Two Souls, Tandem Journeys

Roshani Shay Curtis, Ph.D., taught political science at Pacific Northwest universities for nearly 30 years. She raised four stepchildren and a son with deafness and autism, who is on the low-functioning end of the autism spectrum. He was born in 1964 and remained undiagnosed or misdiagnosed for many years. Roshani is grateful for her political science background, as it enabled her to engage in many advocacy activities over the years, especially those focusing on people with multiple disabilities. Roshani served for more than a dozen years on the Board of Directors and as Board President of Garten Services, Inc., an Oregon nonprofit business that employed nearly 500 people with disabilities at its peak. In 1993, she was named Oregon's Nonprofit Board Member of the Year. Roshani also served for many years as the Secretary-Treasurer of Independent Opportunities Unlimited, Inc. (IOU), a small nonprofit that she and others formed to assist those with deafness and other disabilities who were in need of temporary financial assistance or were not getting the services they needed. Before retiring, Roshani also served as Executive Director of the Hawaii Wellness Institute and taught meditation, a practice that has helped her face many challenges with more equanimity.