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Bio Sketch
Updated 12.28.09

June Isaacson Kailes is consultant and a disability rights advocate. Respected and recognized nationally and internationally, she is one of the original national leaders in the Independent Living Movement. June is an Adjunct Associate Professor and the Associate Director of the Center for Disability and the Health Policy at Western University of Health Sciences, Pomona, California.

health, wellness and aging with disability, 

disability literacy and competency training,

implementing the Americans with Disabilities Act,

advocacy training and skills building (leadership development),

incorporating universal design principles into existing and new environments and products.

She serves on many national committees and boards, including the Institute of Medicines’ Committee on Disability In America and SBC's Telecommunication Citizens Advisory Panel. She has held many offices on the boards of the National Council for Independent Living (NCIL), and the California Foundation of Independent Living Centers. As a presidential appointee to the United States Access Board from 1995 - 2003, she served as its chair and vice chair. The Board develops and maintains accessibility requirements for the built environment, transit vehicles, telecommunications equipment, and for electronic and information technology.

June is the recipient of many honors and awards and has published widely on disability-related topics including numerous articles, book chapters, monographs and training manuals. Her popular books include: A Guide to Planning Accessible Meetings, Americans with Disabilities Act Compliance Guide for Organizations, Be a Savvy Health Care Consumer, Your Life May Depend on It!, Health, Wellness, and Aging with Disability, Living and Lasting on Shaky Ground: an Earthquake Preparedness Guide for People with Disabilities, Emergency Evacuation Preparedness: Taking Responsibility for Your Safety - a Guide for People with Disabilities and Other Activity Limitations, and Southern California Wildfires After Action Report

During her eight years as Executive Director of the Westside Center for Independent Living (WCIL) in Los Angeles, the organization was honored as one of the largest and most respected independent living centers in the United States. Through a variety of advocacy activities, support services and training programs, WCIL assists people with disabilities to live self-sufficiently and productively in the community.

Prior to joining the WCIL staff, June served as a WCIL founding member and a member of its board of directors. She worked as a psychiatric social worker at Olive View Community Mental Health Center, and as a medical social worker at Rancho Los Amigos Medical Center in Los Angeles. June serves  as a field instructor for Fellows from the Doctorate program at University of Southern California (USC) School of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy. She also served as an Assistant Clinical Professor and Field Instructor for interns in the Community Organization, Planning and Administration Program of the USC Graduate School of Social Work. 

June earned a Masters degree in Social Work from USC and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Hofstra University.