Damian Rosenberg
Member of the Board of Directors
Mr. Henninger has worked in the nonprofit sector since 1973, as the executive director of Bayaud Enterprises, Inc. (Nee-Bayaud Industries), which has been in operation since 1969 creating jobs for thousands of persons with disabilities. Bayaud serves over 1,000 people a year and currently employs more than 180 persons with an operating budget of $8.2 million.
While only actively participating in the last six years with disability rights issues, Mr. Rosenberg has long been involved in the movement at large, owing to his father championing the cause for over forty years. He spent a great deal of his youth at board meetings. Demonstrating unfair practices, he marched, shouted, carried banners, and rode on the laps of newly deinstitutionalized wheelchair users. Surrounded by influential leaders such as Wade Blank and Ed Roberts, Mr. Rosenberg, all the while being familiar with the “medical model” not necessarily being the best paradigm for disabled Americans. Early on it was apparent to him that the fight would not be on a level playing field, as early disability rights advocates fought against established institutions and many cultural biases.
With a degree in history, Mr. Rosenberg earned his master’s in Education from Brooklyn College. While earning his degree, he taught writing to elementary students in Bushwick, a hardscrabble neighborhood in Brooklyn known for its problems with drugs and violence. The inequity and marginalization of students, based upon class and race, was another reminder that systems needed fixing and were inherently imbalanced.
Moving back to Denver in 2006, he began working at Personal Assistance Services of Colorado (PASCO), a Denver area home-health agency. Mr. Rosenber is currently PASCO’s Consumer Liaison. He has worked closely with advocacy groups and the Colorado state legislature to fight discriminatory practices. He has also worked with many consumers from southern parts of the country, where home-health services are insufficient, subsequently, helping move a handful of said consumers to Colorado.
When he’s not working, Mr. Rosenberg enjoys being a new father, spending time with his wife, Marti, hiking with his dogs, Irma and Darwin, and reading.