U.S. Commission on Civil Rights
Briefing on the Reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
(IDEA)
April 12, 2002
Bios of Briefing Panelists
Kathleen Boundy
Co-Director
Center for Law and Education
Kathleen Boundy, co-director of the Center for Law and Education (CLE), has an extensive background in education law, providing legal support and technical assistance to attorneys and advocates representing low-income children and youth. An attorney with CLE for more than 20 years, Ms. Boundy has played a significant role through legislation, policy development, and litigation in implementing and enforcing the rights of students with disabilities, including improved educational outcomes under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and Section 504 if the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Ms. Boundy has an M.A.T. degree in history, which she taught at a large public high school prior to earning her law degree from Northeastern School of Law. CLE is a national nonprofit legal and advocacy agency that strives to promote the right of all students to quality education and to help communities address their own public education problems effectively.
Barbara Cheadle
Program Coordinator
National Federation of the Blind
President
National Organization of Parents of the Blind
Barbara Cheadle is the coordinator of programs for blind and visually impaired children at the National Federation of the Blind and serves as editor, writer, and desktop publisher for Future Reflections, the publication of the National Federation of the Blind. President of the National Organization of Parents of Blind Children (NOPBC) since 1985, Ms. Cheadle was a founding member of the organization and served as treasurer from 1983 to 1985. Ms. Cheadle has served on numerous federal and state advisory panels dealing with education and disability policy as well as on the boards of nonprofit organizations that address the needs of, and provide support for, blind and visually impaired children. Ms. Cheadle holds a bachelor's in education (secondary, social studies) from Southwest Missouri State University, and has completed two semesters of post-baccalaureate courses in rehabilitation and education of the visually impaired at the University of Nebraska. She is also the parent of a blind son.
Martin Gould
Senior Research Specialist
National Council on Disability
Martin Gould, Ed.D., is a senior research specialist at the National Council on Disability, an independent federal agency making recommendations to the President and Congress on issues affecting 54 million Americans with disabilities. His current work activities include: fair housing enforcement, electronic and information technology and e-government, juvenile justice, and special education reauthorization. Over the past two years, Dr. Gould has worked for NCD on issues involving: assistive technology, special education, electronic and information technology; transition and postsecondary outcomes for youth, disability statistics, fair housing, and presidential transition planning.
Jeritza Montgomery
Special Education Teacher and IEP Coordinator
Thomas Stone High School
Charles County, MD
Jeritza Montgomery currently serves as a special education teacher and Individualized Education Plan (IEP) facilitator for Thomas Stone High School in Charles County, Maryland, where she has worked since 1977. She has experience teaching students with a variety of disabilities at the elementary and high school levels. She also provides consultation services to educators and parents with an emphasis on learning styles, behavior management, and curriculum modification. As the IEP coordinator, Ms. Montgomery is responsible for coordinating the special education referral, evaluation, eligibility, and placement process, as well as overseeing the development of IEPs. She also assisted in the development of the HIATUS Program, which is designed to provide students an alternative to disciplinary suspensions through behavior management, conflict resolution, and the development of social skills. Ms. Montgomery holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Maryland and a master's in education from Bowie State.
Donald Oswald
Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry
Associate Affiliate Clinical Professor, Department of Psychology
Associate Chair for Child Psychology
Virginia Commonwealth University
Donald Oswald is an associate professor in the Department of Psychiatry, associate affiliate clinical professor in the Department of Psychology, and associate chair for child psychology at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia. In addition to his teaching and clinical positions, Dr. Oswald serves as an editor for the Journal of Child and Family Studies and as a consulting editor for Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities. He has served as principal investigator for numerous research studies and has published work on a variety of child development and education topics, including the identification of students for special education. He has several articles currently in press on the influence of socio-demographic factors on the identification rates of minority students as mentally retarded, emotionally disturbed, and learning disabled. Dr. Oswald holds a master's of education in school psychology from James Madison University and a Ph.D. in psychology from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.