Marissa Pangle combines lived experience as an autistic adult with nearly twenty years of professional work in the disability field. Diagnosed with autism at 33 and raised alongside triplet brothers with disabilities, she understands disability from personal, family, and professional perspectives. Since 2015, she has worked in Medicaid Waiver behavior support, giving her sustained insight into how services and systems affect autonomy, communication, relationships, and daily life.

Her expertise brings together behavior support, sexuality education, and individualized learning. She holds a master’s degree in behavior analysis and is currently completing her dissertation for a PhD in Clinical Sexology. Marissa is an AASECT Certified Sexuality Educator and AASECT Approved Continuing Education Provider. This interdisciplinary foundation allows her to make complex topics clear, concrete, and relevant to everyday life.

As the founder of Independent Pathways, Marissa develops education, curricula, consultation, and professional training grounded in access, autonomy, dignity, and informed choice. Her approach challenges infantilization and expectations based primarily on diagnosis by focusing on the whole person. She believes disabled people deserve accurate information and practical knowledge they can use to make decisions about their own lives.