A son-and-father duo from Ireland, better known as “Fionnathan,” shared a powerful message of inclusion with UW–Madison’s Adapted Fitness community last month.
Fionn Crombie Angus, who has Down syndrome, and his father and chosen supporter, Jonathan Angus, describe their work as an effort to “have fun and change the world, to trouble your understanding of ability, to reveal superstars in our midst, and to prove that, in fact, we are the people we’ve been waiting for.”
“There are no disabled people — except when society disables you,” Jonathan Angus told an audience at UW–Madison including students, faculty, staff, and Adapted Fitness clients. “Every human being is new and better than anybody you’ve ever met before. Forget the labels — that’s true for all of us.”
Fionn Angus has become a leading voice in the global disability community, recognized for his advocacy to expand opportunities for people with disabilities worldwide. In the early 2010s, he became the first person with Down syndrome in Ireland to secure self-directed funding, successfully petitioning the government to provide his support funding directly to him rather than to a service provider. Since then, he has served on five Irish government committees, joined the board of Down Syndrome Ireland, played a key role in shaping the UK’s Down Syndrome Act, and in 2025 spoke at the United Nations for World Down Syndrome Day. He is also a research intern with the Harvard Law School Project on Disability and a fellow of the Samuel Centre for Social Connectedness, contributing research on the inclusivity of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
Despite never having had the chance to attend university himself, Fionn Angus has earned numerous accolades and lectured at colleges and conferences around the world.
“Fionn has been invited into some incredible spaces to speak up for inclusion — in parliaments, at universities, even with policymakers,” said Jonathan Angus at UW–Madison.
Summing up his journey in his own words, Fionn Angus added: “I’ve worked with the military and members of parliament — 107 MPs, and seven lords and ladies. You’re looking at a Harvard fellow here. Harvard Law!”
Sparking conversations, sharing joy
Through music, live presentations, videos, and the visual arts, Fionn and Jonathan Angus aim to spark conversations about social justice and inclusion, while spotlighting diverse people who are passionate about what they do.
During their conversation with Adapted Fitness they shared The Happiness Project, which began a decade ago with a simple question Fionn Angus posed during an interview for the Tour de Munster, a cycling race that raises funds for Down syndrome in Ireland: “What do you love about your life?”
That moment grew into a long-term mission to create empathy, gratitude, and connection through storytelling.
Since then, Fionn Angus — with his father at his side — has traveled to 29 countries and conducted more than 750 interviews with people from all walks of life, including notable musicians, actors, politicians, and academics.
One of the interviews Fionn Angus highlighted was with actor Angela Lansbury, best known for her role in the TV show “Murder, She Wrote.” Fionn Angus recalled playfully asking if Lansbury, then 93, could “solve a mystery” for him: What do you love about your life? Lansbury answered that she cherished the influence of her mother.
The Happiness Project interviews, shared on YouTube, have now drawn more than five million views. “Gratitude is a really important habit — to turn our thoughts to being thankful,” said Jonathan Angus. “That’s what this question does.”
In addition to the Happiness Project, the duo has launched Abundance, a social enterprise initiative that empowers young adults with Down syndrome through supported entrepreneurship, helping them move beyond traditional employment models. Their Creative Approaches to Practical Community Advocacy (CAPCA) course teaches citizenship skills and provides opportunities for community leadership.
“We want to see people with disabilities at the top levels of society,” Jonathan Angus told the audience at Adapted Fitness, which works in partnership with the School of Education’s Department of Kinesiology and student volunteers to offer health and fitness classes specifically designed to accommodate people living with permanent or temporary disabilities.
From Ireland to Madison
Fionnathan’s Madison visit grew out of a connection with Kecia Doyle, director of the university’s Adapted Fitness program, and Andrea Mason, professor and chair of the Department of Kinesiology. Doyle and Mason first met Fionn and Jonathan Angus while co-leading the Inclusive Physical Activity and Sports in Ireland study abroad program this past summer.
When Doyle learned the duo would be traveling to Wisconsin to perform at Milwaukee’s Irish Fest — where Fionn Angus played the fiddle, and Jonathan Angus guitar — she invited them to Madison to share their message with the Adapted Fitness community.
“It was an honor for us to host Fionn and Jonathan,” Doyle said. “They have made tremendous contributions to the worldwide disability community through their efforts to shape research and public policy, while sharing their message of joy and inclusion.”
She explained the visit was made possible through initiatives like the Inclusive Ireland study abroad program and the Conway Adapted Fitness Gym — which, she noted, is dedicated to fostering the health and well-being of both UW students and the disability community. These efforts, Doyle added, “allow us to extend our outreach and build meaningful connections with others, like Fionn and Jonathan, who share our values,” she said. “The success of the Adapted Fitness program comes from our ability to create a sense of community and belonging for clients and students — not only here in Wisconsin, but globally as well.”
Kate McCleary, associate dean of academic initiatives for UW–Madison’s International Division, who collaborated with Doyle and Mason on the grant that launched the Inclusive Ireland study abroad program, connected the visit to the broader mission of the university. “The Wisconsin Idea is to serve the state, nation, and world,” she said. “Ensuring that people from across the state are represented in the programming and activities that we offer, and the research that we do, is part of that grand idea.”
McCleary added that the event was “the first time in nine years on campus that I was in a room with more than one person with a visible disability.” She noted that hosting events such as this one in the Conway Adapted Fitness Gym “is essential for celebrating the pluralism that exists in our community, state, and world. Getting to hear the experiences of individuals (directly from the source), rather than solely about the research on individuals, is also incredibly refreshing and needed.”
For many who attended the event, being able to connect with others who share their experiences living with disabilities was particularly meaningful. Adapted Fitness client Hannah Bell reflected, “An event like this in our shared space creates a safe place to be open and honest. It unifies the group and creates community — we can celebrate our victories and share our mutual challenges with empathy.”
Bell added, underscoring the power of that connection: “We are not alone!”