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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