To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the National Disability Mentoring Coalition has named 25 outstanding leaders as the first inductees into the Susan M. Daniels Disability Mentoring Hall of Fame. These inductees were selected for their demonstrated commitment to mentoring and for the impact of their contributions on improving the lives of people with disabilities.
We are proud to induct Alan Muir, Founding Executive Director of Career Opportunities for Students with Disabilities (COSD), into the Susan M. Daniels Disability Mentoring Hall of Fame’s 2015 inaugural class.
After joining the University of Tennessee (UT) in 1998, Alan Muir recognized the disconnect between post-secondary offices of disability services and career services at universities across the country. With Dr. Bob Greenberg, then Director of Career Services at UT, he conducted research to document this anecdotal gap for the first time. Subsequently, Mr. Muir co-founded Career Opportunities for Students with Disabilities (COSD), and became Executive Director. Under his leadership, COSD experienced significant growth, bringing together member entities including universities, employers, and U.S. Government agencies to focus on career employment of college graduates with disabilities. He has presented at universities, employers and many conferences nationwide. Mr. Muir’s previous experience was as a Vice-President with Chase Manhattan Bank for 16 years.
Mr. Muir’s outside involvement in disability and employment issues includes current memberships in Association of Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD), Tennessee AHEAD, National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) and Southern Association of Colleges and Employers (SoACE). In 2011, Mr. Muir received the Fred Strache Award for Leadership from the California State University Northridge (CSUN) Center on Disabilities at the 26th Annual Technology and Persons with Disabilities Conference. Mr. Muir also was the recipient of the 2004 AAPD / Paul G. Hearne Leadership Award, a distinguished and highly competitive national honor. Community service involvement includes membership on the Board of Directors of the Disability Rights TN in Nashville, TN and with the Delta Air Lines National Advisory Board on Disability.
