A Semester at the State Department

Ricki Meyer’s (’16) Semester-in-Practice at the US Department of State in DC allowed her to advocate for individuals with disabilities.

Ricki Meyer (’16) has always had a passion for advocacy and a strong interest in working on behalf of individuals with disabilities. As a high school student, she started a chapter of Best Buddies, an international organization that provides social, employment, and leadership opportunities for people with intellectual disabilities. Last semester, she lived in Washington, DC, and worked full time at the US Department of State, where she completed a Semester-in-Practice (SiP)with the special advisor for international disability rights in the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor.

“In my work with Best Buddies, I learned about the challenges students with disabilities and their families face in schools, as well as the legal protections they are afforded within our society,” recalls Meyer. “All throughout college I kept this idea of advocating for people with disabilities in the back of my mind but had not yet determined how it would work into my career path.”

Originally from Marblehead, MA, Meyer received her undergraduate degree at Northwestern University, where she studied social policy and Spanish. After college, she worked at the US Department of Education in DC in the Office of Legislation and Congressional Affairs. There, she gained experience with appropriations and budgetary matters, as well as special education.

“Through my work at the Department of Education,” says Meyer, “I gained an understanding not only of how the federal government functions—both within and across agencies, as well as between agencies and Congress—but also of the federal roles in promulgating regulations writ large, and more specifically of integrating students with disabilities into other aspects of education policy at the forefront of policy creations, from grant competitions to legislative proposals.”

Meyer’s desire to gain a more in-depth understanding of education policy and how it has evolved over the past several decades led her to the Harvard Graduate School of Education, where she earned a Master’s in Education Policy and Management in 2013. Immediately following, she returned to DC and worked for the summer in the Office of the General Counsel at the US Department of Education.

Much of the disability field revolves around various pieces of legislation, including the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, Meyer explains. “Knowing that I wanted to pursue a career that depends on an ‘in-the-weeds’ understanding of this legislation, I felt it was important that I acquire the legal skills necessary to understand the intricacies of these laws and subsequent enforcement, in addition to the advocacy and legal representation processes, so I can be best equipped to advocate on behalf of persons with disabilities from either the policy or individual perspectives.” She chose BU Law as the place to gain those skills, and began her studies in the fall of 2013.

One of the aspects of BU Law that most interested Meyer was the SiP, an opportunity for full-time, on-the-job training in her specialized area of law, allowing her to learn the intricacies of disability advocacy, and to make important connections with leaders in the field.

She decided to pursue a SiP at the Department of State specifically for the opportunity to work with Special Advisor for International Disability Rights Judith Heumann. “I met Judy several years ago, and hoped that I would at some point in the near future have the opportunity to work with her,” says Meyer. “Once I met her, I knew that the best way for me to learn about disability rights, and particularly the overlap with education, was to work with this incredible figure, who in many ways established disability rights. The SiP allowed me to do just that.”

Heumann is a lifelong advocate for people with disabilities, and is one of the leaders of the disability rights movement. She has been a leader and activist within both government and civil society. She served as the assistant secretary of special education and rehabilitative services during the Clinton Administration, among other senior level positions, before assuming her current role in the Department of State.

Working with Heumann, Meyer played a critical role in establishing the first ever US-China Coordination Meeting on Disability. The delegations consisted of government and non-government experts from the United States and China who discussed the rights of persons with disabilities, including sharing how US laws protecting the rights of persons with disabilities have been developed and effectively implemented. Discussion topics included employment, education, the role of civil society organizations, and engagement of the private sector.

“Working on the coordination meeting taught me more about not only the roles of civil society and the private sector in the disability conversation (both formation and enforcement), but also about the role of disability in the context of foreign policy,” says Meyer. “Throughout my internship I also was able to broaden my understanding of the roles and internal operations of yet another federal agency, as my experience at State has varied in many ways from my experience at Education.”

While in law school, it has been important to Meyer to explore as many sides of disability work as she can. “Because my background has focused primarily on disability in the education context, I have tried to pursue other aspects of disability as well, as they are all pieces of the same puzzle.”

Meyer feels that the SiP has allowed her to expand her knowledge of disability policy. “This internship has prepared me for my life after law school by providing me an in-depth understanding of the Americans with Disabilities Act, in terms of development, implementation, and enforcement,” she says. “As I plan to return to disability work from the education perspective, I have a much more thorough understanding of the broader disability law and what it affords disabled people in nearly every aspect of life. I have also learned about various federal entities that exist specifically to carry out particular pieces of the ADA, such as the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Access Board.”

In addition to an understanding of domestic disability issues, Meyer’s work at the Department of State has given her an international perspective. “I am also now equipped with a better understanding of the rights our country provides to all persons with disabilities as compared to the opportunities, or lack thereof, in many other countries,” she says. “While the disability rights that exist in our country are far more advanced and inclusive than those that exist in other countries, we are by no means perfect: we have made mistakes and still have room for improvement. That said, we do have 25 years of experience and want to share with other countries not only the successes, but also the mistakes or lessons learned, such that other countries can learn from our mistakes and not repeat them.”

This summer, Meyer is in Boston representing parents of children with disabilities at Kotin, Crabtree, and Strong. In the fall, she plans to intern for the MA state educational agency and to take classes that are focused on her areas of interest, including education law and disability law.

“I am committed to pursuing a career through which I will be able to advocate on behalf of individuals with disabilities, whether through high-level policy or legal representation on the personal level,” says Meyer. “The combination of my work experience, graduate-level studies in education policy, and legal skills garnered through BU Law have provided a unique background that I hope will serve me well in the field.”

Reported by Sara Womble (CFA’14)