Each year as part of the Annual Conference, COPAA honors the memory of Diane Lipton, a tireless advocate for children with disabilities for over two decades, with the Diane Lipton Award for Outstanding Advocacy.  Diane began as a parent-advocate on behalf of her own daughter, Chloe, who had been placed in a segregated school, separated from her peers without disabilities by a chain link fence.  Diane became an attorney for the Disabilities Rights Education and Defense Fund, where she championed the civil rights of children with disabilities.  She advised President Clinton on special education issues and helped shape the laws prohibiting schools from segregating children with disabilities.  In memory of Diane, COPAA honors individuals who are exceptionally dedicated to the rights of children with disabilities.

Previous recipients of the Diane Lipton Award have included Wendy Byrnes (2006), Kathleen Boundy (2007), Judith Gran (2008), Ellen Chambers (2009), Warren J. Sinsheimer (2010), and Joseph Tulman (2011).

Learn more about Diane and her accomplishments at the UC Berkeley’s website on the Disability Rights and Independent Living Movement.