Mary Katherine Long, MHR

 Mary Katherine Long is a Special Programs Coordinator at the Center for Learning and Leadership, a federally designated University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities. She has an extensive background in disability advocacy and disability services. She currently delivers training in Person Centered Thinking and Essential Lifestyle Planning. Previously she was a Program Development Specialist at the University of Oklahoma National Center for Disability Education and Training where she was the project Manager for the Oklahoma Benefits Planning and Assistance Project, a statewide project which provided benefits counseling for Social Security beneficiaries who were contemplating employment. She also developed and delivered training to rehabilitation and mental health agencies in a variety of areas including disability and employment law, best practices in employment services and vocational issues for people with disabilities.  She has also worked as an Investigator for the Protection and Advocacy Agency in Arkansas. In that capacity she investigated abuse, neglect and exploitation in residential care facilities, nursing homes, treatment facilities and the Arkansas State Hospital. She began working in the disability arena when she went to work as an Independent Living Specialist at Progressive Independence, a Center for Independent Living located in Norman, OK.