Hasan Ko is a peer leader of Green Mountain Self-Advocate’s work on including people with disabilities from diverse cultural backgrounds. He came to the United States from Myanmar in 2008. Hasan says, “No matter where we come from, we have the right to be ourselves in our own way.” Hasan is the president of Champlain Voices, his local self-advocacy group and serves on the board of his provider agency. He teaches self-advocacy workshops to students with disabilities. Hasan has a strong work ethic and mentors youth preparing for their first job. His message to mentees is, “I am telling you this because I want to share about a life of never giving up.” Hasan represents GMSA on several national projects and is the co-lead on Vermont’s Supported Decision-Making Team. He is the 2022 recipient of the April Dunn Start Your Journey Award by the National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities.

Hasan's Showcase

Hasan talks about how he interviewed elders in his community. He wanted to learn how they lived their everyday lives and made decisions.

Other Content

Hasan and other Youth Ambassadors sit down for a discussion about alternatives to guardianship in their states for the Self-Determination channel hosted by Ashley Mathy.

Screen shot of the first page of Hasan's report

Hasan Ko interviewed elders in his community. He wanted to learn how they lived their everyday lives and made decisions. Click here to read Hasan’s report.

Image of US state capital. Nasddds Podcast Advocacy series

Join Max Barrows and Hasan Ko from Green Mountain Self Advocates as they discuss how state leaders can ensure advocates not only have a seat at the table but are driving forces behind policy work. Listen to this insightful podcast on the NASDDDS Soundcloud channel.

You can access the podcast transcript here.