San Diego-based leaders unite to bring groundbreaking curriculum and educator support to classrooms, communities, and families nationwide
SAN DIEGO, May 13, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Harmony Academy at National University and the Stephen J. Wampler Foundation today announced a first-of-its-kind national partnership to integrate disability education into everyday learning experiences for children across the United States. Together, the two San Diego-based organizations are addressing a long-standing gap in education by making disability understanding a core part of how children learn and interact—at school and beyond.
This new initiative builds on Harmony Academy's widely adopted PreK–6 curriculum and PreK–12 professional learning programs, which already reach millions of students and educators nationwide. It integrates the Foundation's "Wampler Way" approach, embedding a more optimistic, human-centered approach to disability directly into everyday learning.
"Harmony Academy was built to help schools create healthy learning environments where every student feels valued, connected, and able to participate fully," said Scott Page, senior vice president of Harmony Academy at National University. "By partnering with the Stephen J. Wampler Foundation, we're expanding that mission in a meaningful way, giving educators practical tools and support to help students better understand disability, build empathy, and foster more inclusive school communities from an early age."
Unlike traditional disability education efforts, which are often siloed or supplemental, this partnership integrates learning across classrooms and community settings—from after-school programs to youth organizations and homes—so inclusion becomes part of daily experience.
Harmony Academy is known for its easy, adaptable curriculum, robust educator training, and flexible delivery across learning settings. With a launch planned for the 2026–2027 school year, the curriculum will provide educators with ready-to-use tools, training, and a framework that fits into daily instruction. The model is designed to work at scale—making it practical for schools and communities to adopt without adding new burdens on educators.
"Harmony Academy has always been about creating environments where every child feels seen, heard, and valued. This partnership takes that mission further by giving educators practical tools, training, and support to build a culture of autonomy and participation among all learners, including students with disabilities. It's a powerful step forward for education in this country," said Scott Page, Senior Vice President of Harmony Academy at National University.
The initiative will provide:
Harmony's proven approach is already used in some of the nation's largest, including New York City Public Schools, Los Angeles Unified School District, Clark County School District in Las Vegas, as well as thousands of districts worldwide. To date, Harmony has reached more than 40 million students across 70,000 schools, spanning all 50 U.S. states. It is designed to be adaptable, scalable, and easy to incorporate into daily instruction, making nationwide adoption both realistic and sustainable.
At its core, the partnership aims to reshape how students understand disability as part of everyday life. By embedding this learning early, the partnership is helping define a future where inclusion is expected, understood, and practiced—not taught as a separate concept.
"This is about more than curriculum—it's about culture," Wampler added. "We're creating classrooms and communities where differences are understood, respected, and valued, and where every child has the opportunity to belong."
The program will roll out in phases, with pilot opportunities and early access for schools and partners ahead of a broader national launch tied to the 2026–2027 school year.
About National University | Harmony Academy
National University, a Veteran-founded nonprofit institution based in San Diego, has been focused on providing accessible, affordable education for more than 50 years. Harmony Academy provides professional learning and curriculum resources that support healthy learning for schools, communities, and families. To learn more, visit harmony-academy.org.
About the Stephen J. Wampler Foundation
The Wampler Way of the Wampler Foundation offers a fresh, optimistic, and hopeful look at disability, inviting curiosity and compassion while gently dissolving the mystery that surrounds it. The Wampler Way creates an environment of reassurance, simplicity, and human warmth where children, teachers, and families feel safe, supported, and ready to learn, often for the very first time. To learn more, visit https://stephenjwamplerfoundation.org/
SOURCE National University
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