Robert J. Krakow, Esq. has founded or cofounded many organizations that advocate for individuals with special needs and disabilities. In 2006 Mr. Krakow was a featured keynote speaker at the Autism One Conference. His speech entitled "
A New Revolution - Empowering Parents. Introduction : Carrying Forward Historical Lessons" presented Mr. Krakow's vision of the future for families with children with disabilities. Mr. Krakow is a Member of the Board of Directors of Autism One, Inc.
Bob founded the
Elizabeth Birt Center for Autism Law and Advocacy. Named after the beloved advocate and lawyer Liz Birt, who died tragically in 2005, the Center worlds to develop resources for the legal community to serve families and individuals, trains lawyers in the complex legal issues revolving around autism, conducts think tank to inject new ideas and energy into efforts to improve access to justice for families, and has provided legal support in many areas of law affecting people with disabilities, including the production of friend of the court briefs ("amicus curiae") before the Supreme Courts and appellate courts.
Mr. Krakow has also served adults and children with disabilities as Chairman of the Board for seven years of
Lifespire, Inc. Lifespire, formerly Association for Children with Retarded Mental Development, was founded in 1951 by parents who Mr. Krakow regards as his role models, including his beloved Uncle Harry Kamish. These parents, the original "parent advocates" paved the way for individuals with disabilities so that today there is a realistic hope that all people with disabilities can lead a productive and decent life.
Mr. Krakow also serves as a Member of the Board of Directors for Autism Trust, U.S.A., Inc., an organization that works to develop innovative residential supports for individuals with disabilities.
Mr. Krakow
authored the Foreword to
Lifespire: A Story of Advocacy by Kevin Rice, a newly published book recounting the history of parents who pioneered the struggle for supports for children and adults with disabilities.
Bob Krakow was a featured speaker in 2005 at the symposium on autism at the Deirdre Imus Environmental Center for Pediatric Oncology. He was also a featured speaker at the Defeat Autism Now Conference, the Long Island Autism Fair and many other conferences and events.
Bob was a co-Founder, and Chairman of the the Autism Action Network, also known as A-CHAMP, an advocacy organization that worked on policy issues affecting individuals with disabilities. Over the years Bob has been a Member of the Board of Directors of Safeminds, Inc. and the National Autism Association, for which he was a Founding Member.
Bob had a regular column in the international publication,
The Autism File, providing updates and commentary for parents on scientific developments in the area of research on the causes and treatment of developmental disabilities. See the
Publications page of his web site to download pdf files of articles published in
The Autism File.
Bob has also served in the past as a Member of the Board of Directors of the New York States Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. He is a member of the Vaccine Injured Petitioners Bar Association, the U.S. Court of Federal Claims Bar Association, the Association for American Justice, and the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.
