Luke Barber understands the struggles people with disabilities face.
Diagnosed with autism at the age of 7, the disability self-advocate was recently appointed to a three-year term on the St. Louis County Commission on Disabilities. The honor grants Barber a tremendous opportunity to help support people in the community who are often overlooked.
“As a person with autism and sort of growing up with [it], I’ve had to really learn how to navigate the system, and I’ve also fallen through the cracks a few times,” Barber says. “But I’m also higher functioning. Certainly, people who are lower functioning than me are falling through the cracks, too.”
Barber has dedicated most of his life to helping others navigate this system. After graduating from Kirkwood High School in 2014, he received his associate degree from St. Louis Community College in 2018 and is pursuing his bachelor’s in public policy and social work from the University of Missouri-St. Louis.
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At UMSL, Barber also co-founded the Able-Disable Partnership to advocate for students with disabilities, and in 2020, he ran for Missouri state representative. He currently works at the multilocational Easterseals Midwest as a self-determination instructor to help prepare individuals for future success.
“Oftentimes, we have K-12 education that doesn’t follow the [1990 federal] Individuals with Disabilities Education Act,” Barber says. “They’re not mainstreaming students like they should. Public transit taking 2½ or three hours to get anywhere. Seeing a lot of these issues in the community, it’s really sort of prohibitive – it sets people up for failure down the line.”
Barber’s work on the commission addresses these struggles. The 15-member group is charged with reviewing St. Louis County legislation, programs and policies that impact people with disabilities and providing insights and recommendations to the county council. Right now, these efforts include assessing housing and building codes.
“We’re working on drafting a universal design and housing ordinance that will lead to architecture that makes certain homes more easily adaptable,” Barber says.
Barber plans to run for office again in the future. Right now, he’s as committed as ever to improving the metropolitan community. And while Barber and the commission continue their work, the community leader encourages area residents to make their voices heard, as well.
“The biggest thing that people can do is to be vocal about issues,” he says. “Because people don’t notice these things unless they really have a disability.”
St. Louis County Commission on Disabilities, stlouiscountymo.gov/st-louis-county-departments/administration/personnel/adadisabilities