John D. Kemp, lawyer and disability rights leader, is President & Chief Executive Officer of HalfthePlanet Foundation, a nonprofit organization promoting the values of the Americans with Disabilities Act, namely, independent living, social inclusion, equality of opportunity and economic self-sufficiency, through offline research, studies and projects as well online through HalfthePlanet.com, a website for people with disabilities, their families and friends in search of information, products and services. Before the for-profit Internet website was merged into the Foundation, Kemp served as Chief Community Officer for HalfthePlanet.com in New York City. A frequently requested Keynote Speaker and humorist, Kemp delivers 20-30 major addresses annually before conferences, conventions and annual meetings of organizations serving people with disabilities.
Prior to joining HalfthePlanet.com in April, 2000, Kemp served as the President and CEO of VSA arts, an international organization that provides learning opportunities through the arts for persons with disabilities, especially children and youth.
Founded in 1974 by Jean Kennedy Smith as an affiliate of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, VSA arts provides comprehensive programs in the performing, visual, and literary arts. These programs are implemented through a network of affiliates that spans the United States and 83 countries worldwide. Born with a disability, Kemp uses four prostheses, and is one of only a few executives in his field who has personal experience with a disability.
A graduate from Georgetown University in 1971 and Washburn University School of Law in 1974, Kemp has also managed a law firm that advised companies on state and federal civil rights, employment and education laws and policies regarding persons with disabilities; Kemp & Young, Inc. developed management training programs in addition to offering consulting services and editing and publishing Disability & Employment Reporter, a monthly legal and legislative newsletter for employers; served as General Counsel and Vice President - Development for the National Easter Seal Society; and served as Executive Director of United Cerebral Palsy Associations.
Kemp is currently serving a Presidential appointment as a member and chair of the civil rights committee of the National Council on Disability. Additionally, Kemp serves as Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD), which he co-founded in 1995. AAPD is a nonprofit membership association which promotes the political and economic power of people with disabilities. He also serves as a member of the non-profit Boards of Directors for several other organizations, including: the National Rehabilitation Hospital, the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, The Eric Fund, VSA arts and The Abilities Fund, as well as on the for-profit Board of Directors of HalfthePlanet.com.
Prior to VSA arts, Kemp was Executive Director of United Cerebral Palsy Associations, Inc. (UCPA), a national disability organization with a combined annual budget of over $500 million that provides services, programs and advocacy for peopl with cerebral palsy and other severe disabilities. As Executive Director of UCPA, Kemp traveled and spoke extensively to enhance the services of UCPA's 160 affiliates nationwide, and was UCPA's liaison with its National Corporate Sponsors, as well as top officials in government agencies, Congress, the White House and other non-profit associations.
Before joining UCPA, Kemp was General Counsel and Vice President - Development for the National Easter Seal Society. His ties to Easter Seals date back to his youth, when he was the National Easter Seal poster child at age ten. Kemp also worked on the Society's staff as a consumer advocate in the mid-1970's and served on its Board of Directors.
Kemp has appeared in a variety of forums to speak on civil rights, independent living, education, accessibility, transportation, housing, health care, employment, technology, and other disability issues, including:
He has testified before the following committees:
John D. Kemp
1875 Eye St., NW, Twelfth Floor
Washington, DC 20006
202-429-6810 v
202-429-6813 f
jkemp@johndkemp.com