At the age of 15, he became a person with a disability due to a high school football accident that left him paralyzed from the neck down. Thanks to the values that were instilled in me during my formative years, I understood then that those voices of doubt neither dictated my worth nor my capacity. Her deafness gave her an opportunity to discover her identity, strengths, and personal growth with many positive qualities. Claudia L Gordon is Trustee at Gallaudet University. [2] Prior to joining the telecom industry, Gordon held various roles in the public sector from 2002 to 2017most notably as the associate director in the White House Office of Public Engagement, where she advised White House offices and senior officials including former President Barack Obama on disability issues. I want to take the opportunity to remind you all; just in case some" In the summer of 2019, Voorde returned to her hometown of South Bend, Indiana to support Secretary Pete Buttigiegs run for President, serving as Chasten Buttigiegs full-time body woman on the campaign trail. Born in Providence, RI #12. [26] She has served on multiple boards, including American Association of People with Disabilities[27] and Gallaudet University. | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy. Her mother immigrated to the South Bronx, in New York, so that she could earn a better living, and planned to reunite with her children as soon as she could. [15], Gordon was part of the Presidential Delegation of Barack Obama sent to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil for the Opening Ceremony of the 2016 Summer Paralympics. Like (316) At the time, she was in the care of her elder sister Mildred Taylor, a teacher. Facebook gives people the power. Prior to joining the Law Center, Benally was the CEO of a Residential Treatment Center for Native American Youth that successfully integrated Navajo culture into western-based mental health treatment.Benally is the current President of the Navajo Nation Advisory Council on Disabilities, a former Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor, and a former Member of the New Mexico Developmental Disability Planning Council. Rifkind is passionate about the arts and serves as Treasurer for the Chicago Cultural Accessibility Consortium. Pat spent 26 years as a public interest attorney fighting on behalf of the victims of employment discrimination. Join Facebook to connect with Claudia Kordon and others you may know. Claudia and her younger siblings were left in the care of her eldest sister, Mildred Taylor, a schoolteacher. She was also the associate director at the White House Office of Public Engagement. "Meet the Women of the Administration: Claudia Gordon." Claudia L. Gordon currently a political appointee with the Obama administration serving as Special Assistant to the Director of the U.S. Department of Labor's (DOL) Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP). Claudia is a Special Assistant to the Director of the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP). Disclamer: the number about Claudia L. Gordon's Instagram salary income and Claudia L. Gordon's Instagram net worth are just estimation based on publicly available information about Instagram's monetization programs, it is by no . Happy Black History Month! [28], Gordon is a member of organizations, such as the Alpha chapter of Delta Sigma Theta sorority[34], Gordon is a public speaker on a broad range of topics primarily pertaining to disability civil rights law, non-discrimination and equal access; grassroots leadership and advocacy; and disability, youth and women empowerment. Rifkind received a B.A. Maude Baggetto is in the Office of Public Engagement focusing on Women and Girls. Now, she has come on the inside to create change from within government. However, at OFCCP we are going to the public particularly to leaders and grassroots advocates in the disability community before we even craft the policy changes so that they can weigh in on our efforts and shape the laws that will directly impact their lives. At age 11, she attended Lexington School for the Deaf and learned American Sign Language (ASL) there. Emailus. kkitt1, Your email address will not be published. This political appointment made Gordon the first deaf person to work at the White House in a detailee capacity. Along with her Bachelor of Arts degree in political science, she also earned a spot in The Patricia Roberts Harris Public Affairs Fellowship, Golden Key National Honor Society, and Political Science Honor Society. She suddenly lost her sense of hearing at the age of eight. Philanthropic organization are vital to the work of advancing disability inclusion and access. As the first deaf black female attorney in the United States, Claudia Gordon recounts her childhood in the West Indies, her search for identity while grappling with audism in a hearing college, and her ongoing quest to create spaces in society for seldom-heard voices. After a year in service, she was appointed as an attorney advisor and later promoted to senior policy advisor for the United States Department of Homeland Security, Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties. Claudia Gordon delivering the opening keynote in American Sign Language at the 50th Biennial Conference of the National Association of the Deaf in Philadelphia, PA. July 6, 2010. [13], Notably, Gordon was deployed to Baton Rouge, Louisiana following Hurricane Katrina in 2005 where she served as the disability and elderly populations civil rights subject matter expert at the Joint Field Office (JFO). In 1995, she graduated form Howard University with a Bachelors in Political Science. She also is the first deaf student to graduate from the American University (AU) Washington College of Law in Washington, D.C. in 2000. Gordon is also associated with the National Coalition for Disability Rights , where she is part of their national governance. To get to know aboutClaudia, her career, and her inspirations read the following Q and A with her. In 1995, Gordon graduated with honors from Howard University. As CEO, Braddy created an independent living center that became a strong and growing voice for people with disabilities, and started the Living Well with a Disability Initiative. Log In. My work at Labor is with an agency called the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs. While in her eldest sisters care, Claudia suddenly developed severe pain in her middle ears and was taken to a small clinic. Claudia also answers to Caudia Gordon, Claudia Haller Gordon, Claudia H Gordon, Glaudia H Gordon and Claudia Haller Gordon, and perhaps a couple of other names. Being around other deaf children, and being embraced by a community taught Gordon that her disability was not the end of the road. Currently, Claudia is a Senior Policy Advisor for the Department of Homeland Security, Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties. Born in Jamaica, Gordon went deaf around the age of eight years old after she suddenly developed severe pain in her middle ears. How did you become interested in working for the Federal government? [10] While at WCL, she bagged the Myers Law Scholarship twice as well as the J. Franklin Bourne Scholarship. And I know they are proud, patient and ready to welcome me home when this tour of duty, in service of our country, is done. Claudia Gordon's birthday is 02/28/1948 and is 74 years old. sites@gsu - Blogs for Georgia State University. /content/aba-cms-dotorg/en/groups/diversity/disabilityrights/initiatives_awards/spotlight/gordon_c. Claudia remembers how she was treated in Jamaica after going deaf. Many shrugged off my grand intention as wishful thinking. Claudia L. Gordon, Member, National Council on Disability Claudia Gordon is a dedicated advocate for people with disabilities with nearly 30 years of versatile professional expertise, with a . Meet other fascinating administration women by checking out our post on Under Secretary of Commerce for Economic Affairs Rebecca Blank and our post on Assistant Secretary of Labor for Disability Employment Policy Kathleen Martinez. Assistant Secretary of Labor for Disability Employment Policy Kathleen Martinez. A domestic servant with only an eighth grade education, she literally scrubbed her way to America one garment at a time. She took her to a clinic and healers, to no avail. Claudia was a member of the Obama Administration from December 2009 to January 2017 initially serving as Special Assistant to the Director of the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) and then as OFCCP's Chief of Staff. Born in Jamaica, Claudia became deaf at age 8. None of the doctors did anything to really help or make clear what. Claudia Gordon is the third featured guest in the Council on Women and Girls: Meet the Women of the Administration series. Gordon is a native of Jamaica, graduate of Howard University, and graduate of the American Universitys Washington College of Law.Risa Jaz Rifkind, Member, National Council on DisabilityRisa Jaz Rifkind is a justice advocate who seeks to make change by shifting access to power and influence. I thought I was the only deaf person in the world. In 1995, she graduated form Howard University with a Bachelors in . She later went to the American University Washington College of Law. Its always a joy when I get to work closely with my boss, OFCCP Director Patricia A. Shiu. When I suddenly lost my ability to hear at the age of eight, I was taken out of school and kept at home to perform chores. It was there that I confronted the truth that passing legislation is one thing but actual implementation with enforcement is another. 2023 TV GUIDE, A FANDOM COMPANY. Recently, what has been new and exciting about your work? She assisted in the implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities in Emergency Preparedness, monitoring how Federal agencies worked together to ensure that deaf and disabled persons were included in emergency-preparedness plans. The information provided by WeCo (The Wehrman Collaborative, LLC) is not intended or designed to be used as, or take the place of, legal advice. This is long overdue. She currently serves as the Senior Accessibility Strategist with T-Mobile US, Inc. Claudia and her younger siblings were left in the care of her eldest sister, Mildred Taylor, a schoolteacher. This allowed Gordon to provide Direct representation and advocacy for poor deaf persons with a particular emphasis on outreach to those who are members of minority groups. Claudia Gordon became a consultant to the National Council on Disability, then joined the Department of Homeland Security. Foreign-born deaf lawyer uses opportunity in America to help those with disabilities during emergencies. Born in Jamaica, Claudia became deaf at age 8. Become a subscriber and support the site! Many shrugged off my grand intention as wishful thinking. She is also a Member of Disability Lead. Facebook gives people the power. In an interview she makes a point that there was a deaf intern working in the White House before her, and that there are currently other deaf people working in less prestigious positions in the White House, Claudia Gordon has been active in both the black deaf community and the broader disability community. At 11, she moved to the United States and attended Lexington School for the Deaf in New York. There were also those long road trips on the bumpy Jamaican roads to distant towns where healers would perform rituals in attempts to cure me. Pronunciation of Claudia L. Gordon with 1 audio pronunciation and more for Claudia L. Gordon. She is also the first deaf student to graduate in 2000, from the American University (AU) Washington College of Law, in Washington, DC. Claudia L. Gordon, Esq. Gordon went on to earn adegree in Political Science at Howard University, then went on to study disability-rights law and policy at American Universitys Washington College of Law. Thanks to the values that were instilled in me during my formative years, I understood then that those voices of doubt neither dictated my worth nor my capacity. Claudia Gordon was born in rural Jamaica. Accessibility Quick Tips WeCo's Accessibility Blog Updates WeCo's Network for VCR Professionals & Job Coaches, Manual Accessibility Audits and Remediation, Accessibility, Usability, and Disability Awareness Training, Accessibility, Inclusion SME Speaker Services, National Association of the Deaf Law and Advocacy Center, http://deafness.about.com/od/deafwomen/p/claudiagordon.htm, http://www.deafpeople.com/dp_of_month/Gordon.html, From Jamaica to U.S., heres the story of the first female deaf Black lawyer who advised Obama africainmatters.