Justin Steinberg
Research Assistant, Stanford Center for Biomedical Ethics
I am a research assistant at the Stanford Center for Biomedical Ethics and I am on the Autism Spectrum and I have a visual impairment called motor nystagmus. But I did not let my disabilities stop me from excelling in school. I graduated from Gunn High School in 2008 with honors and I went onto Foothill College, completing an associate’s degree in special education, also with honors, and then I transferred to San Francisco State University, where I completed my bachelor’s degree in history, cum laude. I then completed a master’s degree in special education, with an emphasis in visual impairments, from San Francisco State University and I also graduated with the Graduate Student Award for Distinguished Achievement.
I am also a Special Olympics Northern California athlete, board member, coach and athlete leader. I currently compete in unified flag football, which is where players with and without disabilities compete on the same team. I also compete in floor hockey, basketball, track and field and swimming. I also coach softball. In addition, I go around the Bay Area and give speeches on the power of sports and inclusion. Back in 2019, I was inducted into the San Jose Sports Hall of Fame as the Special Olympics Athlete of the Year and in 2020, I went to Washington DC for Capitol Hill Day, where I advocated for federal funding for Inclusive Health and Unified Champion Schools programs for Special Olympics Northern California.
My experience with IDD-TRANSFORM has exceeded my already lofty expectations! My fellow Core Advisory Board members bring so many incredible experiences, perspectives and talents to each meeting, making me feel that I know the work we do is going to succeed and have a significant impact on health and healthcare for all adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
In my free time, I enjoy hanging out with my friends, playing video games, participating in my sports and being involved in music. I am a percussionist and was in the band at Gunn for all four years. I then played for a bit in the wind ensemble at Foothill before joining the Palo Alto Adult School Symphonic band. Then when I transferred to San Francisco State University, I was in the Wind Ensemble for three semesters and I even joined the Orchestra during my final semester of undergraduate work. Once it is safe to do so, I eagerly look forward to returning to the Palo Alto Adult School Symphonic Band and getting back into playing timpani and other percussion instruments.