Randy Wagoner's Page

To give you a better idea of who I am I'm going to post a brief, probably not brief enough for most people, bio here on RTP.

Born in Hanover, NH in 1964, I am a New Hampshire native but grew up just across the CT river in Vermont. I was born with a degenerative birth defect and grew up using leg braces and crutches to walk. I have been a wheelchair user since 1985. As 1 of 54 million people with disabilties, I for one am frustrated by the liberal do gooders who insist of telling people with disabilities that we need them to take care of us. Most people with disablities are hard working people with families and just was the same access to goods, services and opportunities as everyone else.

I began my career in Law Enforcement in 1982 as a work study program while attending my senior year in high school. A person with a disability, I was unable to become a Patrol Officer but soon found my niche as a Communications Officer. Starting with the Hartford, VT Police Department I would work my shift and then ride with the officers out in the field for another 8 hours. I gained a unique perspective of what the units on the road needed for information and what they experienced on the other side of the radio.

Over my 25+ year career I have worked for the Woodstock, VT Communications Center and the Vermont State Police. Since 1985, I have worked for the Hanover, NH Police Department as a Communications Officer. The center provides dispatch services for 22 Towns and 56 agencies in both Vermont and New Hampshire covering an area of over 900 square miles. I am a Communications Training Officer, a Critical Incident Stress Debriefer, and the Department’s webmaster and ADA Coordinator.

I ran for VT State Representative in the early 1990's but lost to the Democrat who had held the office for many years. I then ran for my local Select Board and served two terms before our son was born and my priorities shifted toward home. I have always been politically active on the local, State and Federal levels.

I was instrumental in organizing the first union for the members of the Hanover, NH Police Department and have served on the negotiating committee and as the president of the local for three separate terms. I serve as a Regional Vice-President for the New England Police Benevolent Association (NEPBA).

I am a nationally recognized expert in the areas of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Accessibility and Disability Policy. Upon passage of the American’s with Disabilities Act (ADA) in 1990 I was specifically selected by the US Department of Justice and the EEOC to be 1 of only 150 people nationwide to receive a two part training as an ADA Compliance Consultant and Mediator taught by the Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund (DREDF).

I am a government contractor and NASA trainer and also offer training to businesses and and local governements on the ADA and interacting with people with disabilities. I have been used as an expert witness for several national law firms in ADA cases.

In June 1992, I provided testimony before the United States Senate related to ADA Implementation and Disability Policy and in 1993 was asked to participate in “People First – A Report to the President”. I am a member of the National ADA Training and Implementation Network and serve as Adjunct Professor with Round Table Group, a Washington, DC think tank.

I have been married for nearly 19 years to my wife Chris and we have two young children (Alex, almost 11 and Reagan 4). I am also a lifelong gun owner and hold my right to own and carry a firearm and to protect my family to be precious. I enjoy travel, the occasional good cigar and singing barbershop quartet harmony.