Celebrating Socorro Hernandez-Bernasconi
If you ask Armando Bernasconi – who co-founded Quality Connections 25 years ago to help individuals with disabilities achieve independence – what influence his mother had on his choice of career, he’ll admit the answer is complicated.
“I’m not sure I appreciated what she was doing when I was growing up,” he said. “I don’t think I consciously set out to follow in her footsteps. But when I look at what we’ve built – and why – I can see her in much of it.”
Socorro Hernández-Bernasconi (second from left) recently was inducted into the Arizona Women’s Hall of Fame for her decades-long service to her community, Guadalupe, a small town outside of Phoenix where Armando grew up.
It’s a tight knit community of about 5,000 people, most of whom have Yaqui and Latino roots. Socorro became the first person from Guadalupe to earn both a college degree and a master’s. And instead of leaving, she returned to put all of her education, energy, and passion into her hometown and justice for its residents.
As a school counselor in the Tempe school district, Socorro discovered something disturbing: a disproportionate number of Guadalupe’s children were being funneled into special education programs. These children didn’t have disabilities – they were being misjudged because they were being tested in English, a language many of them did not know.
When Socorro spoke out, the district retaliated, demoting her and assigning her to a different school. But she didn’t stay quiet. She helped organize a civil rights lawsuit against the school district that ultimately mandated that students be tested in their native language – a local fight that led to national change.
That was only one chapter of her work, however. In fact, the Town of Guadalupe recently named April 24th Socorro Hernandez-Bernasconi Day, which recognized her many other achievements.
After her time in the Tempe school district, Socorro created I’Tom Escuela (Yaqui and Spanish for “Our School”), a trilingual school that centered around cultural pride and served hundreds of children.
Later, she ran a domestic violence shelter that used art and cultural traditions to help women heal, and also pioneered a gun buyback program in Guadalupe.
So when Socorro saw Armando working to create change and equality for those with disabilities, she was highly supportive.
Quality Connections was inspired by Armando’s college roommate, Ben Sufcliffe, who had cerebral palsy. Although Ben couldn’t speak or walk, he was brilliant, funny, and incredibly driven. More than anything, he wanted two things: a girlfriend and a job. QC was built with that vision in mind – to help people like Ben live independently and contribute to the world around them. Ben was QC’s first webmaster and Armando had the honor of being his best man when he got married.
“My mom was a big fan of Ben and of what we were doing,” Armando recalled. “She even remodeled her house to make it accessible, so Ben could come visit our family in Guadalupe.”
Armando said his mom continues to teach him what it means to build something lasting, to speak up when it’s hard, and to never give up on people.
At Quality Connections, that’s the spirit we try to carry forward every day,” he said. “We help individuals with disabilities gain the tools and opportunities they need to thrive – not because it’s easy, but because everyone deserves the chance to live a full, meaningful life. Just like Ben did. Just like my mom has always believed.”
