Summary

Katy Neas is a national disability policy expert and Chief Executive Officer of The Arc of the United States. She leads The Arc’s national office in Washington, DC and a network of 549 state and local chapters across the United States.

Her career spans more than three decades of work in disability policy, federal advocacy, special education, and public life, including leadership roles in the U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Senate, and national disability organizations.

Expertise

Katy is available for interviews and background on national stories about disability, public life, and how federal policy affects people with disabilities and their families, including:

• Federal policy and its impact on people with disabilities and families
• Special education systems, IDEA, and students with disabilities
• Disability services and supports in everyday life
• Public attitudes, disability language, and the resurgence of the R-word
• Disability inclusion, belonging, and representation in public life
• Nonprofit leadership, coalition advocacy, and The Arc’s national chapter network

For interviews or background with Katy Neas, contact The Arc’s communications team. For legal analysis on disability rights and major court cases, see Shira Wakschlag’s bio.

Career highlights

• Named to Forbes 50 Over 50: Impact (2024)
• Former Deputy Assistant Secretary and Acting Assistant Secretary, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, U.S. Department of Education
• Former Senior Vice President of Public Affairs, American Physical Therapy Association
• Spent 23 years at the Easterseals national office, including leading government relations as Senior Vice President
• Former Associate Director, Association of University Centers on Disabilities
• Former Legislative Assistant to Senator Tom Harkin and the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Disability Policy, working on the ADA and IDEA
• Past Chair, Consortium for Constituents with Disabilities

Education

Georgetown University

In the news

• Washington Post (October 2026): Letters to the Editor: How to speak out when someone uses a slur
• The 74 (August 2026): Opinion: Head Start Was Built to Include Children With Disabilities. Don’t Weaken It
• MS NOW (June 2026): “Clear violation”: Disability groups ring alarm on RFK Jr.’s new special education role
• Teen Vogue (May 2026): Opinion: Euphoria Season 3 Uses the R-Word in 4 Out of 5 Episodes So Far. It’s Making the Slur Feel Normal Again
• New York Times (Jan. 2026): The ‘R-Word’ Returns, Dismaying Those Who Fought to Oust It
• Associated Press (Oct. 2025): Education Department layoffs hit offices that oversee special education and civil rights enforcement
• Axios (Sept. 2025): “Heartbreaking” and “cruel”: Mothers decry Trump’s Tylenol-autism claims
• The Independent (May 2025): Uproar as disability rights protesters in wheelchairs dragged out of House Medicaid meeting: ‘You’re going to kill me!’
• CNN (Feb. 2025): Disabled Americans Fear Efforts to Roll Back Protections

Featured: National Press Club Q&A series

Katy Neas is featured in a National Press Club Q&A series on disability inclusion in public life:

• A guide to interviewing people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (May 2026)
• Elevating disability coverage beyond visual clichés (April 2026)
• Elevating disability coverage beyond outdated and harmful language (March 2026)

Download Katy Neas’s full bio (PDF)
LinkedIn: Katy Neas

Updated: October 2, 2026