Ms. Shelley Kaplan was the Co-PI and Director of the Southeast ADA Center, a project of the Burton Blatt Institute of Syracuse University, from 1991-2010. The Southeast ADA Center, funded in 1991, is one of ten regional information centers on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) funded by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) of the U.S. Department of Education. Ms. Kaplan is responsible for establishing effective ADA networks across the eight southeastern states served by the project to ensure the availability of accurate ADA information and technical assistance to facilitate voluntary and effective ADA compliance efforts.

Ms. Kaplan has authored three fully accessible web-based tutorials entitled, “Welcoming Customers with Disabilities to the One Stop Center”, “ADA Basics” and “Title II for ADA Coordinators.” These courses build awareness and knowledge about the benefits of full inclusion of individuals with disabilities into the rich fabric of American life. To date, over 20,000 people have taken these courses to rave reviews.

Ms. Kaplan has extensive experience in developing effective systems for the delivery of information, technical assistance, and training. Her experience in operating service delivery programs has resulted in successful programs designed to maximize independence and choice for people with disabilities. Her marketing skills have helped various programs become well known throughout the Southeast Region. Ms. Kaplan is a frequent speaker at national, regional and state conferences on wide range of topics including the ADA, AT, systems change, innovative information dissemination and technical assistance/training methods, and project management.

Ms. Kaplan has a Master’s of Science degree in Communication Disorders and is a licensed Speech and Language Pathologist. She holds a Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech and Language Pathology from the American Association of Speech-Hearing-Language Association (ASHA).