Two new members join Alaska's disabilities council, leaving two seats open

Two new members were appointed Oct. 20 to the Governor's Council on Disabilities and Special Education, filling its Special Education and Protection and Advocacy seats, according to the council's Oct. 31 update. Don Clack of the Anchorage School District takes the Special Education seat. Dave Berube of the Disability Law Center of Alaska takes the Protection and Advocacy seat.

Two seats remain open: one for a Self-Advocate and one for the Alaska Commission on Aging. The council's 2021-2026 state plan allows up to 25 governor-appointed members, at least 60% of them self-advocates or parents or guardians of someone with a disability. Members serve three-year terms.

Chair Sabrina Richmond also named Art Delaune to lead the Community Inclusion, Supports and Services Committee.

The council met Oct. 5-6 in Anchorage, with members attending in person at the Atwood Conference Center or over Zoom. It had sought public testimony at that meeting on special-education services delivered online.

"While some conversations were challenging, I am genuinely excited about our direction," Executive Director Chelsea Burke wrote to members. She said the council is returning to the fundamentals of good governance and strengthening its policies and procedures.

Seven members answered a staff survey on the meeting. Audio quality and hybrid participation were the most common areas they identified for improvement, and members expressed interest in clearer voting processes and meeting facilitation. Staff traced one audio issue to a microphone and said they will work with IT on testing. Meeting materials will now go out two weeks ahead, with printed copies on request, and staff said they will focus on roll-call voting procedures and attendance tracking.

The council has begun discussing its priorities for the coming legislative session. The full council next meets Feb. 9-11, 2027, in Juneau.