Candace Cortiella

Candace Cortiella has been involved in the fields of learning disabilities and special education since 1989. She has trained hundreds of parents in their rights and responsibilities within special education, founding and directing a three-person consulting firm providing training and advocacy services for families of students with disabilities from 1994 to 1996. From 1994 to 1995 Candace also worked as a government affairs associate for the National Center for Learning Disabilities, advocating for sound public policy on behalf of children and adults with learning disabilities. She directed LD OnLine, an award winning Web site providing information and resources on learning disabilities, from 1996 to 2000. Candace served on Virginia's State Special Education Advisory Committee from 1996 to 2000. She currently serves on the Board of Directors of Virginia’s Legal Advocacy Center (LAC), a non-profit established in 1999 dedicated to improving educational services and outcomes for students with disabilities in the Commonwealth of Virginia. She also serves on the board of directors of The Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates, the professional advisory boards of the National Center for learning Disabilities and Smart Kids with LD. In 2000, Candace founded The Advocacy Institute, a non-profit organization that develops services and products to improve the lives of people with learning disabilities.