“Mike lit up a room,” says Pam Ramos, ’96, of her late brother, Mike Baker.
Baker, who was born with Down syndrome, grew up in a large family surrounded by siblings, cousins, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, and friends who absorbed something important from him without realizing it: what true community looks like in daily life.
He was part of everything—from routine grocery store runs to dance parties at family weddings.
“No one ever treated Mike differently,” says Rudy Ramos, Pam’s spouse. “He was just Mike.”
Baker’s presence had a significant influence on the family. The Ramoses’ oldest daughter became a special education teacher. Their youngest works in mental health. As a family, they volunteered for the Special Olympics. Careers, service, and a shared instinct toward care and dignity grew naturally from having Baker in their lives.
After his passing, Pam and Rudy wanted to honor that influence in a way that would continue creating opportunities for others. They found the right home at the Institute for Human Development (IHD) at Northern Arizona University.
Through a $50,000 blended gift—half given now to establish an endowed fund and half pledged through their estate plans—the family established the Mike Baker Fund, which supports the IHD. The fund provides ongoing resources that can support student learning, faculty initiatives, and programmatic needs within IHD as priorities evolve.
The IHD supports people with disabilities and their communities through research, education, advocacy, and community partnerships. The institute also leads interdisciplinary programs—including a minor in Disability Studies—designed to improve access, attitudes, and inclusion for individuals with disabilities.
Students in Disability Studies engage with practices that foster belonging, applied research, and community-based learning that prepare them for careers in education, health services, advocacy, and public policy.
For Pam and Rudy, the IHD’s work reflects the way their family had always understood disability through firsthand experience with Baker.
“Mike’s impact radiated outward,” Rudy says. “My family didn’t have experience with disability before Mike. We learned from watching how Pam’s family integrated Mike into everything. He wasn’t treated differently. He was part of it all.”
Research highlights the far-reaching impact of this kind of integration. A 2018 National Academies review of decades of studies found that inclusive education is associated with improved academic achievement, stronger communication and social skills, and better long-term outcomes, including employment, for students with disabilities. Inclusive environments also support the development of respect, cooperation, and understanding among peers, creating richer learning experiences for all students.
“Philanthropic support of IHD is heartwarming and deeply meaningful,” said IHD Executive Director Kelly Roberts. “Through donor generosity, we advance our mission of improving attitudes toward individuals with disabilities while increasing access so that people with disabilities can engage fully in all aspects of the human experience. We are profoundly grateful for the support of the Mike Baker Fund.”
