Ron
Amundson, Ph.D., is a professor of philosophy at the University of
Hawaii at Hilo. He studies the history and philosophy of science, and
disability rights. He is the Secretary of Disability Rights Hawaii, a
grassroots advocacy group.
Jared Blackburn is an M.A. student in
psychology at the University of Tennessee (Knoxville). He was
diagnosed as autistic in first grade, after being referred by a
concerned teacher (who thought he was mentally retarded). He has a
B.A. in psychology. He has research interests in the cortical
functioning (coherence, phase, and asymmetry) of people with pervasive
developmental disorders, and he hopes to become a
neuropsychologist.
Carla Bradley, Ph.D., is an assistant professor
in counseling and human services at Syracuse University. Her
professional interests include cross-cultural counseling, community
agency counseling and clinical supervision, and child rearing
practices in families. She has spent seven years as a practitioner in
mental health counseling.
Bud Cooney, M.S., is
currently a visiting assistant professor of special education at Le
Moyne College in Syracuse, New York, and a doctoral candidate in
special education at Syracuse University. He is a former high school
special education teacher who developed an inclusion model for
students with disabilities, transition coordinator for students with
disabilities graduating from high school, and elementary teacher. His
professional pursuits include: providing technical assistance for the
education of students with autism, technical assistance for the
education of students with emotional and behavioral disorders, and
support for students with disabilities and their families
transitioning from high school to adult life.
Jane Johnston is a teacher of autistic
adults at Rimland Center in Evanston, Illinois. Since she always
related especially well with autistic students, she wondered if there
was a reason for this. There is. Jane is what ANI calls a "Cousin."
Besides temporal lobe epilepsy, she has been diagnosed as having a non
verbal learning disability (in social perception), ADD, and sensory
integration problems. Jane joined ANI in September 1995 after being on
the ANI forum on the Internet for a month or two. A number of years
ago, Jane was active in advocacy with learning disabled adults and
spoke at a number of national conferences.
Rev. Nancy Lane,
Ph.D., received her Ph.D. in Religion and Psychology from The
Union Institute, and was a Visiting Scholar at Oxford University,
England, where she studied the meaning of suffering and healing.
Dr. Lane received a B.A. in Religion from Wells College, Aurora,
N.Y. and a Master of Divinity from the Colgate Rochester Divinity
School, Rochester, N.Y. Ordained to the Episcopal priesthood in 1984,
she served as diocesan staff officer for the Office of AccessAbility
and later became the Executive Director of Disability Awareness: An
Empowering Ministry. She is known as a national and international
speaker on the spiritual and theological issues of disability.
Dr. Lane is the author of numerous articles on the spirituality of
living with a disability.
Dr. Lane is also trained in Jungian psychotherapy and is currently
involved in a Ministry of Healing based on the healing ministry of
Jesus and the principles of integrative and holistic healing of body
mind and spirit.
Cal Montgomery is a long-time autistic
member of ANI and coordinator of the Autreat '98 Advocacy Track. She
is also a member of the Episcopal Church. In
addition to her work within ANI and writing for "Our Voice," Cal has
has also written for other disability-related publications including
"The Ragged Edge."
Cal is currently working with the cross-disability group Not Dead Yet and reading
and writing on issues such as euthanasia and accessible worship
practices, from a background informed by writings on the social model
of disability.
Emanuel C. Perlman, C.S.W., is cantor at
Chizuk Amuno Congregation in Baltimore, Maryland. A cantor is someone
who is a full partner with a rabbi in attending to the spiritual needs
of his congregation. Cantor Perlman specifically has an expertise in
working with children and adolescents, and counseling those members of
his congregation who are getting married or who have recently
experienced a loss. Through prayer, music, and dialog, the cantor
tries to find creative ways to be inclusive with all members of his
congregation.
Mayer Shevin,
Ph.D., received his Ph.D. in Psycholinguistics from the
University of Rochester in 1976. In that setting, he worked with
non-talking children and their families. He has worked as a
psychologist at the Central Wisconsin Center; an assistant professor
of Special Education at Cleveland State University; and a teacher in
the areas of positive behavioral support, advocacy, and communication
development at the Grafton Developmental Center and elsewhere in North
Dakota.
From 1989-91, he directed the "Home-made Futures Project," developing
person-centered planning resources in North Dakota and Minnesota. In
1990-91, he founded and edited "Talking/Politics," a newsletter
focusing on the political implications of communication rights.
Since 1991, he has edited the "Facilitated Communication Digest," the
newsletter of the Facilitated Communication Institute at Syracuse
University. He has presented many workshops and individual clinical
consultations on FC in the US and Canada. He works with individuals
with disabilities and the people in their lives to establish circles
of support, and with agencies seeking to foster such circles. He
consults directly with individuals seeking to progress toward personal
goals despite their challenging behaviors, with their families, and
with the agencies which support these individuals.
Bonnie Shoultz, M.A., is Associate Director of
Syracuse University's Center on Human Policy and of the National
Resource Center on Community Integration, both of which conduct
research, engage in information dissemination and utilization on
disability and community integration, and advocate for better systems
and treatment of people with disabilities. She is also a parent who
has many connections to the parent movement, and a long-time supporter
of the self-advocacy movement. Her research interests have to do with
parent empowerment, self-advocacy, and community support.
Jim Sinclair has been coordinator of ANI
since its founding in 1992. In the autism world, Jim is a writer, an
editor, and a consultant on service dogs for autistic people. In the
NT world, Jim is a graduate student in rehabilitation counseling at
Syracuse University. Bridging these two worlds, Jim has recently
completed an internship working with students with autism and other
developmental disabilities in the Syracuse City School District, and
in the next year will be an intern at the Center on Human Policy at
Syracuse University.
Susan T. Solursh has an Honours B.A. in
Theatre Arts and Psychology from York University, Toronto, Canada and
is currently an MASc student in psychology at the University of
Waterloo, Waterloo, Canada. Her current research interests involve the
influence of attitudes of others on outcome in adulthood for persons
with pervasive developmental disorders and developmental disorders.
Sue has Asperger syndrome and epilepsy, and has herself been the
victim of misdiagnosis and mistreatment.
Dave Spicer was born
in Connecticut a Long Time Ago (1948). He lives in North Carolina
with his wife Dove. He was diagnosed HFA/AS in 1994, and is
the father of a 13-year-old autistic son.
Claire Waldron is a special education
consultant, a play therapist and art therapist. She integrates
occupational therapy, speech/language, and play/music therapy goals
into academic, home and community settings. Claire is currently
self-employed as a special needs worker and has previously been
employed as a supported independent living worker, has worked for
Community Living (an agency for people with mental retardation), Camp
Winston (a camp for autistic, LD, ADD, and Tourette syndrome kids),
and Giant Steps (a school for autistic children). She has done
teacher training for children and adults with neurological
disabilities and numerous workshops for children and adults with
autism, learning disabilities, and ADD. She runs an adult support
group for people with learning disabilities.
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