, and many gaps stem from lack of awareness rather than intent. I believe in raising standards by raising understanding—helping individuals, businesses, and institutions recognize opportunities to improve and then equipping them to do so.

I am also deeply committed to fiscal responsibility and long-term sustainability. Whether leading a nonprofit organization or managing my personal life, I believe resources should be stewarded carefully. Impact requires vision, but it also requires discipline.

At the core of everything I do is a simple principle: access should not depend on circumstance. My work is driven by the belief that when we design environments thoughtfully and responsibly, we create communities where participation is possible for everyone.