As the White House disability maven, Dale ensures that the Obama administration's policies make life better for the 54 million Americans living with disabilities.
Dale, who is legally blind, first met then-State Senator Obama as a young law student. Years later, his involvement with the Obama campaign led him to a job in the White House.
Dale's role has him working with both the White House Domestic Policy Council to improve the lives of Americans with disabilities, and in the White House Office of Public Engagement on outreach to that same group.
In His Own Words
"We need to make sure that people with disabilities are not left behind."
Career History: Disability Coordinator, Obama for America (2008 to 2009); Attorney and founder, Dale Law Group (2007 to 2008); Attorney, Winston and Strawn (1999 to 2007)
Birthday: November 17, 1973
Hometown: Chicago, Ill.
Alma Mater: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, B.A. (Advertising), 1995; University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, J.D- M.B.A., 1999
Path to Power
Dale grew up in Chicago. At birth, Dale was diagnosed with the eye disease retinitis pigmentosa and later with keritaconis.
Though he could see well during childhood, his retinitis pigmentosa caused macular degeneration, which slowly robbed Dale of most of his sight.
In college at the University of Illinois, Dale had to record classes on tapes, then listen to them again to Braille out the notes. "It would take me about twice as long to do the work," he said.
Meeting Obama
Dale continued on to U of I's law school, where in 1998, he became the president of the Black Law Students' Association.
That year, he brought a speaker to the group, a young, state senator named Barack Obama. The two would keep in touch.
Law Practice
In 1999, when Dale earned his J.D., he was hired at the prominent Chicago law firm Winston and Strawn. There, he worked in corporate litigation on contract, fraud and products liability cases.
He also made time to do work in the common good. "I got in the courtroom pretty early because I did a lot of pro bono work," he said.
But Dale could never relax in the corporate world. "It's very difficult being a person with a disability working in corporate America," he said. "You are constantly under increasing pressure to prove yourself every day."
"It's not just accepted that you can do the work regardless of being blind," Dale said.
Frustrated with the corporate world, Dale struck out on his own, founding the Dale Law Group in 2007. The Chicago-based firm specialized in personal injury lawsuits, contract disputes and other general commercial litigation.
"It had always been my dream to be my own boss and have my own firm," Dale said.
2008 Obama Campaign
In the summer of 2007, Dale was speaking to then Senator-Obama. "I asked him a question about disabilities," Dale remembered. "He said it was a good question, and I should come help him figure out the answer."
Dale volunteered with the Obama campaign committee as an adviser on both the arts and disability policy committees. He continued to run the Dale Law Group.
In July 2008, with Obama as the presumptive Democratic nominee, Dale officially joined the campaign full-time as a paid staff member. He became Obama's national disability director and withdrew from the arts policy committee.
After Obama's November 2008 election, Dale assumed the role of disability coordinator with the Obama-Biden transition. Dale said his job was to make sure the new president would follow through on his campaign promises to increase accessibility and make sure his initiatives support those with disabilities.
In the White House, Dale is the special assistant to the president for disability policy. He is part of both the White House Domestic Policy Council and the White House Office of Public Engagement.
Dale explains his job simply: "To include and integrate people with disability into everything we're doing in this administration."
So far, he's been an active presence in the White House, pushing to make sure the voices of those with disabilities are heard on issues from health-care reform to human rights.
During his first year in office, Obama achieved one of Dale's primary goals. The U.S. signed on to a United Nations human-rights treaty on the rights of people with disabilities. Under the convention, the U.S. must guarantee people with disabilities legal rights to jobs, education and access to public places.
Reversing the George W. Bush administration's policy, President Obama directed U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice to sign the convention in July 2009. The date coincided with the anniversary of the passage of 1990s Americans with Disabilities Act, sponsored by Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa). The full Senate must ratify the convention.
Health-Insurance Reform
Reforming the health-insurance system topped Obama's list of things to do in 2009. Dale was only too happy to take up the issues, a crucial one for people with disabilities.
All the 2009 reform plans would eliminate discrimination on the basis of previously existing conditions. "That's critical for people with disabilities who get discriminated against when they try to switch plans," Dale said. He sees it as real progress. "Years ago it was thought that would never be included," he said.
Health-insurance reform is also crucial to allowing more people with disabilities to get jobs.
"There's a disincentive for people to go out and get work because they might lose their health insurance," Dale explained. Dale said the rates of people with disabilities who are employed are "far too low."
Many people with disabilities rely on federal Social Security Income (SSI) or Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI). But these programs are only offered to people with incomes below a certain income-threshold. For many people with disabilities, this means if they get jobs, they will lose the care they rely on.
The President wants to end this practice, which makes it nearly impossible for some people with disabilities to join the workforce. Dale explained the Obama administration's plan on a White House video, saying "Health-insurance reform is going to greatly assist people with disabilities."
"People with disabilities want to work," Dale said. With Obama's health-reform plan, "they can go out get a job and contribute to the society without losing their health insurance," he said.
Employment
The Obama administration is also committed to increasing employment among Americans with disabilities.
The effort started in the White House. Early in the administration, Dale ensured that the disability community had a voice in the president's appointments, and that people with disabilities worked within the administration.
The president issued a proclamation in October 2009 regarding National Disability Employment Awareness Month, and several agencies announced specific steps they were taking to address employment for disabled Americans.
Community Choice Act
The Obama administration also supports the Community Choice Act before Congress in 2009, which would put more Social Security money towards caring for people with disabilities in their homes, rather than spending the money on institutional care.
Dale took to YouTube to assure viewers that President Obama is a supporter of independent living for people with disabilities:
Technology
Dale is in line with the Obama administration's focus on open government through technology. But, he says, in developing new tools, the needs of those with disabilities should be kept in mind. "We need to make sure that people with disabilities are not left behind," he said.
Arts
Dale was the first person to focus on the arts in the President's Office of Public Liaison (now the Office of Public Engagement). Previous administrations had an arts position in the First Lady's Office, but Dale originated the White House arts post.
"For far too long in this country, arts have been an afterthought," Dale has said. "Arts have not been considered integral to educating the youth of tomorrow.
Dale passed the arts post to former actor Kalpen Modi in July 2009. Modi has since left the administration.
Dale's position is part of both the Office of Public Engagement, where he reports to Valerie Jarrett, Christina Tchen and Mike Strautmanis, and of the White House Domestic Policy Council, where he reports to Melody Barnes and her deputy Heather Higginbottom.
Dale works closely with Jeffrey S. Crowley, who heads the Office of National AIDS Policy and is a senior adviser on disability.
Dale was doing double-duty at OPE as the head of both disability and arts outreach, until Kalpen Modi took over the latter job.
Dale has worked closely with ex-White House Social Secretary Desiree Rogers on a project to reach out to the top 20 major museums in the U.S. about increasing accessibility for people with disabilities.
Campaign Contributions
According to the Center for Responsive Politics, Dale has only ever donated money to one candidate: Barack Obama. He gave the Illinoisan $2,650 in 2004 and $2,300 in 2008.
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