Shannon Edam is the Research Associate at National Disability Institute. She works closely with the research team on employment and financial empowerment projects at NDI, analyzing and presenting data. Shannon has worked on employment initiatives related to WIOA including the Workforce Innovation Technical Assistance Center (WINTAC), the Vocational Rehabilitation Technical Assistance Center for Quality Management (VRTAC-QM), and National Center on Leadership for the Employment and Economic Advancement of People with Disabilities (LEAD). She currently conducts annual reviews of policies and legislation related to disability employment in 50 states, DC and five U.S. territories, posted in the State Specific Policies and Data section of the LEAD center website.

She served as Project Coordinator for several years, supporting efforts to advance initiatives in inclusive Career Pathways, Apprenticeships, Performance Measures and programmatic access.

Prior to NDI, Shannon worked in direct services, helping people experiencing homelessness access medical and psychiatric care, apply for benefits such as SSI, SSDI, SNAP and to transition from living on the streets to living in their own apartment.

Shannon earned a master’s degree in human rights from American University in 2014 and a master’s degree in education from Lesley University in 2016. She studied abroad in Ghana, Cuba and Belgium, speaks several languages and is committed to disability inclusion. Shannon is a person with a disability and brings her lived experience to her advocacy.