Bryan Dooley

Bryan Dooley is a graduate of Guilford College. While earning a degree in History, he won numerous leadership awards and scholarships, wrote for The Guilfordian, and worked as a Diversity Coordinator. Bryan was appointed by Gov. Pat McCrory to the NC Council on Developmental Disabilities, serves as the secretary to the executive committee on the board of Disability Right NC, and is a board member at The Adaptables Center for Independent Living in Winston-Salem. Bryan currently writes bi-weekly for The Huffington Post for his disability rights blog entitled Observations From Below. Bryan, who has cerebral palsy, is an advocate for people with disabilities. He began advocating from a young age, earning state and national awards by high school, including the Yes I Can award in assistive technology from the Council for Exceptional Children and the Matthew Graziadei Achievement Award. He participated in the Youth Leadership Forum and numerous youth groups, including the National Youth Leadership Network and the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD). Bryan chose to focus on the history of the disability movement as an academic subject because of these experiences. He completed the NC Council on Developmental Disabilities Partners in Policymaking program in 2014. He actively participates in the Advancing Strong Leadership in Developmental Disability Initiative, NC Post-Secondary Education Alliance, Disability Rights NC and speaks at numerous educational and disability advocacy events.Bryan can be reached at DooleyBG@Guilford.edu