C— Julian Kantor, 22, celebrates with classmates after graduating from AccessSFUSD The Arc at the Golden Gate Bandshell in San Francisco, California, on Wednesday, June 3, 2026. During the ceremony, AccessSFUSD Executive Director Kara Schinella told graduates they had “turned obstacles into opportunities, barriers into bridges and doubt into determination,” recognizing the resilience and self-advocacy many students developed throughout their time in the program. As Julian enters adulthood, he joins a generation of Americans defining independence on their own terms. While graduation marked the end of a program designed to help students transition into adulthood, it also marked the beginning of an uncertain next chapter shared by many adults with cognitive disabilities and their families. Schinella reminded graduates that accessibility “is not a favor, it’s a right” and that their voices, perspectives and experiences are needed in the communities they will continue to shape long after graduation.