What Tim Walz's son Gus Walz means to the disability community

CHICAGO -- In a moment that captivated a nation, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz gave a heartfelt shoutout to his family during his speech accepting the nomination for vice president Wednesday night.

"Hope, Gus and Gwen, you are my entire world and I love you," he said.

As the cameras focused on the Walz family in the stands his son Gus, who is neurodivergent and has a non-verbal learning disorder, stood up and tearfully pointed to his father, beaming with pride as he said, "That's my dad!"

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The moment of pure love shared between father and son moved many in the United Center and watching at home, and especially those in the disability community.

"To see a family loving their son for exactly who he is and him loving them for loving him for exactly who he is. This is my family. This is so many families," said Lauren Schrero, disability rights lawyer and co-founder and the Nora Project, a nonprofit promoting disability inclusion in schools.

Schrero founded the Nora Project in honor of her daughter, who has multiple disabilities.

"We don't frequently see folks with disabilities allowed to express themselves in that way; usually we're asking them to mask or not even bringing them into the room at all," she said.

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The Walz family has not shied away from taking about Gus. They spoke to People magazine earlier this month about his non-verbal learning disorder, anxiety disorder and ADHD, conditions that impact millions of Americans.

"This is the conversation that needs to be happening around disability everywhere. Disability is a natural part of the human experience," Schrero said.

She and other disability advocates hope the Walz family's openness about their son will raise more attention needed for their community.

"We have almost 2000 individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities institutionalized in the state [of Illinois]. It shouldn't be that way. It doesn't have to be that way," Schrero said. "Tim Walz is certainly not the first or the most vocal, but if he is a catalyst to more conversation around disability, all the better."