Ari Ne’eman  will discuss the history of disability policy in the United States, how social attitudes and government policy towards people with disabilities has changed over the last fifty years and articulate how policymakers, activists and others can help set the stage for a more inclusive 21st century America.

Ari Ne'eman, UMBC and Sondheim Public Affairs Scholars alumnus (Political Science ‘10) is President and Co-Founder of the Autistic Self Advocacy Network, a national advocacy organization run by and for autistic Americans. Mr. Ne'eman recently completed a 5 year term as one of President Obama's appointees to the National Council on Disability. Earlier this year, Ne’eman was awarded the $100,000 Ruderman Prize, which recognizes an individual who has made extraordinary contributions to the inclusion of people with disabilities in the Jewish world and the greater public.