Dr. Zipporah Levi-Shackleford is the Founder and the Behavior and Education Consultant for the Creative Approach Development Center in Richmond, VA. Inspired by her experiences as a special needs sibling and parent she is a strong advocate in the fields of disability, mental health, and education. Zipporah is a consumer, a parent of children with various mental health disorders, and a sibling to a brother who is a consumer in addition to being a provider and advocate. She assists individuals and families with setting up systems and learning new skills to overcome challenges and behaviors that interfere with reaching goals and increasing independence. She also provides training to businesses and organizations to help them better understand how to support people with disabilities and mental health impairments and those who support them. Zipporah has a Doctorate in education and certifications in Positive Behavior Support, Disability Leadership, and Autism Spectrum Disorders. She has spoken and trained across the country on these topics and serves as the Secretary for the Arc of Virginia, Chair for the Parent to Parent USA DEI Taskforce, and Chair for the PAIMI Council for the disAbility Law Center of Virginia.

Lydia English received her master’s from Complutense University of Madrid in Spain, came to the United States to learn English, and decided to stay. Since then, she has worked tirelessly with the underserved population as a home visiting community outreach worker, interpreter, volunteer, and, most recently, as a disability rights advocate. Lydia provides training, education, and resources to families while advocating for equity and diversity. She volunteers her time and skills championing for the arts within the Hispanic community and raising awareness of Hispanic cultural and economic contributions in Virginia through the Community Network TV program “Hablemos/Let's Talk.” In her free time, Lydia enjoys reading, traveling to the mountains, visiting museums, attending plays and concerts, and socializing with friends. She believes that laughing is the best medicine.

Beth Klein is a Disability Right Advocate with the disAbility Law Center of Virginia and works in the Resource and Vocational Access Unit (RVA). She has worked in the disability services field for the past twenty-five years in a variety of roles including Advocate, Job Mentor, Certified Benefits Planner, Sign Language Interpreter, adjunct professor and Outreach Specialist. She spent the majority of her career working with individuals with who are Deaf, Hard of Hearing or Deaf Blind. Beth is also hard of hearing, a hearing aid user and fluent in American Sign Language. When she is not working Beth and her husband enjoy estate sales, looking for their next favorite BBQ spot and being owned by their three cats; Gallaudet, Noah and Lilycat Diana.

Rachel is a self-advocate who has several undiagnosed neurological challenges and other disabilities which she has dealt with and conquered in her life. She has been a Senior Disability Rights Advocate at disAbility Law Center of Virginia for 10 years, and has spent over 15 working in the disability system throughout the state including Partnership for People with Disabilities and Virginia Board for People with Disabilities. At dLCV, Rachel uses her own experiences and knowledge daily to help others who encounter obstacles with voting or Vocational Rehabilitation. It has been her honor to work with people with disabilities throughout Virginia. She aims to create a better Virginia: one self-advocate at a time. 

Sheba Williams was born and raised in Richmond, VA. She is a Norfolk State University alum with a Bachelor's Degree in Business Management, she has professional licenses in Cosmetology and Barbering, and is a Master Instructor. In 2012, Sheba began working exclusively as a mobile barber stylist, traveling to clients anywhere from DC to NC. Meeting so many people from different walks of life and being actively involved in so many community service projects, Sheba found that more people than she realized had at least one thing in common with her... a felony conviction. Her passion for helping others be more than a conviction led to her founding a nonprofit, Nolef Turns in 2016. The organization was born to be a support system for those impacted by mass incarceration but quickly evolved into a day to day fight for removing the policies and stigmas around a past conviction. Sheba sits on several boards to include Virginia NORML, Maggie Walker Community Land Trust, Richmond Black Restaurant Experience, Cannabis Equity Reinvestment Board, Commonwealth Catholic Charities Housing Development Board and is the Henrico NAACP’s Criminal Justice chair. She is the owner of Styles by Sheba, the Institute of Forgiveness and Sheba Williams Consulting. Most importantly, she is a mom of three young adults.

John Cimino is an attorney with the disAbility Law Center of Virginia where his work focuses on, among other things, Medicaid Waiver services and appeals. He has experience representing Medicaid Waiver members in State Fair Hearings and frequently advises members and their families on their rights when a member is denied a Medicaid service, or has their Medicaid services reduced or revoked.

Virginia Pharis has been a Disability Rights Advocate with dLCV since 2014. As dLCV’s resident “Data Nerd,” she became manager of the newly implemented Data and Incident Review Unit in 2023. Before coming to dLCV, Virginia worked as a Victim/Witness Advocate in Richmond City and also promoted the use of Advance Directives as a tool for recovery across the commonwealth. Virginia self-identifies as a person with lived experience in both mental and physical disabilities, though she finds it much more fulfilling to advocate for her clients than herself.  

Beth Klein is a Disability Right Advocate with the disAbility Law Center of Virginia and works in the Resource and Vocational Access Unit (RVA). She has worked in the disability services field for the past twenty-five years in a variety of roles including Advocate, Job Mentor, Certified Benefits Planner, Sign Language Interpreter, adjunct professor and Outreach Specialist. She spent the majority of her career working with individuals with who are Deaf, Hard of Hearing or Deaf Blind. Beth is also hard of hearing, a hearing aid user and fluent in American Sign Language. When she is not working Beth and her husband enjoy estate sales, looking for their next favorite BBQ spot and being owned by their three cats; Gallaudet, Noah and Lilycat Diana.

Elizabeth Horn has 45 years of experience advocating for people with disabilities. For 15 of those years she operated Disability Benefits Assistance, Inc. where she represented children and adults in obtaining disability benefits from the Social Security Administration. Since 2013, she has served as a Disability Rights Advocate for the disAbility Law Center of Virginia (DLCV) where she serves as the subject matter expert on social security disability programs, conducts social security trainings, and provides private consultations to assist people with disabilities who are navigating these benefit programs at all stages of life. Elizabeth brings passion and knowledge to this important topic.

Hank Bostwick has been advocating for kids and youth facing juvenile justice and education access issues since he started practicing law in 2003. In 2008, after serving as a court-appointed juvenile defense attorney in Alabama, Hank joined the Virginia legal services community as an education law fellow at the Legal Aid Society of Roanoke Valley, where he successfully litigated and secured private school reimbursement and other services in the matter of D.B. et al. v. Bedford County School Board, 708 F. Supp. 2d 564 (W.D. Va. 2010)—a leading special education case in the Commonwealth, which is routinely cited as enduring precedent. In Texas, where he is also licensed, Hank was the education and special education law team manager for Texas RioGrande Legal Aid. Recently, federal litigation in the Western District of Texas Hank filed on behalf of several limited English proficient (LEP) mothers of students with disabilities in the case of Garcia v. Morath, 1:21-CV-01011-RP (W.D. Tex. Aug. 29, 2022), brought about much needed changes to the Texas Administrative Code, thereby increasing the access of non-native speakers to language assistance services in the special education context, like interpreters and translated documents. Hank most recently served as a senior attorney for the Southwest Virginia Legal Aid Society. A former public school teacher, Hank brings almost two decades of experience to LAJC as a Senior Supervising Attorney for the Youth Justice Program, tackling barriers impacting local access to general and special education services and fostering statewide advocacy to improve the quality of education for all Virginia’s K-12 students. Ms. Taylor has worked in other capacities such as in state vocational rehabilitation with a substance abuse population and caseload, in an employment service organization and has led job readiness courses. Additionally, Ms. Taylor is currently near completion of her Doctor of Philosophy degree in Education with an emphasis in Educational Law.

Hannah Setzer is a Senior Disability Advocate at dLCV and an advocate outside of dLCV too. She has written three books, an exercise book, a memoir, and most recently a children’s book all about disability representation and inclusion. When she’s not working, she is working out at CrossFit, personal training clients online, or hiking and fishing with her husband and four boys.

Carol’s personal and professional experiences as advocate, provider, family member, and patient give her a unique perspective on medical advocacy. She served as the Director of Patient Relations/Customer Relations Coordinator/Patient Representative at three hospitals in New York and Virginia. She was also the Long-Term Care Ombudsman at Crater District AAA in Petersburg. Thirteen years ago, Carol transitioned from her role as a special education teacher to become an advocate after an emergency surgery led to a rare, chronic medical condition. She is now an advocate at the disAbility Law Center of Virginia. In family member capacity, Carol’s sons experienced inpatient admissions as babies and medical conditions as children and young adults. Over ten years ago, she moved her mother, who has dementia, from Delaware to Virginia. Most recently, Carol worked to get HB474 The Restroom Access Act passed in Virginia. She has a Master of Health Services Administration with a concentration in Management of Long-Term Care Services from The George Washington University and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology and Art Therapy from The College of New Jersey. 

Christina Brookman was a professional actress and teaching artist for over 15 years. She performed, produced festivals, created and ran camps, and taught children, both in and out of the classroom, how to use theatre to share their voice. She had to stop working in 2013 due to disability from chronic illnesses. When she is able, she volunteers for disability and children’s rights organizations, as well as produces and hosts a podcast called Speaking in Spoons: A Chronically ill Podcast. The Podcast is a platform for those with disabilities to share their personal experiences as well as a resource with interviews from professionals/companies that serve the disability community.

Rachel is a self-advocate who has several undiagnosed neurological challenges and other disabilities which she has dealt with and conquered in her life. She has been a Senior Disability Rights Advocate at disAbility Law Center of Virginia for 10 years, and has spent over 15 working in the disability system throughout the state including Partnership for People with Disabilities and Virginia Board for People with Disabilities. At dLCV, Rachel uses her own experiences and knowledge daily to help others who encounter obstacles with voting or Vocational Rehabilitation. It has been her honor to work with people with disabilities throughout Virginia. She aims to create a better Virginia: one self-advocate at a time. 

Joliefawn serves as an advocate at dLCV, where she works with clients to uphold their rights in higher education, survey everyday architectural barriers, and assist clients with employment accommodations. Her journey into disability justice began with personal self-advocacy and discovering the strength to speak up for herself. As a woman of color who is Deaf and has a learning disability, she faces daily challenges to overcome obstacles.

Twenty-eight years ago, Joliefawn was a 22-year-old adult in college struggling with her own learning difficulties, which uniquely positions her to understand the experiences of her clients. This experience underscored the importance of accommodations and understanding the law for individuals in similar situations

Michael R. Gray is a Senior Staff Attorney with the disability Law Center of Virginia, where he has practiced for the past 24 years. Mr. Gray’s practice is primarily concerned with helping clients create Supported Decision Making Agreements and related documents, defending clients against unwanted guardianship proceedings, and representing individuals to terminate guardianships which are no longer necessary.

Kendra Wormley is a native of Newport News, VA, and the RSA Transition to Adulthood Project Coordinator with the Parent Educational Advocacy Training Center (PEATC) since November 2020. She is a proud graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University where she received a degree from the School of Education in Therapeutic Recreation in 2002. For over 20 years she has worked with families, professionals, and organizations to provide support to students and adults with disabilities to increase their independence and improve opportunities to actively participate in their community. Kendra enjoys working with families to support them when it comes to transition planning for students with disabilities from high school to adulthood. Kendra does this through the development and implementation of trainings and resources for families and professionals and through PEATC’s YET (Youth Empowerment Transition) Council to promote and increase self-advocacy for students with disabilities. Planning for the future can be overwhelming, but the goal is to take one step at a time to get closer to the ultimate goal.

Charlotte Woodward is a young woman who was born with Down syndrome. She has had four open-heart surgeries and a lifesaving heart transplant. She works at the National Down Syndrome Society as the Education Program Associate. As the third registered lobbyist with Down syndrome, she promotes the passage of important state and federal legislation that impacts the disability community. There is currently legislation before both the House and the Senate of the U.S. Congress that bears her name: the Charlotte Woodward Organ Transplant Discrimination Prevention Act; Charlotte was also instrumental in the 2020 passage of Virginia’s Non-discrimination in Organ Transplantation Act. She is a Board member of the Down Syndrome Association of Northern Virginia and the director of DSANV’s Advocacy Program. She is also a member of the National Council of Self-Advocates, a member of the Arc of Virginia’s “A Life Like Yours” Self-Advocacy Alliance, and a member of the Policy and Positions Committee of The Arc of the United States. Charlotte is a recent graduate of George Mason University from which she received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology with a concentration in Inequality and Social Change. Charlotte’s studies and her work perfectly complement each other – as a sociologist, she examines the structural and systemic inequalities in society that affect the lives of people with disabilities, and as an advocate, she uses this knowledge to raise awareness and to affect positive change. She is a passionate advocate for the human and civil rights of all people with Down syndrome and frequently writes and speaks on issues important to the disability community. In her free time, Charlotte loves to read, write and bake!