Shira Wakschlag is the Senior Director of Legal advocacy and General Counsel for The Arc. Her work involves directing The Arc’s participation in disability rights litigation to advance the rights of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities nationwide, including cases pertaining to education, voting rights, criminal justice, and health care. Shira also oversees The Arc’s amicus practice, participating in briefs to educate courts around the country about matters critical to disability rights law. Prior to joining The Arc, Shira worked on civil and disability rights impact litigation in the San Francisco Bay Area as a Skadden Fellow at Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund, and as an associate attorney at a civil rights law firm. Shira is the recipient of the 2022 American Constitution Society David Carliner Public Interest Award; has served on the board of the Disability Rights Bar Association; has published articles with the Denver Law Review, the ABA’s Human Rights Magazine, and the University of Minnesota’s Impact Magazine; is regularly quoted in national media on issues pertaining to disability rights law; and regularly presents at conferences on a wide variety of topics in the field of disability and civil rights. Shira received her JD from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law, and a BA from Brown University. She is licensed to practice in D.C. and California.