Annie Baghdayan is Executive Director of the National Center for Disability Education and Training (NCDET), University of Oklahoma, where she leads federally- and state-funded projects. Armenian by origin, she was born and raised in Beirut, Lebanon, and moved to the United States to pursue her graduate degree in special education at the University of Oklahoma.

Breaking Barriers for Persons with Disabilities and Realizing Global Citizenship

New York City held its first Disability Pride parade on 12 July 2015, marking the 25th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, signed into law on 26 July 1990. © UN Photo/Devra Berkowitz

As a first step, we need to disavow low expectations for people with disabilities. We must treat them as smart, talented, productive individuals who have as much to contribute to the workforce as anyone else.