New Staff Announcement: Abby Schindler

The Illinois Council on Developmental Disabilities (ICDD) is excited to announce that Abby Schindler (she/her) is joining the ICDD Program & Policy team as the Compliance Program Specialist.

Schindler brings extensive experience in disability research, policy, and systems change. She previously served as a visiting research specialist at the Institute on Disability and Human Development at the University of Illinois Chicago, where she also coordinated the Family Support Research and Training Center. Her work has included projects focused on family support policy for families of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, lifespan development, and the dual diagnosis of intellectual disability and mental illness.

Recently, Schindler led the development of an online learning management system course on intellectual disability services to support accessible, evidence-informed training for the disability services workforce. She also currently serves on the Developmental Disabilities Advisory Committee for the Illinois Division of Developmental Disabilities.

Schindler earned her Master of Science in Disability and Human Development from the University of Illinois Chicago, where she also completed a fellowship in the Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (LEND) program.

She holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology, with minors in sociology and philosophy, from Bethel College. She lives in Lombard, Illinois with her spouse and three children.

ICDD is pleased to welcome Schindler to the team and the Council, which remains committed to leading change in Illinois so all people with developmental disabilities can exercise their right to equal opportunity and freedom.