Greetings I’m Jeff Rosen, Chairperson of the National
Council on Disability. NCD is an independent, nonpartisan, federal agency that advises the President, administration and congress
about disability policy. Fifteen members, all appointed by the president serve on the council. All members are part of the disability community. As the voice of the people with disabilities in the federal government we work to further equal opportunity, self-sufficiency, independent living, inclusion and full integration into the civic, social and economic fabric of American life. Let’s meet others at NCD who will discuss our work .

Hi. I’m Ari Ne’eman, NCD Council Member and President and co-founder of the Autistic Self-Advocacy Network. In our work, NCD strives to lead the way in addressing the needs of people with disabilities in finding practical solutions to the issues our community faces. In 2012, NCD reported on the problems faced by workers with disabilities being paid less than minimum wage in segregated employment settings. We worked with a wide variety of stakeholders in developing our recommendations and today we’re working closely with Congress and the Administration in helping to advance them. Also, dating back as early as a landmark report that NCD published on emergency management in 2005, the Council has been committed to improving emergency preparedness for people with disabilities, and we’ll be releasing a report later in 2013 that focuses on improving effective communications for people with disabilities when disasters like Hurricane Sandy strike.

Hello. I’m Kamilah Martin-Proctor, co-vice-chair of the National Council on Disability. I’m also the Executive Director and Founder of the Martin Multiple Sclerosis Alliance Foundation. One of NCD’s top priorities this year is supporting the ratification of the United Nations’ Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, modeled after the United States’ Americans with Disabilities Act. CRPD presents a prime opportunity for the disability community to raise awareness about the benefits the ratification Treaty would for provide current and future generations of Americans with Disabilities who wish to travel, study ,work, and conduct business abroad. Like all of our work, NCD’s policy positions are informed by the insights and experiences of people with a variety of different disabilities.

Good day! I’m Rebekah Cokely, NCD’s Executive Director. In addition to our Presidentially-appointed Council members, NCD also has a dedicated professional staff that carry out our day-to-day work. In 2012, at the urging of stakeholders throughout the nation, NCD published “Rocking the Cradle: Ensuring the Rights of Parents with Disabilities and their Children”, the first report of its kind by a Federal agency, and also my personal favourite (as the mom of a child with a disability). Following up on the report’s success, in April of 2013 NCD sponsored a Congressional briefing to educate Members of Congress and their staff about the issues faced by parents with disabilities. We held another forum on Capitol Hill, a week later, to review the progress made in voting access, ten years after the Help America Vote Act became law.