East Ridge Tennessee's Lisa Mattheiss Appointed by President Bush to National Council on Disability

NCD #06-519
August 23, 2006 

WASHINGTON—Lisa Mattheiss, a resident of East Ridge, Tennessee, was appointed by President George W. Bush to serve as a member of the National Council on Disability (NCD) (www.ncd.gov). The U.S. Senate confirmed Mrs. Mattheiss’ nomination on August 3, 2006.

Mrs. Mattheiss is the parent of a child with special needs. She is a Parents Advisory Council member/volunteer at TC Thompson Children’s Hospital in Chattanooga. She is the founder and executive director of LifeLine Ministry of Hamilton Baptist Church. Mrs. Mattheiss is involved with the board of Tennessee’s Parent Training and Information organization, STEP, Inc. (Support and Training for Exceptional Parents, Inc.), and she is part of the Tennessee Respite Coalition.

NCD is an independent federal agency making recommendations to the President and Congress to enhance the quality of life for all Americans with disabilities and their families. NCD is composed of 15 members appointed by the President and confirmed by the U.S. Senate. In its 1986 report Toward Independence, NCD first proposed that Congress should enact a civil rights law for people with disabilities. In 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act was signed into law.

NCD’s overall purpose is to promote policies, programs, practices, and procedures that guarantee equal opportunity for all individuals with disabilities, regardless of the nature or severity of the disability; and to empower individuals with disabilities to achieve economic self-sufficiency, independent living, and inclusion and integration into all aspects of society.