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Alumni: Cathy Ficker-Terrill, MSCathy Ficker-Terrill graduated from the Masters program in Disability and Human Development at the Department of Disability and Human Development, University of Illinois at Chicago. She is President and CEO of the Ray Graham Association for People with Disabilities and past President of the American Association on Mental Retardation. Other accolades include a leading position in the President's Committee for Persons with Intellectual Disabilities and past Executive Director of the Illinois Planning Council on Developmental Disabilities. She also serves as a member of the IDHD advisory board. Internationally, Cathy has volunteered her time to help families in the Baltic States and Eastern Europe with the International Christian Children's Bureau. She has also helped set up early intervention, family support, and parent support groups in Poland with UNICEF, and has worked to reunite children with disabilities in Russian orphanages with their families. Cathy facilitated strategic planning in Saudi Arabia and Lithuania and has volunteered her time to expand self-advocacy in Japan and Cyprus. Most recently, Cathy volunteered with US AID to facilitate training in Kosovo with self-advocates and families. The following is a segment from the Spring 2007 Alert! Newsletter: Alert: How did you become interested in the Masters program in disability and human development? Cathy: Education is one of the keys to empowerment. The Master's program in disability studies was the perfect solution for me. I have always had a keen interest in public policy and this degree program allowed me to focus on disability policy while also acquiring information on adaptive equipment and new technology solutions. This program allowed me to network with other professionals in the field, as well as spend time with younger professionals trying to move into key leadership positions. Alert: How has the Masters program influenced your work/thinking as you pursue your career currently? Cathy: The Master's program has wonderful faculty. Key national leaders provide students with current data and information about trends in the field. Professors encourage students to think outside of the box and to leverage social change through public policy, administrative modifications, research, and litigation. The program has a focus on applied research. Students are encouraged to look at options in qualitative and quantitative research. Alert: You run a multi-million dollar nonprofit community service agency. What are the common challenges you encounter? What is your typical day like? Cathy: There is no such thing as a typical day. If your organization dedicates itself to continuous quality enhancement, then opportunities will always be at your door. The true leader embraces opportunities rather than focusing on barriers. Alert: This issue of Alert is on Families. Can you please tell us how do you become an effective advocate on behalf of families? Cathy: I started my advocacy efforts working with The Arc of Illinois. I was mentored by some of the greatest parent advocates in the early 80's. These parents taught me to listen to families, then design strategies, and then share those strategies with families before taking action. While working for The Arc I was able to travel from one end of Illinois to the other, listening to individuals with disabilities and their families. That shaped my advocacy efforts. In 1986 one of my children was born with disabilities and that too has allowed me to be a strong advocate to speak to the empowerment of individuals with disabilities. Section of this interview also appeared in an AAMR interview. |
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The University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities, 1640 W. Roosevelt Road | MC 626 | Chicago, IL 60608 | 312-413-8833
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