Cory Nourie

Cory Nourie has devoted herself to the intellectual and developmental disability community, first as a direct support professional for men with autism, then, before joining Nemours in 2008, as a Training Coordinator at the Center for Disabilities Studies at the University of Delaware.

A self-proclaimed “data dork,” she sees herself as a liaison between public policy/systems and real life people.

Cory is a recipient of the Leonard L. Berry Service Excellence Award, the highest honor given to a non-physician at Nemours. She also serves on several boards, councils and committees. Among her commitments: She’s a co-chair on the Delaware State Transition Task Force for Emerging Adults with Disabilities and Special Health Care Needs, chair of the executive committee of the Community Advisory Council to UD’s Center for Disabilities Studies, and a member of the Community Advisory Board to The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (LEND).

Away from the office, you’ll find Cory spending time with her husband, two children, cat and dog in Wilmington, Del., and advocating for the public schools in her community.

Megan Pell

Megan Pell is a coach for the Delaware Positive Behavior Support Project at UD’s Center for Disabilities Studies.

Previously at CDS, she coordinated the Junior Partners in Policymaking Program, created and funded by the Delaware Developmental Disabilities Council. Megan has also worked as a transition support teacher and a secondary classroom special education teacher in public and private schools.

Megan views the CDS Inclusion blog as a dynamic venue for sparking new conversations about disability in local and regional communities. She’s especially interested in engaging people in conversations related to disability and sexuality, disability in the arts and the intersection of poverty and disability in schools.

Although Megan and her husband enjoyed living in Brazil in their younger years, they have found their groove in Delaware and feel lucky to be raising their two sons near so much family on the east coast.

Brittany Powers

Brittany Powers previously served as the Interim Director of Health & Wellness at the University of Delaware Center for Disabilities Studies. She oversaw multiple projects aimed at supporting the systems that serve children and youth with special healthcare needs, as well as families of individuals with developmental disabilities and autism. Brittany served as the CDC Act Early Ambassador to Delaware and is a current doctoral student in the Health Behavior Science and Promotion program at UD. She received her master’s in Public Health and Certificate in Health Education from New York Medical College.

Brittany’s passion for disability studies arose while a fellow in the Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and related Disabilities (LEND) program at the Westchester Institute for Human Development. During her training, Brittany conducted an extensive review on available autism screening tools and participated in a research study of caseworker knowledge of disabilities in the child welfare system.

When Brittany is not at work or busy with her studies, she can be found teaching yoga and enjoying time outside with her husband, Ryan, and their two dogs, Remi and Bela

Victor Schaffner

A longtime journalist, advocate and policy analyst, Victor Schaffner joined UD’s Center for Disabilities Studies as its director of communications and advocacy in 2013. Victor launched the Inclusion blog to engage the disability community, public and policy makers in a provocative discussion of issues with the potential to bring about positive changes in the lives of people with disabilities.

Before arriving at CDS, Victor was vice president of policy and outreach with the FloridaNEXT Foundation, a senior editorial writer with the Orlando Sentinel, editorial page editor of The Ann Arbor News, assistant metro editor at The Courier-Journal in Louisville, and the editor of Empire State Report magazine in Albany, N.Y. His began his reporting career in Chicago, his home town.

The author of editorials, blog posts, columns and op-eds spanning disability and non-disability related subjects, Victor’s many honors include the 2010 Florida Society of Professional Journalists’ First Place Award for editorials, the Peter Lisagor First Place Award for public service reporting, and Associated Press and SPJ awards for editorial writing and education reporting.

Victor lives with his wife, an artist, and his daughter, who has special needs, in Chester County, Pa.