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Recovering from a brain injury + a body of 23 broken/healing bones, having lost the ability to understand language, vocalize in public, or tolerate social stimulation and environments, Mom started college studying Neuroscience with my help. She could not have done so without my help. No one could tell her what happened to her brain. She decided to get an education to find out. At the time Mom started, service dogs weren't allowed in labs. Mom changed that. Each step was agonizing, each semester required advocacy and answering the same "what-if the dog does," or "my dog at home jumps on people we can't have that in the lab," or "a dog would be disruptive," or "the dog would cause a safety hazard," or "we can't keep the dog safe," "you need to leave the dog outside the lab, maybe in a closet," or "if you need a service dog then you can't do science," type of questions and comments. Each of these were either simply wrong, discriminatory, ill-informed, or led by a bias. Together we advocated, Mom was the voice of reason, the problem-solver, I was the ambassador, I showed the science world that a service dog can work very successfully in teaching and research laboratories. Together we are the role models for others with disabilities and a service dog who wished to pursue science. Together we traveled the nation teaching people how to make it work seamlessly and effectively. Mom lost opportunities because of unnecessary barriers, others did too, and are still. It is our mission to change the landscape and an entire science mindset and culture to be more inclusive. To look at something new, like a service dog in a lab, and instead of saying, "I don't see how this will work," say "Let's look at how we can make this work!" Science organizations that have added guidelines on including service dog handlers in science are: The American Chemical Society, The American Society of Microbiology, some universities, and many others. Mom is still working on the CDC! Which we are doing with the help of Congress. Service dog handlers have the right to equitable opportunities in science, academics, and industry. Solutions are available. Attitudes and implicit bias need changing. We travel the nation giving talks on how to make that happen and why it is crucial. We believe in our mission! The mindset is shifting! There is a ball rolling that is no longer entirely uphill, but we are gifted moments that the ball or progress shifts to gain momentum. One person CAN make a difference; however, it is our mission to reach a broader audience of decision makers and show them not only that it CAN be done, and here is HOW it is being done by answering questions and providing solutions before the question is asked, but also WHY it is important! For every student that says "I want to do science," they should be given the opportunity and an even playing field. Our mission statement at Empower Ability Consulting is: Opportunities, not obstacles Solutions, not situations Breakthroughs, not barriers And we mean it!