West Linn native’s nonprofit celebrates 20 years of helping people with disabilities

Growing up in an affluent area like West Linn, the expectation for most of Scott Hatley’s high school peers was to go to college. The same was not assumed for the friends he made at a yearly summer camp for kids with muscular dystrophy.

Though Hatley was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy — a genetic disease that causes progressive weakness in the body’s muscles — at 4 years old and was not expected to live beyond his teenage years, he was blessed with supportive family members who encouraged him to go to college after high school. And that he did, graduating from the University of Portland with a degree in communications in 2001.

But after graduation, Hatley couldn’t help but think of his friends from the annual summer camp. That camp was a highlight of their lives, something they all looked forward to every year, Hatley explained. The camp provided a network of friends and community for kids with muscular dystrophy. But when they aged out of the camp at 21 years old, they no longer had access to that network, Hatley said.

Similarly, he thought how after high school, society did not present a lot of opportunities for people not just with muscular dystrophy, but all kinds of disabilities.

“There’s not a lot of expectations for people with disabilities, but it shouldn’t be like this,” Hatley recalled thinking. “They should be pursuing their dreams or passions and finding a purpose for their life no matter what obstacle or situation they have.”

So just a couple years after graduating from University of Portland, Hatley invested $5,000 of his own money and started Incight , a nonprofit devoted to helping people with disabilities reach their full potential through education, employment opportunities and independence.

This year Incight celebrates its 20th anniversary.

In the two decades since Hatley and a few friends co-founded the organization, Incight has helped over 12,000 people with their career goals and given more than $715,000 in scholarships to 1,010 students with disabilities.

‘I don’t think our community would be the same without Incight’

One of the very first students to receive a scholarship from Incight was Wes Studer, a Lake Oswego High School graduate.

Studer, who is on the autism spectrum, now works as a student diversity recruitment and retention administrative coordinator at Oregon Health and Sciences University, thanks in part to Incight.

Studer said he first learned about Incight from his high school guidance counselor, who encouraged him to apply for the organization’s scholarships. With financial help from a four-year scholarship provided by Incight, Studer graduated with a bachelor’s degree in history and political science from the University of Portland in 2009. But Incight’s impact on Studer has lasted well beyond the duration of that four-year scholarship.

“Incight has really helped me actually after my time at U of P and being a scholar. They provide internship opportunities and I volunteered at their various events,” Studer said. “Overall they really strengthened my commitment to underserved and underrepresented communities.”

Studer’s passion for helping others, particularly those with disabilities, began when he was a kid helping his dad coach other kids with disabilities.

Working with and learning about other people at Incight only further stoked that passion, Studer said.

Hatley in particular is an inspirational figure to Studer.

“I don’t think our community would be the same without Incight, and therefore without him,” Studer said. “The way he’s kept Incight going these last 20 years for him is incredible.”

Running the organization for two decades has certainly had its challenges.

When he first started the organization, Hatley said he didn’t know what would be the best way to help. He mostly wanted to provide inspiration to kids with disabilities and show them they could have a productive life after high school. Creating scholarships, holding job fairs and talking with students was his way of showing them their future could hold something more.

As the organization grew over the years, Hatley said it faced challenges similar to any other nonprofit: funding shortages, leadership challenges and staffing issues, to name a few.

But Hatley looks at each challenge like an opportunity. The phrase he uses is “leveraging obstacles.”

“How do you harness the obstacles and barriers in your life to find success?” he explained.

What comes next?

Reflecting on all that Incight has done over the past 20 years, Hatley can’t help but look to the next 20.

In the coming decades, Incight hopes to broaden its reach to help even more people. The nonprofit wants to continue increasing disability awareness and expand its footprint to help people with disabilities in Oregon and beyond access education, employment and independence.

“We’re a local organization, but we have big aspirations beyond the Portland area and beyond Oregon,” Hatley said. “It still feels like not enough people know about what we’re doing. The next 20 years is our opportunity to invite more people into creating awareness around the work Incight does and the potential that people with disabilities offer.”

Hatley invited the supporters, friends and community members to Incight’s 20th anniversary gala Oct. 5 at the Ironlight in Lake Oswego. Find more information about the event at Incight.org.