Steps to Independence - About the Author

About the Author

Dale Susan Brown works in Washington D.C. as an author, speaker, and strategic leadership consultant. Her most recent book, Job-Hunting Tips for the So-Called Handicapped or People who have Disabilities, was coauthored with Richard Nelson Bolles, author of What Color Is Your Parachute? She has written three other books; Employment and People with Learning Disabilities; I Know I Can Climb the Mountain; and Learning A Living; A Guide to Planning Your Career and Finding A Job for People with Learning Disabilities, Dyslexia, and Attention Deficit Disorder. Steps to Independence for People with Learning Disabilities was the first book she wrote. The Learning Disabilities Association of America asked her to revise it and she was kind enough to do so without payment of any kind. It is now in your hands. She has authored hundreds of articles on various aspects of employment, including many on learning disabilities.

She recently retired from a quarter century as a distinguished civil servant working in disability policy for the United States Government. In 1979, she started work at the President's Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities, where she played a key role in shaping federal policy to include services and supports for people with learning disabilities. In 2001, she moved to the newly formed Office of Disability Employment Policy, Department of Labor, where she served in the Office of Policy and Research as a policy advisor one key activity was leading a national effort to make Job Corps accessible to students with disabilities.

Dale Brown founded National Network of Learning Disabled Adults, which worked for a decade to develop people with learning disabilities as a political force. She served on the Board of Directors of the Learning Disabilities Association of America from 1986-1991, where she played a pivotal role in developing infrastructure within the organization to support adults.

She has spoken at over one thousand national, state, and local conferences and symposia regarding people with disabilities. Topics include employment, job accommodation, self-help, and other related issues. Every year since 1987, she has led self-help groups for the International Dyslexia Association.

She is the winner of numerous awards including the:

Voices Campaign Winner, Charmin Shoppes.
Secretary's Professional Achievement Award, Department of Labor.
Ten Outstanding Young Americans Award, United States Junior Chamber of Commerce.
Flemming Award for Excellence in Civil Service Administration, United States Junior Chamber of Commerce.
Individual Achievement Award, National Council on Communications Disorders.
Margaret Rawson Award, National Institute of Dyslexia.

Learning Disabilities Association of America
4156 Library Road
Pittsburgh, PA 15234-1349
Phone (412) 341-1515 Fax (412) 344-0224
www.LDAAmerica.org