Carmen Chiappetta, PhD is the Outreach Coordinator for Porto Charities, a nonprofit in the Diocese of Arlington dedicated to inclusive Catholic education and meaningful employment for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. She is also the secretary of the GRACE collaborative (Growing Real Access to Catholic Education), an affiliate of the National Catholic Educational Association, and a member of the Special Education Advisory Council of the Diocese of Arlington. She lives in Northern Virginia with her husband and five children, the youngest of whom has Down Syndrome. All opinions expressed here are her own.