Our Team
Alex Abend’s passion for special education was inspired by her youngest brother, who was medically complex and on the autism spectrum. After witnessing her family’s challenges navigating public spaces, Alex created Autism Family Night - an event that allowed families of children and adults with autism to dine out in an accepting and understanding environment. Over the next decade, Autism Family Night grew into a nationwide initiative, offering evenings of inclusion and community at TGI Fridays locations across the country. In recognition of her advocacy, Alex was invited to address the United Nations in 2008 for the first-ever World Autism Awareness Day.
Alex began her career in New Orleans as an ABA therapist for young children with autism and as a special education and disability rights advocate with Families Helping Families of Greater New Orleans. In 2012, she founded The Prism Project of Greater NOLA, the region’s first inclusive performing arts program for children, and in 2013, co-founded Career Symposium, New Orleans’ first transition-focused program for special education high school students, their parents, and educators.
Alex earned her undergraduate degree from Duke University and her J.D. from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, where she was a Public Service Scholar and served as Symposia Editor of the Cardozo Law Review. While at Cardozo, she organized the school’s first major disability law conference and completed legal internships at Advocates for Children and SkyerLaw. Alex was honored to receive both the Inspire! Award and the E. Nathaniel Gates Award in recognition of her advocacy and leadership in disability rights.
Alex lives in New Jersey with her husband, two young children, and their dog, Ellie. She serves on the Board of Directors for the Autism Healthcare Collaborative, an international organization committed to supporting the medical and psychosocial well-being of individuals with autism.
Publications: Alexandra Abend, Achieving the Promise of Assistive Technology: Why Assistive Technology Evaluations are Essential for Compliance with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, 38 Cardozo L. Rev. 1171 (2017).
