Bethany LaLonde

Bethany LaLonde is an adjunct lecturer for the CUNY SPS Disability Studies program and a Job Developer for CUNY LEADS (Linking Employment, Academics, and Disability Services) at the College of Staten Island. As a Job Developer, Bethany supports CSI’s students and alumni toward achieving their career and professional goals. Bethany has also served as the inaugural CUNY LEADS Advisor for both Guttman Community College and the CUNY School of Professional Studies. Before CUNY, Bethany advocated for individuals with developmental and intellectual disabilities and their families as a Staff Advocate at Disability Rights New Jersey. While at DRNJ, Bethany participated on the Olmstead litigation initiative to close the state-run developmental centers in New Jersey. She also worked on other projects to advocate for individuals institutionalized in state-run hospitals, developmental centers, and nursing facilities. 

After seven years with DRNJ, Bethany crossed state lines to work for Disability Rights New York (DRNY) in Brooklyn as a CAP Advocate, where she assisted individuals with their vocational rehabilitation services and supports through ACCES-VR and the New York State Commission for the Blind. Bethany also conducted audits of Social Security Rep Payee agencies and sheltered workshops throughout New York City and Long Island. Bethany has a BS in Human Services with a Minor in Sociology from Cazenovia College and a Masters in Social Work from Rutgers University.