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THE 5th annual ed Roberts awards
January 23, 2021
TheCIL is proud to honor be honoring several individuals whose work has increased awareness, collaboration, and opportunity among parents with disabilities, parents of children with disabilities, and our community as a whole.
THE HONOREES
Martin Paley
Joan Leon Award
Martin Paley was the CEO of the San Francisco Foundation from 1974 to 1986 and provided essential funding for TheCIL and other Bay Area disability rights organizations in their most formative years.
Brandon Young
Ed ROBERTS AWARD
Brandon Young has a decade of service with disability organizations such as TheCIL, Hatlen Center for the Blind, and Lighthouse for the Blind. He played goalball at the 2000 Paralympic Games, and now works at First 5 Alameda. He is a father of two young children.
Dr. Kara Ayers
ED ROBERTS AWARD
Dr. Kara Ayers is a co-founder of the Disabled Parenting Project, a peer-to-peer support network for parents with disabilities, and the Associate Director of the University of Cincinnati Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities.
Joe Xaiver
ED ROBERTS AWARDS
Joe Xavier is the director of the Department of Rehabilitation, which provides services and advocacy resulting in employment, independent living, and equality for people with disabilities. He is also a father and a grandfather.
Dr. Megan Kirshbaum
Lifetime Achievement Award
Dr. Megan Kirshbaum is the founder of Through the Looking Glass, which has provided services and advocated for improved national and international resources for families with disabilities for the last 38 years. Her role as a family therapist at Berkeley's CIL from 1974 to 1982 formed the work of Through the Looking Glass.