A disability rights advocate for 20 years, Candace Cortiella has provided training and advocacy services for families of students with disabilities, worked as a government affairs associate for a leading learning disabilities group, and directed an award winning Web site providing information and resources on learning disabilities. She founded The Advocacy Institute in 2000.

She currently serves on the professional advisory board of Smart Kids with LD, the Steering Committee on Implementation and Design of the IRIS Center for Training Enhancements, the Advisory Board of the UD-I TEACH Project, and the Research-to-Practice Advisory Panel of the National Center on Educational Outcomes. She completed two terms on the Professional Advisory Board of the National Center for Learning Disabilities.

As Director at The Advocacy Institute, Mrs. Cortiella can provide:

• Research and exclusive materials on federal education laws, such as the No Child Left Behind Act and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA 2004).
  
• Workshops that teach basic and advanced advocacy skills for parents and special education advocates.
  
• Expertise in the areas of specific learning disabilities, response-to-intervention, assessment and accommodations, high-stakes testing and much more.
  
• Expertise in developing and adapting materials to communicate with parents.

Cortiella brings her personal experience as the parent of a young adult with learning disabilities to her work as an advocate and consultant.