Steve Mikita has been a Utah Assistant Attorney General for 28 years. He represents the three largest State Agencies providing services and protections for individuals with disabilities.

Born with an incurable nerve disorder—Spinal Muscular Atrophy–that has ravaged his body for over 50 years, Steve’s indomitable spirit and plainspoken wisdom have touched millions of Americans.  “My parents could not teach me how to walk and run.  Instead, they encouraged me to dream realistic dreams and climb mountains.”

Steve was the first wheelchair freshman in the history of Duke University, where he graduated magna cum laude with a double major in Political Science and Religion. He won the Writing Prize for Best Undergraduate Writing from the Political Science Department. While at Duke, Steve interned for the House Administration Committee in Washington, D.C., as well as the United Nations in New York.

He then was the first student in a wheelchair ever to be admitted at Brigham Young University’s Law School.  While in law school, Steve served as Senator Orrin Hatch’s (R – Utah) law clerk.  He was also a law clerk for the United States Senate Judiciary Committee.

Steve was the first recipient of the Muscular Dystrophy Association’s National Personal Achievement Award for his advocacy on behalf of individuals with disabilities. Steve was selected from among 50 State award winners.

Steve was named Alumnus of the Year in 1993 by the BYU Law School. He also received only the third Distinguished Alumnus Award in the history of Sewickley Academy (Pittsburgh, Pa.), where he was the first graduate in a wheelchair. He recently received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Utah Attorney General’s Office. Steve was an adjunct Professor of Law at both the University of Utah and Brigham Young University Law Schools where he taught seminars on Federal Disability Law.