About Liz

Liz Weintraub is a member of the National Disability Mentoring Coalition. This prestigious group describes her as follows:

“A nationally respected disability leader, Liz lives and works in Maryland.  She is a senior advocacy specialist on AUCD’s policy team and is the host of Tuesdays With Liz: Disability Policy For All, where she interviews people involved in policy making and advocacy to educate grassroots leaders about policy issues in a format that is more accessible than typical policy updates from Washington. She has interviewed a number of high profile elected and appointed officials including Chris Van Hollen, Bob Casey, Tom Harkin, Pete Sessions, Tom Wheeler (when he chaired the Federal Communications Commission) and several other executive branch appointees.

Prior to coming to AUCD, Liz worked for the Council on Quality & Leadership (CQL), a national nonprofit that supports excellence in the provision of services to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Liz recently completed a nine-month interdisciplinary leadership training program at Georgia State University and also recently completed a four-month fellowship with Senator Casey of Pennsylvania on his Aging Committee staff, where she was part of his disability policy staff and worked with the Senate diversity office to promote more professional opportunities for people with intellectual and other types of disabilities on the Hill.

In 2011, President Barack Obama appointed Liz to serve on the President’s Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities, which advises the Secretary of Health and Human Services on issues affecting the intellectual disability community. Liz is also a past chair of the Maryland Developmental Disabilities Council. Liz also recently received the Dr. Cathy Pratt Award from the Autism Society of America which recognizes the Professional of the Year.”

On the Nomination of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh

Liz spoke before the Senate Committee hearing on September 8, 2018 to her concerns about the prospect of a nominee with the judicial record that documented Justice Kavanaugh’s decision making approach to the law and the dangers it posed to people with disabilities. Watch the C-Span clip:

On Health Care and People with Disabilities

There are gaps in health care for people with disabilities. Liz discusses these concerns with Tim Shriver, chairman of Special Olympics.

On Justice

The Institute on Community Integration at the University of Minnesota featured Liz in their National Goals 2015 project. This series is a product of the National Goals in Research, Policy, and Practice meeting in 2015. The goal of this meeting is to advance a research agenda that will influence policy and practice for and with people with intellectual and developmental disabilities over the next 10 years. Watch her video clip:

Tuesdays with Liz

The Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD) features a regular program hosted by Liz. Their YouTube channel has updated recordings of this informative program. Watch the latest HERE.