Andrew J. Imparato

Meeting of October 25, 2005, Washington D.C. on Emergency Preparedness and Individuals with Disabilities:
Is the Workplace Ready?

Andrew J. Imparato is the first full-time President and Chief Executive Officer of the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD), a national non-profit membership organization for the political and economic empowerment of all people with disabilities based in Washington, DC. With more than 120,000 members, AAPD is the largest cross-disability membership organization in the U.S.

In September 2005, Imparato was honored by the United States Junior Chamber of Commerce ("Jaycees") as one of "Ten Outstanding Young Americans" who are selected annually for their contributions to American society.

Prior to joining AAPD, Imparato was general counsel and director of policy for the National Council on Disability, an attorney advisor with the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, counsel to the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Disability Policy, and a staff attorney/Skadden Fellow with the Disability Law Center in Boston, Massachusetts.

In 2004, Imparato was appointed by Maryland Governor Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr., to the Maryland Statewide Independent Living Council, an independent policy body working to maximize the ability of Marylanders with disabilities to live independently. In 2003, Imparato was appointed by Senators Daschle and Kennedy to serve as a Panel Member of the Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Advisory Panel to the Social Security Administration. Imparato was also elected in 2003 to serve on the Executive Committee of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, the nation's oldest, largest and most diverse coalition dedicated to promoting civil and human rights for all people.

Imparato, whose perspective is informed by his own experience with bipolar disorder, is frequently called upon to write, speak or provide testimony about disability issues. His essay on the U.S. Supreme Court's rulings relating to disability rights appears in The Rehnquist Court: Judicial Activism on the Right (H. Schwartz, ed., Hill and Wang, 2002). He is an advisor on disability market and accessibility issues for Microsoft, IBM, SAP, America Online, Verizon, and other leading businesses.

Imparato graduated with distinction from Stanford Law School and is a summa cum laude graduate of Yale College. He lives in Baltimore with his wife and two sons, ages 12 and 6.

This page was last modified on October 25, 2005.