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Student with rare disease, attending high school using telepresence robot, graduates in person

Aaron Phelps plans to attend Arizona State University online after graduating, and doctors once gave him a 10% chance of survival.

  • On June 5, Aaron Phelps, a senior at Rodriguez High School in Fairfield, California, graduated after attending classes virtually through a telepresence robot since kindergarten.
  • Doctors diagnosed Phelps with Type 1 spinal muscular atrophy at 2 months old, giving him a 10% chance of survival that his mother, Meri Stratton, described as dire.
  • Researchers at Stanford University and the University of Utah developed an experimental drug that kept Phelps alive through his first grade and beyond, enabling his virtual education.
  • Special education teacher James Maldonado started an inclusion club this year to build connections with Phelps; teacher Ashley Bryan said technology brought him "closer to us."
  • Phelps plans to attend Arizona State University online and work as a disability advocate for Disney, aiming to create a future where students like himself feel seen.
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Student with rare disease, attending high school using telepresence robot, graduates in person

Rodriguez High Senior faced the challenges of spinal muscular atrophy and graduated from high school, attending classes virtually through a telepresence robot

·Jackson, United States
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KCRA 3 broke the news in Sacramento, United States on Sunday, June 28, 2026.
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