Susan Jeanne Peters

Susan J. Peters, teacher, adventurer, passionate advocate for inclusion and disability rights, world traveler, influencer and prolific scholar passed away on Monday, April 17th at her home surrounded by friends and pets. Born on October 7, 1947 Susan grew up in an active family who enjoyed the outdoors – boating, fishing, hiking, skiing and more. She was an avid athlete and pursued several sports in her youth, one sport she would take up as an adult and rise to the ranks of semi-professional.

When Susan was 27, she suffered a spinal cord injury while skydiving. The result was that Susan would spend the rest of her life in a wheelchair. But she refused to be defined by her disability. Instead, she set out to redefine what it means to be disabled. For instance, she writes in the Encyclopedia Britannica on “Disability Culture”.

Functional impairment gives rise to disability, which, because of physical and social barriers in the environment, limits affected individuals’ opportunities to participate in the life of a community to the same degree as nondisabled individuals. It should not be assumed, however, that the severity of an impairment equates with severe functional limitation or disablement. Rather, the meaning and significance of an impairment derive from the treatment of the individual in the broader cultural context within which that individual lives (emphasis added).

Susan dedicated the rest of her life to carrying her message throughout the world, meeting presidents, prime ministers, and ministers of governments particularly on the continents of Africa and Latin America, to advocate for lowering barriers and changing attitudes towards the disabled in society. Her book, Achieving Education for All by Including Those with Disabilities and Special Education Needs has been translated into 12 languages.

Susan also inspired national and local community activists and motivated them to come out of the shadows in demanding equal rights for the disabled. There was no hill too steep to overcome or road too arduous for Susan to deliver her message. She was an inspiration to all who witnessed her tenacity, persistence, and bravery. She demonstrated in her living that the severity of her impairment would not define her functional limitations or her intellectual acuity.

When Susan was nearing her 60’s, she celebrated not the day of her birth, but the day of her accident with the following reflection.

This year will mark my 31st “birthday” as a T-12 paraplegic chair user. I have now lived more than half of my life doing wheelies over curbs, catheterizing myself, checking on accessibility and accommodations before traveling, and negotiating life’s various challenges from the point of view of 3’10” instead of 5’6”. At age 27 (my age at the time of my injury), I was an elementary school teacher and an avid athlete. Today, instead of the ski slope, my terrain and first love is the classroom. I teach an undergraduate class every semester called Diverse Learners in Multi-Cultural Perspective. During the course, I try to dispel the students’ myths and stereotypes about people with disabilities. One of the things I often tell students is that if I had three wishes that could be granted to me—like the legendary genie in the bottle—walking wouldn’t even make the top 10. My father once said to me, “Susan, you have a knack for falling in a creek and coming out with a boot full of fish!” I don’t know about the fish part, but I do know that I’ve learned that in life, whether you fall in a creek (or out of a tree), you can either sink or swim. And, living with a spinal cord injury has also taught me that there are many different ways to swim. I believe that it doesn’t really matter how you go from point A to point B –in a wheelchair or on foot. What really matters is where you go and what you do when you get there. The other thing I’ve learned is that life will always be full of problems. I’ve made an effort to focus on the problems that are really interesting to me and that I can do something about, and to try to turn these problems into challenges and opportunities.

In addition to her global advocacy, Susan was a prolific scholar who published numerous books, articles, and reports for such prestigious organizations as UNESCO, The World Bank, and several Ministries of Education in Africa and Latin America. Senator Bernie Sanders wrote the Foreword to one of Susan’s books, co-authored with William Roth, entitled The Assault on Public Policy.

Despite her notoriety and continual invitations to edit, write or consult for numerous publications and organizations, Susan’s true love was teaching. She was as inspiring to her students as she was with the world leaders she met. Susan’s former students at Michigan State University, were immensely impressed with the love and esteem that they showed for her, as well as the impact they are having in carrying on her message of advocacy and changing attitudes.

Susan’s other love was caring for her canine kids – sometimes up to four or five Australian Shepherds. There was never a Christmas card that did not include a picture of Susan and her companions. And Susan always struck a memorable image as she raced around the neighborhood or across the MSU campus being pulled by her companions at top speed.

Susan graduated from Palo Verdes High School in Southern California and earned her bachelor’s degree and teaching credential from UCLA. After recovering from her debilitating injury, Susan returned to the classroom and taught in San Jose, California before starting her graduate studies at Stanford University in 1980. Susan maintained her love of sports and turned semi-pro in wheelchair tennis. After earning a master’s degree in Anthropology and a Ph.D. in Administration and Policy Analysis from Stanford University, she joined the special education faculty in the College of Education at Michigan State University in 1987. She continued to teach at MSU, mentoring several generations of teachers and graduate students until her retirement as Emeritus Associate Professor. After retirement, Susan remained in her home in Okemos, close to former colleagues, students and her church, St. John’s in East Lansing.

Susan was preceded in her transition to eternal life by her brother Thomas Peters. She is survived by her brother Stephen Peters (Olga) and sister Deborah Pronk (Joe), and 5 nieces and 2 nephews as well as her canine kids Shadow and Savannah as well as her dear friends, Regina Stout and her family, Anna and Joe Lauer, and Mike and Angie Liberato.

Services will be held on Thursday, April 27, 2023, at St. John Church and Student Center, 327 MAC Avenue in East Lansing. Visitation will begin at 10:00 a.m., followed by a funeral mass of celebration at 11:00 a.m. with the Father Mike Murray officiating. All are welcome to a luncheon following in the church basement. The funeral will be live-streamed through Susan’s personal facebook page beginning at 11:00 a.m. Contributions in Susan’s memory can be made to the Okemos Public Library via their website at https://www.cadl.org/about/get-involved/donate or by calling 517/367-6300 ext. 2