Curtis Richards
The Advocrat Group, Washington, D.C.
Curtis Richards is a nationally recognized leader in the disability community. In 2001, he formed his own public policy consulting firm, known as The Advocrat Group, with an emphasis on education, employment and health issues for youth and adults with disabilities.
Curtis has an extensive public policy background built over 20 years of service as a staffer in the California Legislature and inside the Executive branches of state and federal governments. He also serves as a Senior Policy Fellow with the Institute on Educational Leadership, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit organization dedicated to helping children, youth and families through improved education and workforce development systems.
Curtis served in as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services in the U.S. Department of Education from March, 1998 until January, 2001. In that capacity, Curtis administered more than $10 billion of national programs in special education, disability research and vocational rehabilitation for youth and adults with disabilities.
Before trekking to Washington, Curtis was Chief Consultant to the California State Assembly's Budget Committee where he guided strategy for legislative discussion, modification and adoption of a state-spending plan. As he did for several years, Curtis held specific budget responsibilities for key programs and department serving people with disabilities, including special education, vocational rehabilitation, aging & long term care, mental health and developmental services. And, from 1991 to 1995, Curtis served as an Assistant Director for Consumer Affairs in the California Department of Rehabilitation.
Curtis also has a strong background in post secondary education. He served as Consultant to a California State Assembly committee on higher education from 1985 to 1991, and, before that, lobbied for California State University students for five years.
Curtis is near completion of a Master's Degree in Government from California State University, Sacramento and holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Government-Journalism from the same institution.
Curtis has spoken extensively on disability issues throughout the country on a wide range of topics including the disability civil rights movement, the Americans with Disabilities Act, education of disabled youth and adults, and disability and employment. And, a freelance writer, he has a number of magazine, journal and newsletter articles in his portfolio, many addressing the same subjects.
Curtis has been honored for his work in the disability field. Among his numerous awards are: a 2000 Certificate of Appreciation from the Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities, a 1999 Disability Rights Activist Award from the California Foundation of Independent Living Centers, and the 1997 Lanterman Award from the California Association of Postsecondary Education and the Disabled.
Curtis has been visually impaired since he was a toddler.