One could forgive Scott Hatley if his life were more about survival than about anything else.

Hatley lives with muscular dystrophy, a genetic disease that causes progressive weakness in the body and loss of muscle mass.

The operative word is “lives.” Boy, does Hatley do that.

As co-founder and executive director of Incight, an organization dedicated to helping the lives of people experiencing disabilities, Hatley has impacted the lives of many in many ways.

“You talk about an inspirational guy,” says Sam Yockey, a Portland-area businessman who provides financial help to Incight. “Scott is the one. He is such an outgoing, wonderful guy who has helped a lot of people over a lot of years. He is my hero.”

The average life expectancy for a person with Duchenne MD — the form Scott has — is from 16 to the early 20s. He is 44.

“Nobody expected Scott to live to be 44 — least of all us,” says his mother, Susan Hatley. “We were devastated with his diagnosis, but here he is. I believe he is the oldest MD patient in Oregon, or least that his MD doctor sees. It’s uncharted territory.”

Scott is not just living. He is coordinating a nonprofit that is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, one that has helped line up hundreds of jobs for people with various disabilities. 

“Scott is the heartbeat, the breath of Incight,” said Jerry Carleton, Hatley’s former college roommate and one of Incight’s co-founders. “He is the keeper of the purpose of Incight. He keeps the culture, the accountability of the organization. He has not only heard the calling in his life, he has stepped into it and has continued to be held accountable to it.”

Adds Dan Friess, former executive director of Incight and one of its current board members: “The world is an incredibly better place because of what Scott has done. His legacy deserves to go on forever.”

Friend Eugene Wallace takes it further:

“Scott Hatley is a phenomenal person — among the top 10 human beings I know in the world.”

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Scott and younger sister Sarah (now Heiney) grew up in West Linn as the offspring of Wayne and Susan Hatley. After he started walking abnormally at age 4 1/2, Scott was diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. He was able to walk until age 10, when he transitioned from a walker to a scooter.

Today, Hatley is in a wheelchair. His mobility and dexterity have gotten worse over time. He can use a computer, “but I can barely sign my name,” he says. “I can click my fingers to operate my computer mouse.”

It’s difficult being a child growing up with MD.

“I vividly remember in third or fourth grade, it was bad enough where I told my mom, ‘I just wish I were dead,’ ” Scott says. “And my mom said, ‘Well, you’re not dead. If you think we’re going to give up on life because you’re having a hard time, you’re wrong. We’re going to keep moving forward.’ ”

For a youngster of Christian faith, it was a come-to-Jesus moment.

“It set my expectations,” Hatley says. “It was like, ‘OK, we can have goals. We have things we’re dealing with, but we have to figure it out and do the best we can.’

“Everybody goes through those moments of highs and lows. I’ve had those moments. I also realize that tomorrow’s another day. If you’re having a bad day, well, going to bed and waking up the next day can change your mindset. You can have a re-set.”

Athletics was a key part to Hatley’s upbringing.

“Being a sports fan has been an important part of my life from a young age,” he says.

When he still had some mobility, Scott loved to shoot hoops. He was a “die-hard” fan of the Trail Blazers of the early ‘90s, featuring Clyde Drexler, Terry Porter and Buck Williams. He idolized broadcaster Bill Schonely. His parents, Oregon State grads, often took him to Beaver sporting events.

“When you’re young and have a disability, the expectations aren’t there, and it can be hard,” Scott says. “Sports gave me something to care about. It drove me to figure out what my purpose was. Incight became that purpose, but I never lost my passion for sports.”

At West Linn High, he served as statistician for the varsity basketball team. In 1997, Hatley’s senior year, the Lions won the state title. “That was pretty cool,” he says.

“Scott was one amazing kid,” says Bart Valentine, West Linn’s coach at the time. “In spite of all the difficulties he had gone through in life, he had such a wonderful, positive outlook. He didn’t let anything get in his way of being successful. He didn’t see any ceilings, in spite of handicaps.

“I can see him now, the time he spent with us on the bus and on the bench. … he meant so much to the team. I’m serious — he was an inspiration that helped us overcome and overachieve in some people’s mind. He is that special of a person.

“His mental and emotional approach to life keeps him going, productive and successful. The field that he’s in, he’s given back to handicapped people. To see what he has accomplished and has continued to be significant in all he has done … it’s an inspiring story.”

Hatley graduated from the University of Portland in communications in 2001. For three years, he kept stats for radio play-by-play announcer Bill Johnson for Pilots men’s basketball.

“I thought I wanted to be a sportswriter,” Hatley says. “I thought journalism was the ticket, because I’ve always loved sports. But when I was at UP, my heart changed. I was like, ‘I want to do something that’s meaningful.’ ”

I laugh heartily when Scott says this. I quickly say I understand he doesn’t mean to disparage my profession.

“I saw friends who were going to college and had an expectation for their future lives and careers,” Hatley says. He thought about friends with disabilities who looked forward to an annual summer camp  sponsored by the MD Association.

“That was the highlight of their lives — just one week out of a summer,” he says. “That was just one part of my life. I was like, ‘What can we do to change this? I’ve had a lot of great opportunities in my life. How can we create that for more people with disabilities?’ ”

In 2002, eight of 10 people with disabilities were not in the work force.

“I had several classmates from UP who had disabilities and weren’t sure what they were going to do after college,” Hatley says. “I saw a need for an organization that could help create opportunities.”

Carleton, one of the co-founders of Incight, recalls those times.

“I remember asking able-bodied kids, ‘What do you want to do when you grow up?’ ” Carleton says. “They all had an answer. ‘Police officer. Firefighter. Astronaut.’ But if you asked kids with some sort of visible disability, a lot of them didn’t have an answer. They had a deer-in-the-headlights look.”

Those children needed help. They needed direction.

Says Carleton: “Scott said, ‘This is something that needs to be its own organization. I’m going to invest $5,000 of my own money and I’m going to do this full-time. I want to create an organization where people will ask that question.’ That’s how Incight was born.”

The name “Incight” was an intentional miss.

“It’s a hybrid of two words,” Hatley explains. “Incite means to stir things up. Insight means the capacity to gain understanding of a person or thing. We wanted something that was unique. It can be a challenge spelling-wise, but it was a lot of who we were as an organization. How do we get people to move to action, find their passion and unlock their potential? It fit.”

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Incight’s current management team includes Hatley, Pia Gilgen, director of education; Romney Miller, education developer; Grace Corrigan, employment specialist; Mitch Blatt, editor-in-chief of the publication “The Understanding;” Judd Girard, media executive director, and J.D. Duran, social media/communications director. All work in paid positions. The company is supported by dozens of corporate sponsors and community, education and employment sponsors.

Incight focuses on various aspects of education, employment and independence for people with disabilities.

From its website (incight.org):

“We seek to cultivate a world of inclusion for those with disabilities to succeed and contribute to the community to their fullest. This starts by educating the hearts and minds of those in the workplace, the education system, among parents and with individuals experiencing disabilities themselves. It involves changing cultures by busting stigma and breaking down barriers. We need to reframe the conversation around disability and increase the comfort around those with barriers. It involves providing a safe environment for employers to ask questions. It means getting people jobs and changing workplace culture. It includes setting expectations, creating awareness and building an environment of empowerment and accountability.”

“Incightful Transitions Curriculum” emphasizes education, employment and independence. It is expectation-driven and designed to prepare students for life after high school. The platform is flexible, allowing students to access lessons remotely or in-person. Each lesson was developed by educators and experts, all with the purpose of helping students thrive. The curriculum is designed to help guide students in achieving their goals.

Incight’s employment services include Job Fairs, “get ahead” events and Incight media, the latter producing videos and photography.

Incight started with a focus on education and scholarship programs.

“We gave our first scholarship in 2003 and have now given more than 1,000 scholarships,” Hatley says. “They are anywhere from $500 to $2,500 scholarships. We started there, realizing that after high school is when people would start falling through the cracks.”

At one point, Incight had a national scholarship program, but in recent years has based its program on recipients living in Oregon and California.

Job Fairs are also an important piece of Incight. The organization held about a dozen a year before the pandemic hit. There was a two-to-three-year hiatus that ended in late 2022. There were five Job Fairs held in 2023 and will be eight of them in 2024.

“We are focused on getting people into jobs,” Hatley says. “We are trying to work on that life cycle, to get people to leverage their obstacles, unlock their potential and go after their dreams.”

More than 10,000 people have gone through Incight’s Job Fair events, though Hatley says, “It’s hard to quantify exactly how many of them got jobs.”

“We do it American Idol style,” Hatley says. “If you get an interview at a Job Fair, you get a silver ticket. If you get a job, you get a gold ticket. We haven’t given many gold tickets going out lately, because many businesses are interviewing on-line prospects, so they aren’t necessarily saying ‘you’re hired today.’ In the last year, 10 percent (of attendees) got interviews at the Job Fair events.”

Lenanne Miller is development manager for the Salem and Portland branches of All Star Labor and Staffing agency. As she was doing recruiting at hiring events in the late 2010s, “I gravitated toward Incight.”

“I loved their hiring events,” Miller says. “They were super robust. I got to meet a lot of the job seekers. I was encouraged by Scott and his partner (Vail Horton). They would come out and give the history of Incight and what their goals were. I fell in love with the heart of the organization.

“I have been coming back ever since. It’s the only job fair I pay for, because it does the best job of giving us people we can reach out to and help them find work, or at least be an employment resource. I really enjoy Scott and his team.

“Scott is an amazing individual. I love his heart for job seekers. He always has a smile on his face and he is eager to create these opportunities for them to connect with employers. He is so encouraging and inspiring. He is one of the reasons I look forward to coming to and participating in the hiring events.”

Susan Hatley has volunteered at some of the Job Fairs.

“I love the mission,” she says. “It’s not just the disability community. Everyone is welcome. It’s great to see the joy on people’s faces when they have an opportunity to get an interview.”

Incight media, which began in 2017, is another important arm of Incight. A quarterly magazine, “The Understanding,” has a press run of about 1,000.

“Developing content is a great way to spread our message,” Hatley says. “The magazine is a way where we can share stories, thoughts and perspectives and help change cultures. Incight Media is helpful with that. They take care of the photography and we have writers on staff. We also do video content and are on-line as well.”

None of this could not be accomplished without the help of partners — “not just corporate,” Hatley says, “but non-profit and governmental.”

“One of our values at Incight is profound relationships,” he says. “We value those connections. We have sought them out. We feel like partnerships is the key way to get things done. We can’t do it by ourselves. We have been blessed that a lot of companies have stepped up and seen what we’re trying to do and want to be a part of it.”

Incight also has a number of volunteers who perform a variety of duties.

Says Hatley: “They work with our annual gala, introduce us to people, serve as mentors or support staff, help with the Job Fairs. We are indebted to all of them.”

The creation of awareness of opportunities for those with disabilities is what Hatley is most proud of.

“It’s important for people to reach their potential and to succeed in being engaged in society,” he says. “There are too many individuals who are not fully reaching or tapping what gifts and capabilities they have. They don’t realize they can do more — they can go to college, they can get an education, they can get a job.

“That Incight is able to provide more individuals with the tools and services they need is important to me. And not just by saying, ‘Here’s how you do it,’ but by showing the practical steps to make that happen.”

Scott’s father has watched with pride as his son has kept the organization afloat.

“He was the one who kept his nose to the grindstone and kept it steady,” Wayne Hatley says. “Through his own perseverance he managed to keep Incight on the straight and narrow and on a positive note. Things were a little troubling at times, but he has been able to go out and find donors who can provide financial assistance — both companies and individuals.”

Scott’s mother praises his “unwavering resolve, a determination that this is going to continue on and will work.”

“It is good that they have been able to get things back on track toward where they were before the pandemic,” Susan Hatley says. “I’m pleased with the awareness Scott brings to his community of supporters. Because of Incight’s effort, we look at people with disabilities in a different light. What really drove it is looking at people in the disability community and to see how few people have options. Educational opportunities are there, but they are not as likely to take advantage of them.

“What Scott has been able to do, as he carries on in his wheelchair and now on a ventilator, is a good example that their mission is overcoming barriers. It’s the kind of thing where you try to help people overcome their barriers and get out of the way of themselves from achieving things.”

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Friess has known Scott since before Incight’s inception. He quickly gained admiration for Scott’s demeanor.

Says Friess: “It would have been easy for Scott to just say, ‘This is my lot in life. This is the way it’s going to go.’ But he grew up in an environment with a family and with peers who said, ‘What greatness can be accomplished in life?’ He decided, ‘I’m going to go after that greatness. I’m going to hitch my wagon to some significant thing that is going to create change in the world.’

“That thing became Incight. He was the first donor to throw cash at the project. He has been a permanent fixture. He has written dozens of grants. He has sat down with hundreds of donors. He has talked to dozens of sponsors. He has worked with hundreds of clients. The list of what Scott has put himself out there for is absolutely astounding.”

Eugene Wallace owns a strategic planning company called “Family Business Advisors.” He moved from Portland to Murchison, Texas, in 2022 but returns to Oregon about once a month to work with clients. Wallace has been a member of the Incight board of directors for nearly a year. He has known Hatley since near the start of Incight.

“When I get down about something, I think about what Scott Hatley has done,” Wallace says. “It’s life in a wheelchair, yet he has an incredibly positive attitude. He is bright, has a good memory, is interactive and has zero victim mentality, zero blame the other guy, zero woe is me. It lifts my spirits. He is doing it. I have to do it, too.

“We now have had years of friendship and my admiring his ability to have a positive attitude, but to also do things to raise disability awareness. He has been effective in growing an organization that helps other people to be aware.”

For three years, Wallace has helped Incight with strategic planning.

“We have been able to get a number of grants for the organization,” Wallace says. “Just by his personality, by being this vibrant being, an amicable disabled person, he raises awareness of disabilities. He has a wility — the will to do something about having a disability.”

Wallace laughs, mindful that he may have just invented a new word.

“That’s what he does,” Wallace says. “He doesn’t have to say anything to have impact. I think the world of Scott. I want his message to get out there. I encourage the pursuit of excellence through business. Scott is a living example of pursuit of excellence. He brightens every room he goes into. I want to proclaim that from the rooftops.

“In this instance, the agent is the message. That’s rare. You have a lot of people talking the talk, maybe some people walking the walk. But he does both just by being.”

David Austin works in the humanitarian and development assistance field. He met Hatley as Incight was getting started. At first, Austin served as a consultant, then as a board member for several years. He has always been a donor to the organization. Austin uses the same phrase as Wallace in his description of Hatley.

“Scott is humble, resilient, thoughtful,” Austin says. “He leads more by example than with his words. He talks the talk and also walks the walk.”

He pauses as he realizes the irony of that statement, given that Hatley can’t walk.

“Go ahead — you can say that,” he says. “I like that.”

Austin says he appreciates what Incight has accomplished.

“It’s been ahead of its time in some ways,” he says. “They have pioneered in many ways the track for employment for people with differences. During the pandemic, everybody realized there are virtual and hybrid and alternative ways to work. Incight was doing it 15 years ahead of that. They are showing that everybody can be productive if guided and directed, which isn’t exclusive to the disability community. My kids need guidance and direction, too.

“Scott is a prime example. He is not a social case. He is a taxpayer. He’s a contributor to our society. A hundred years ago, he wouldn’t have been given that chance.”

Hatley has taken that chance and run with it.

“Scott is very positive,” his mother says. “He is kind. He is genuine. There is a calmness, a peace about him, that is wonderful to see. I am impressed with where he has been and what he has done with his life. As a parent, you watch your kids grow, and then once they are done with high school, what are they going to do? Especially for us with Scott. What’s his future going to be?

“It was always, ‘Let’s be as normal as possible. Let’s live life and not worry about obstacles.’ He got a wonderful education at West Linn, and then got his degree at the University of Portland. He met a lot wonderful people who helped put him on this path to Incight. I’m pleased with all the things he’s accomplished and the man he has become.”

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This is a special year for Incight — 20 years in business.

“It is quite an accomplishment,” Hatley says. “When we first started, they said 50 percent of businesses fail after a year or two. To think we are still here after 20 years speaks to our ability to keep adapting. We see the anniversary as a way to create more awareness for Incight.

“We are just scratching the surface. I would love to see Incight be more than just a small organization. We have so much left to be achieved. So many people are in need of these services.”

Incight will play host to three major events this year. A Topgolf event is set for May 30. The 16th annual Incight Gala is scheduled for October 15. Both are fund-raisers.

“We will also do a community event this year to commemorate our 20 years,” Hatley says. “We don’t have a date for that yet — probably in the summer. It won’t be a fund-raiser; more of a celebration.”

Life continues for Scott Hatley. He lives by himself in a South waterfront apartment. He needs a lot of help.

“Scott cannot essentially do anything,” his father says. “He has no physical capabilities whatsoever. He requires 24/7 assistance. Everything has to be put in front of him. His normal is different than anybody else’s normal. It can be frustrating for him, but he has handled it extremely well.”

Scott feels as if his parents have handled his situation well, too.

“They have been a real blessing — everything I could have hoped for in life,” he says. “A doctor could not have prescribed a better set of parents for me. It hasn’t been an easy road for them, either. A lot of sacrifice can be required when one of your children has a disability, including a change of dreams of what family life looks like. While they were forced to adjust their plans after my diagnosis, they never changed their expectations for my sister, myself or the future.

“They never gave up no matter how hard it got. They set the example for us living the best life possible and tackling the obstacles we face with grace and humility. I owe a lot to Mom and Dad for the successes I have been able to achieve.”

Scott requires two caregivers — one during the day, one at night — and gets additional help from a group of nursing students from UP who are with him for part of the evening. His parents also help with his care, especially on weekends.

“It’s a good system,” Scott says. “It’s worked out really well.”

Sister Sarah works as a trauma ICU nurse at Emanuel Hospital. Together, they threw a 50th wedding anniversary party for them last November. Sarah has three daughters. Scott enjoys his time with them.

“He interacts with his nieces so wonderfully,” his mother says. “It’s fun to see him talk to them. He can’t pick them up and hold them, but he can talk to them. He has a great sense of humor that speaks to them.”

Hatley’s normal week has him working three days in the Incight office, two days at home.

“I probably put in way more than 40 hours a week,” he says. “It’s my life’s passion.”

Hatley is thankful for technological advances that allow him to continue to work.

“I use voice recognition software and have an on-screen keyboard that I am able to use,” he says. “We have all this technology, yet people with disabilities are still struggling. How do we help change minds and perspective around disability?”

Scott is in the process of writing a book.

“It’s a little bit of everything, but the gist is about leveraging obstacles and awakening opportunities,” he says. “A lot of it is my personal experiences, but it is also a business book.”

Says Wallace: "I have pushed him on getting a book done and video tracks laid down. He has something very important to say. I don’t think he is aware of how important it is.”

Attitude continues to be Hatley’s ally.

“I’ve always had the right mindset,” he says. “Having religious faith is a part of it. That’s helped a lot. And also having the attitude of going for it and not letting things get the best of you. I’ve continued to figure out how to keep going and leverage my way through obstacles.

“Creating an expectation we’re going to live life the best we can makes all the difference. There are so many people who have challenges with mental health and all kinds of things. I never know what it was about our lives, but I’ve always had a purpose to focus on.”

In a sense, Hatley is playing with house money.

“Everyone I know from my days at MD summer camp who had my condition have passed — most of them more than 10 years ago,” he says. “Ninety percent of those who were 10 years younger than me are no longer with us, either.

“I’m in rare company being 44 years old. I have asked my doctor, ‘Where am I on the spectrum?’ He says, ‘You’re probably the one who is doing the best of all my patients. You’re probably among the less than one percent.’ ”

Of that, his friends are in awe.

“Scott has already defied the odds in terms of age and mortality,” Wallace says.

“He is one of the longest-living survivor of MD, and he is thriving in many ways,” Austin says. “But thriving looks different in his case.”

Friess marvels at Hatley’s longevity with business, too.

“Here it is now, two decades (since Incight’s inception), and he’s not slowing down a single inch,” Friess says. “Scott is the epitome of unlocking the potential of people with disabilities.

“I have come to the discovery that a diagnosis from a doctor or mental health professional does not define you. Scott is living proof of that. My attitude toward everything has been significantly altered for the better because of the benefit I had to get a walk in business and in daily life with Scott. I’m honored and blessed to know this guy as an associate, a friend and as a brother.”

In December of 2019, Hatley was in the hospital almost a month with pneumonia. His family worried they might lose him. He was inserted with a tracheal tube, which connects to a ventilator. He survived.

“Scott said, ‘I guess God’s not done with me yet,’ ” Susan Hatley says. “His motto, I would say, is ‘Keep moving forward.’ That’s what he does.”

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