Joan Christopher is a native Washingtonian and graduated from DC Public Schools. She has advocated with and for people with disabilities in various capacities for more than thirty-five years. She attended Ithaca College and The George Washington University and is a graduate of the Georgetown University Law Center. ``She is the Coordinator for Advocacy and Self Determination, Research Instructor on the faculty of the Georgetown University Medical Center in Washington, DC. She has been in this position at the Georgetown University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (GUCEDD) for more than four years, and prior to that was a consultant with the GUCEDD. She specializes in training, and services and supports for individuals with disabilities and their families. She has an undergraduate degree in Secondary Education, a Juris Doctorate, a certificate in public management, and is a member of the District of Columbia Bar.