Kathleen Deery

Kathleen Deery, PhD is an International Consultant in Disability and Social Inclusion. A former professor of Rehabilitation Psychology, she specializes in support to persons with disabilities and other vulnerable populations, serving as an international disability expert assisting international aid organizations, the United Nations, and foreign governments in promoting disability inclusion.

She is currently based in the country of Georgia where she supports MAC Georgia - a national disability program that works to transform the lives of the country's most vulnerable citizens by providing them with the resources they need and by strengthening the systems and individuals that give them care.

MAC has three guiding objectives to their work:

1. BUILDING KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS: MAC provides free, high quality training to teacher, health professionals, parents, ad paraprofessionals to equip them with skills and knowledge so that they can provide quality care.

2. INCREASING ACCESS TO RESOURCES & INFORMAITON: Access to information is often limited for parents and other caregivers in Georgia due to language differences and inability to access resources in the local context. MAC expands access by translating evidence based information into Georgia and collaborating with government agencies to identify, fit, and distribute assistive technology and adaptive equipment throughout the country.

3. PROVIDING OPPORTUNITY AND HOPE: MAC is constantly innovating to promote leadership and strengthen the capacity of persons with disabilities and parents through a range of activities, social media products, and scholarships for higher education to allow individuals to realize their potential as active citizens of Georgia and beyond.