Linda Rolfe

Associate

Linda Rolfe retired as the Director of the Division of Developmental Disabilities in Washington State in March, 2013.  She has worked in the field of developmental disabilities for over 45 years.  In her career Linda has been a PASS and PASSING Team Leader and PASS/PASSING Workshop Coordinator.  She presided over the development of guidelines for Washington State service providers that establishes six (6) benefits expected from the delivery of services including Health and Safety, Power and Choice, Status and Respect, Relationships, Integration and Competence.  She directed the development and implementation of the Working Age Adult Policy in Washington that establishes the expectation that every person with disabilities can be employed and has the right and responsibility to be employed.

Linda has consulted with several states on employment issues for people with disabilities.  She works with the Office of Disability Employment Policy in the US Department of Labor as a subject matter expert for the Employment First State Leadership Mentoring Project (EFSLMP) and the national Advisory Committee on Increasing Competitive Integrated Employment for Individuals with Disabilities (ACICIEID) required by Congress in the Workforce Innovation and Opportunities Act (WIOA).  She currently works with the Compliance Administrator of the Jackson v. Los Lunas lawsuit in New Mexico as a Subject Matter Expert (SME) for employment of people with disabilities. Linda is the author of an article, “Employment in Washington State,” published by the Alliance for Full Participation and in the Community Services Reporter, Volume 17, Number 4 published by the National Association of State Directors of Developmental Disabilities.  She has authored articles on the importance of employment for Australia and New Zealand.  She received the Ben Censoni Award from the National Association of State Directors of Developmental Disabilities Services (NASDDDS), the 2011 Torch Award from APSE, the national Association of People Supporting Employment First, and a 2013 lifetime achievement award from Provail of Washington State.