Gary C. Norman, Esq. Is the Vice President, Legal Chair and Spokesperson for the National Council for the Support of Disability Issues. He is licensed in Ohio and Maryland. He presently works for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, but his future goal is to establish his own firm that he is contemplating calling Public Access Consultants, PC. He foresees the firm will provide mediation and arbitration services on a range of issues, animal law and policy services, wills and estate administration, disability law and policy, services regarding elder access issues and transactional matters. His goal is for the firm to proactively recruit and hire attorneys and/or law students with disabilities.
In summer 2007, he completed a one-year term as a Fellow of the Leadership Academy of the Maryland State Bar Association. He equaled the lead co-author of the report that the Leadership Academy of 2007 issued as part of its larger project on youth violence prevention. To find the report, visit www.msba.org, proceed to committees, and, then to the Leadership Academy. As follow-up to the Leadership Academy, he was appointed to be a member of the Special Committee of Editorial advisory, which establishes policy for and helps to edit the Maryland Bar Journal.
He also serves on the Animal Law Section of the MSBA.
Being a guide dog handler, he has direct interest in increased access rights. As such, he established, and serves as the CEO and president of the Maryland Area Guide Dog Users, Inc.
Under Norman’s direction, MAGDU has embarked to hold the first of its kind in the dog guide advocacy community, a series of one-day substantive technical assistance conferences to be held in 2008 through 2009.
Entitled the Canine Partnership Series, the focus of the conferences is to improve access issues and concerns through building community-based partnerships. For all pet owners or handlers, the cost of medical and general care can be taxing. This is particularly true of the handlers of service animals. To address this issue, MAGDU plans to initiate a two-part approach. Based on Norman’s article in the ADI Newsletter, MAGDU is creating a central fund for the extraordinary medical care of dog guides and dog guides in training. MAGDU is also endeavoring to establish an award to recognize the pro bono service of animal related medical professionals to service animals.
Finally, he has been accepted to be an American Marshall Memorial Fellow with the German Marshall Fund of the United States.
As a Fellow in this prestigious program that recognizes emerging leaders in the United States, he will travel to several cities in Europe to learn about Trans-Atlantic relations.
Norman serves as an experienced mediator for the federal government and for the Maryland Commission on Human Relations.
Norman’s future goals include, running for political office. Among other publications, Norman will have two articles published in the forth-coming American Encyclopedia of Disability History.
Norman is betrothed, and counts among his best friends and legal partners, his dog guide, Langer, an eight year old Retriever.