User:Socialworkstudent/Michael J. Beattie

Michael J. Beattie (born January 29, 1967) is an American (social worker?) known for his advocacy of disability rights, and for his work in voting rights, and internal law. Beattie was born with "a rare eye condition" (find out more? Which one?)

Non-Profit Organizations Beattie founded the National Coalition for Students with Disabilities in 1995 and served as its Executive Director until 2004. NCSD brought together collegiate disability rights groups on college campuses across the United States to work together on legislative issues, leadership development, fundraising, and scholarship. Through grassroots organizing, Beattie enabled students to have a voice in Congress. Prior to NCSD, students joined organizations based on their type of disability such as vision or hearing.

As an employee of TASH, Beattie participated in Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities, and in 1996, Beattie wrote the organization's white paper on the Presidential election issues. He worked again with CCD from 1995-2004. On Alexandria Virignia, Commission on Persons with Disabilities he helped write the city's 10 year affirmative employment plan for people with disabilities.

He founded the Federal Dispute Resolution Center in 2000. His work is notable, because it became the first time a vendor in the Javitz-Wagner O'Day program was awarded a professional services contract. Prior contracts relegated contracts to promote employment of blind individuals had been limited to menial labor such as janitorial, call centers, and manufacturing office supplies. FDRC helped break down stereotypes about blind workers. FDRC solicited resumes from blind and visually impaired professionals and then applied for federal government contracts matching the skills of people in the resume bank. FDRC won government contracts in the areas of management consulting, human reesources, alternative dispute resolution, equal opportunity investigations. Beattie personally performed a small amount of the work requested by government agencies. He served as an administrative judge at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, an arbitrator for the Corporation for National Service, outside counsel for the United States Department of Agriculture, and a speech writer for the White House [UNDER WHOSE ADMINISTRATION?].

In 2004, Beattie ran for a seat in the United States House of Representatives from Virginia's 11th Congressional District and lost in the Democratic primary.

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