April 9, 2009

Professor Kim Dayton named honorary member of Special Needs Alliance

William Mitchell Professor A. Kimberley Dayton is one of four law school professors in the nation who were recently selected as an honorary member of the Special Needs Alliance.

Established in 2002, the Special Needs Alliance (SNA) is a non-profit collective of many of the country’s leading disability and public benefits attorneys. Currently in 48 states, SNA members work to secure Medicaid and other public benefits for individuals with special needs.

The SNA’s mission is to help enhance the quality of life for people with disabilities by coordinating private resources with public benefit programs through special needs planning and trusts. Membership to SNA is selective and competitive, and is extended by invitation only. Attorneys must meet specific criteria, including a minimum number of years of practice in the special needs area and proven involvement with disability advocacy organizations.

Dayton is an internationally respected authority on elder law. As director of Mitchell’s Center for Elder Justice & Policy, she facilitates the center’s unique collaboration with advocacy groups to provide resources, technology, and information to help families, policymakers, and caregivers address issues faced by the nation’s aging population, such as elder abuse, housing, health care, and grandparent caregiving.

Dayton co-authored the four-volume treatise Advising the Elderly Client and founded the National Elder Law Network (www.neln.org). She also sits as a distinguished fellow of the Canadian Centre for Elder Law Studies.