Cheryl Bates-Harris from Rising Sun, Maryland, was appointed by President W. Bush to serve on the Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Advisory Panel in 2004. The passage of the Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act (the Act) in 1999 represented the culmination of efforts by diverse stakeholders who recognized the importance of removing barriers to employment and labor market activity for individuals with disabilities. Their contributions to federal policies of a fully inclusive workforce benefit not only the individuals themselves, but also employers, communities, and our nations economy.

Cheryl is a Senior Disability Advocacy Specialist for the National Disability Rights Network, where she has over 20 years experience and expertise working with people with disabilities. She has an indepth knowledge of cross disability issues and continues to focus on employment issues of people with disabilities, including Vocational Rehabilitation, Social Security and Return to Work, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, and other work programs that impact people with disabilities, including Department of Labor One-Stops. Since the passage of Ticket to Work and Work Incentive Improvement Act she has conducted national training on the Act and Vocational Rehabilitation Services and has conducted extensive training on the intersection issues of the Ticket to Work program with state vocational rehabilitation services. Cheryl currently co-chairs the Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD) Work Incentives Implementation Task Force and the CCD Employment and Training Task Force and is an active member of the CCD Social Security Task Force. She is proud to be part of the effort to advance a comprehensive vision of employment and economic self-sufficiency for current and future generations of youth and adults with disabilities.