Andrew Houtenville: Doing Good Work

This year, I’ve decided to introduce my readers to some of New Hampshire’s best and brightest disability rights leaders. I want everyone to know about the work that is being done here. I sincerely hope that getting to know these people will inspire you to find your place in the fight for access and support for everyone. 

I could not think of a better first interviewee than Andrew Houtenville. He is a professor of microeconomics and the newly appointed director of the Institute on Disability (IOD) at the University of New Hampshire. Andrew’s primary research focus has been disability statistics and employment policies. Research on employment and the challenges of the disability community is essential to me because true inclusion takes money. His research supports the need for inclusive employment practices and encourages people with disabilities to consider employment. It’s hard for anyone to be included if they are not making money.  

I also wanted to get to know my boss. Who is Andrew Houtenville? What’s important to him? 

I began with an ice breaker to help us both relax (mostly me). 

If you could be part of any television family, which one would it be and why? 

 “That’s easy, the Waltons. The show was set in rural America during the Depression, and life wasn’t easy. There was always so much love and patience.” 

What was your family and upbringing like? 

“I was raised in a single-parent household by my mother. I am the youngest of four, with two brothers and a sister. I grew up in New Jersey during the recession. I turned eighteen in 1984. I never had a mullet.”  

“As a kid with depression, anxiety, and learning disabilities, expectations were not too high for me. I barely made it through high school. My single mom was burned out after raising four kids. My girlfriend made me apply to college. I got in. Amazingly, college worked out for me for two reasons: I had the time I needed to study, and I was paying for it.” 

“I have two kids. Audrey, my oldest, is twenty-five, and Adam, my youngest, is twenty-three… I worked very hard to raise two kids with chronic conditions, and I still do. I am not saying that I didn’t make any mistakes, or I was perfect, but I really worked hard.” 

What advice would you have given your sixteen-year-old self? 

“I would tell myself that everything was going to be ok. I actually got that advice from one of my colleagues when I started doing grant-funded research. ‘Do good work, don’t be a jerk, and the money will come.’ I added the ‘don’t be a jerk’ part because that matters in the workplace.” 

Why did you want to become an economist, and why is disability research important to you? 

“I grew up during the recession. I saw my mother struggle financially. I saw her cry when she paid the bills. I remember pushing the big station wagon to the gas station. Sometimes, it was tough. I was an SSI (Social Security Income) recipient when I was a kid, due to my father’s mental health disability. I wanted my research to matter.” 

Who influenced you the most?  

 “Well, first and foremost, my mother. She was kind and welcoming. Even though she had four kids, eight cats, and two dogs, she still took in people. She never judged anyone. She talked very slowly and was always calm. She believed that we don’t have enough information to judge people no matter how they look, act, or talk.” 

“The other person who influenced me a lot in the academic world was my dissertation advisor, Karen Conway. In 2019, she won the UNH Distinguished Professor Award, as one of three women to ever win this award. I was on the selection committee. She was just so kind and smart.” 

What accomplishments are you most proud of? 

 “I love my mother and still cherish her memory…I am also very proud of becoming a full professor in economics and getting tenure. The same goes for becoming the Director of the IOD. I got a lot of support from my colleagues. I really appreciate the people here and the work we do.” 

I appreciate how honest you’ve been about your mental health challenges; can you talk about that more? 

“I have been open about my mental health challenges with a few people on an individual basis for a while now, and it went really well. So, when I went up for tenure, my colleagues encouraged me to be honest about why my research was so important to me. In 2019, when I became acting director of the IOD, I put it in my public-facing biography. I wanted everyone to know.” 

What is your favorite part of your new job? 

“My favorite part of the new job is talking to folks at the IOD in one-on-one conversations about their professional development. I love talking to people about their futures and helping them open doors.” 

From where I sit… 

People often make assumptions about my ability to make decisions and function in the world because of my disability (cerebral palsy). They hear the sound of my voice and see the wheelchair and automatically assume that I am less intelligent than them. I often feel like I have to prove my intelligence before we can have real conversations, even with doctors. I was forty when I understood I didn’t need to be fixed. My disability gives me a different perspective than most of my friends, and I like the way I view the world. I am not ashamed of my disability at all, but sometimes I might wish it weren’t so visible.  

I wanted to have this conversation with Andrew because of his ability to talk about his mental health openly and honestly. When a well-known, successful leader like Andrew can speak comfortably about his mental health and learning disabilities, it makes him a role model. It can also do a lot to reduce the stigma that goes along with it. Talking honestly about disability helps to normalize it and lets others with disabilities know they are not alone. They are part of a community. Andrew Houtenville is doing good work.