In an official White House press release, dated October 21, President Barack Obama announced his intent to appoint Rebecca S. Salon, G’75, G’01 (Special Education), to the President’s Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities (PCPID).
Salon is Project Director for the LEAD Center. Led by National Disability Institute with funding from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy, the LEAD Center – known formally as the National Center on Leadership for the Employment and Economic Advancement of People with Disabilities (LEAD) – brings together a range of organizations, thought leaders and best-practice innovators to expand policy, employment, leadership and economic advancement opportunities and outcomes for all people with disabilities. Salon has more than twenty years of experience with management of federally funded projects and has over thirty-five years of experience working with people across the spectrum of disabilities. Salon is also working at the District of Columbia Department on Disability Services (DDS), where she is the lead for DC’s Employment First program initiatives.
The mission of PCPID is to provide advice and assistance to the President of the United States and the Secretary of Health and Human Services on a broad range of topics that impact people with intellectual disabilities and the field of intellectual disabilities. Undergirding the Committee’s mission is the goal to improve the quality of life that is experienced by people with intellectual disabilities, by upholding their full citizenship rights, independence, self-determination, and life-long participation in their respective communities.
Thirty-one members comprise the PCPID, including 18 citizen members and 13 ex officio (Federal Government) members; a maximum of 21 citizen members is allowed. Citizen members are appointed by the President and serve for a maximum of two years. Salon joins School of Education staff member Micah Failka-Felman on the committee. Fialka-Feldman is outreach coordinator for the Taishoff Center for Inclusive Higher Education, and was appointed to the PCPID in 2015.