BROOKFIELD, CT, April 28, 2023 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Laura A. Sullivan, Esq. has been included in Marquis Who's Who. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.
Ms. Sullivan is an attorney specializing in special education and civil rights in Connecticut, currently at The Law Offices of Dana A. Jonson, LLC, a firm devoted to protecting the rights of children with disabilities in the public school systems throughout the state of Connecticut. Diligently representing children with disabilities and their families who are not receiving the necessary services in public schools, she draws a sense of accomplishment from making a difference in their education and lives. Ms. Sullivan also frequently engages in pro bono work and provides fixed fees to clients to ensure that all families have the opportunity for fair representation and support.
A practicing attorney, Ms. Sullivan transitioned away from her successful career in corporate law for several years when her son was diagnosed with autism at age three and subsequently diagnosed with dyslexia and other learning disabilities. She used this time to advocate for her son's needs, as well as her two additional children, both daughters. However, she continued to utilize her legal skills by volunteering as a Guardian ad Litem appointed by the Probate Court as an advocate for children in the foster care system. She additionally began contracting as an educational surrogate for the Department of Education for the State of Connecticut on abuse and neglect cases to make educational decisions on students' behalf. After realizing how significantly her son's education and life had improved because of her advocacy efforts, and how difficult the special education system was to navigate, she chose to change the trajectory of her career in law by advocating for other families in need of the same help. Her very humorous son has since become a collegiate national frisbee champion and college graduate, maintains a full-time job, and lives independently and successfully in Boston.
In addition to her responsibilities at the office, Ms. Sullivan has frequently spoken publicly. She was a guest speaker for the Annual Conference of the National Organization of Rare Diseases. She has also spoken frequently for A Day in Our Shoes, a special education advocacy Facebook page with over 110,000 followers. Moreover, Ms. Sullivan has the ongoing opportunity to talk before local Special Education Parent-Teacher Associations.
Civically, Ms. Sullivan has been serving on the Board of Directors of Smart Kids with Learning Disabilities in Westport, Connecticut, and as a parent leader for its Fairfield County chapter. She previously served on the Board of Directors for the Western Connecticut Association for Human Rights in Danbury, Connecticut. She is a member of Special Education Equity for Kids of Connecticut and the Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates, a national nonprofit association. As previously mentioned, Ms. Sullivan received credentials as a Court Appointed Guardian ad Litem for CASA of Southwest Connecticut. She has additionally served as a mentor for the Danbury Schools and Business Collaborative in Danbury, Connecticut, and was an educational surrogate appointed by the Connecticut Department of Education. Moreover, Ms. Sullivan provides pro bono legal representation with Children's Advocates of Connecticut, representing immigrant youth that has been abandoned, neglected, or abused to obtain guardianship and Special Immigrant Juvenile Status to help them toward their path to citizenship. Because of her profound interest in reading difficulties as were experienced by her son, Ms. Sullivan has also completed a 60-hour training program in Orton-Gillingham Plus, a structured literacy approach to teaching reading most frequently undertaken by educators but she wanted to comprehensively understand the issues as well as the remediation.
In preparation for her career, Ms. Sullivan received her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science with a Concentration in Public Policy from Binghamton University in 1991 and a Doctor of Jurisprudence from the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University in 1995. She has been admitted to practice law by the Connecticut Bar and New York Bar and received certification in special education advocacy through the PELE Clinic at William and Mary Law School.
About Marquis Who's Who®:
Since 1899, when A. N. Marquis printed the First Edition of Who's Who in America®, Marquis Who's Who® has chronicled the lives of the most accomplished individuals and innovators from every significant field of endeavor, including politics, business, medicine, law, education, art, religion and entertainment. Marquis celebrates its 125th anniversary in 2023, and Who's Who in America® remains an essential biographical source for thousands of researchers, journalists, librarians and executive search firms around the world. Marquis® publications may be visited at the official Marquis Who's Who® website at www.marquiswhoswho.com.
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