Committee on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

Rooted in the Gospel values that affirm the dignity of every person, the NCPD Committee on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (CIDD) works collaboratively to ensure full inclusion and meaningful participation (belonging) of persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), of all cultures, in every aspect of the life of the Church by:

Missioning and visioning the direction of ministry with persons with IDD and their families in the context of the greater Catholic Church.
Providing resources and education for spiritual and pastoral support.
Serving as experts for Catholic Organizations and individuals in the United States.
Advocating for and with people with IDD and their families to promote meaningful participation and belonging within the life of the Church.

Visit the NCPD Intellectual and Developmental Disability and Autism Spectrum Disorder webpages for more information.

Lori Wieder

Chair

Special Projects/Disability Advocate at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church, Stillwater, OK

Lori converted to Catholicism when she married her husband. From that point, she has been very involved in her local parish in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Lori and her husband are the parents of two children with a genetic disability that causes intellectual disabilities and appears like autism in many ways. She has always had a passion for those with disabilities and began working in that arena in 1990. She has worked as a case manager for individuals with Intellectual Disabilities (many with a dual diagnosis of Intellectual Disability/Mental Illness), a special education teacher, and a consultant. She currently serves as a Disability Advocate at her parish, St. Francis Xavier in Stillwater. She earned her B.A. in Psychology at Oklahoma State, an M.Ed. in Community Counseling from the University of Central Oklahoma, an M.S. in Teaching English as a Second Language, and an M.S. in Special Education both from Oklahoma State University.

Kevin Johnson

NCPD Board Liaison

Kevin C. Johnson’s career in the field of developmental disabilities began in 2001, when he and his wife, Amanda, moved to Florida as AmeriCorps volunteers through Catholic Volunteers in Florida. They started as live-in direct support professionals at group homes operated by Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Palm Beach. Kevin and his wife were promoted to co-administrator of the program. In 2004 Kevin joined Magnify of Central Florida, a ministry of the Diocese of Orlando as the Resident / Staff Development Director where he also provided supported employment services to residents of Bishop Grady Villas. By 2008, he was appointed Executive Director, a role he has held since, significantly expanding the program to serve over 600 individuals annually.

Throughout his career, Kevin has been an active participant on several boards that focus on disability services. He has served on the Catholic Disability Foundation, chaired the Florida Association of Rehabilitation Facilities, and led Catholic Volunteers in Florida. His deep expertise in the field was recognized through appointments to the Florida Developmental Disabilities Council by Governor Rick Scott and later reappointment by Governor Ron DeSantis, during which he was elected chair for two terms. Kevin is also an active board member of Morning Star Catholic School and a member of the Knights of Columbus.

Kevin is a founding member of Corpus Christi Catholic Church in Celebration, where he resides with his wife and two children.

Kelsey Bell

Council on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (CIDD)

Kelsey has served as the Coordinator of the Office for People with Disabilities for the Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon since the fall of 2016. She strives to help parishes become places of belonging where all can actively participate. Kelsey holds a BA in Social Work and Spanish and a MA in Pastoral Ministry, both from the University of Portland. One of the biggest influences in Kelsey’s life is her younger sister Gina, who has Down syndrome. Kelsey and her husband have a one-year old son.

Bridget Brown

Disability/Pro-Life Speaker and Writer, Joliet, IL

Bridget is a 33 years old young adult with Down syndrome a national state eider public speaker and actress in movies and a long term member of Kiwanis Aktion club. Bridget is also 2nd Vice President of the National Association for Down Syndrome NADS board. She helps training self-advocates to become leaders. Bridget is the middle of two wonderful siblings and siblings in-laws and an aunt/godmother of incredible nieces and nephews.

Noelle Collis-DeVito

English Curriculum Research Assistant and Coordinator for Programs with Persons with Disabilities for the Institute for Pastoral Initiatives at the University of Dayton

Noelle Collis-DeVito and her family reside in Centerville, OH. She previously served as the Associate Director for the Office for Persons with Disabilities of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, where she worked to create a culture of inclusion and meaningful participation for persons with disabilities and their families. In her time working for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, Noelle spearheaded the development of the new Office for Persons with Disabilities, worked to institute Sensory-Friendly Liturgies as a regular part of parish life, and collaborated with parishes and other Archdiocesan Offices to establish a sense of belonging for all. Noelle recently completed her Master's in Pastoral Ministry from the University of Dayton with a Certificate in Disability and Ministry. She also presents and writes on the topics of Sensory-Friendly Mass, Adaptive Catechetical Learning Plans, and Multi-Sensory Learning for Diverse Classrooms. This is her second term serving on the CIDD!

Chris Cope

Public School Special Education Coordinator and Special Needs Catechist, Katy, TX

Chris has a passion for supporting individuals with disabilities, their caregivers and the community that supports them. He has a diverse professional background having worked in home, school and community settings. After completing his B.S. in Inderdisciplinary Studies with a focus in Special Education and Psychology from Ohio Dominican University, Chris went on to work as an ABA therapist. After moving to Texas, he began working in public education as an autism classroom teacher. Following his work in the classroom, he went on to complete his Masters of Special Education with a focus on Autism Spectrum Disorder from the University of Houston-Victoria. Chris has continued his work in public education as a Behavior Specialist, Autism Program Specialist, and now works as a Special Education Coordinator. He has been dedicated to supporting the disability community in his parish where he has run catechism/sacrament preparation for individuals with disabilities since 2014. He resides in Katy, Texas with his amazing wife and 6 kids.

Lorna DesRoses

Evangelization Consultant – Black Catholic Communities Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston, Boston, MA

Lorna, currently serves Black Catholics within the Archdiocese of Boston by supporting, assisting, and providing resources to assist in the work of evangelization within the Black Catholic community and assisting parishes and institutions to provide pastoral care in a culturally appropriate and sensitive manner so that members of ethnic /cultural communities will feel welcomed, included and valued as part of the life of the Archdiocese of Boston. Before serving in this capacity, she worked as a teacher of English as a Second Language in various educational settings. She is enrolled in the Master of Arts in Ministry program at St. John Seminary in Brighton and is the creator and host of Voices from the Pews podcast. She strives to joyfully give witness to the Good news of the love of Christ with everyone she meets. She lives in Boston with her husband Robert.

Debra Eileen Evans

Coordinator of Religious Education and Sacrament Preparation, Church of the Visitation, Archdiocese of Los Angeles, CA

Debra is the Coordinator of Religious Education and Sacrament Preparation for a fully inclusive program for children of all abilities at the Church of the Visitation in Los Angeles, CA. Mrs. Evans is an advocate, coach, and leader of programs and initiatives benefiting children with disabilities and their families. She is a contributor of articles on Inclusion for the Finding God and Christ Our Light curricula, published by Loyola Press. Mrs. Evans serves as a part-time lecturer preparing first year graduate students in the School Psychology division of the School of Education at Loyola Marymount University (LMU). She holds a MA in Pastoral Theology with a concentration in Pastoral Leadership from LMU, an MS in Education and Museum Leadership from Bank Street College, and a BM in Vocal Performance from The Catholic University of America. She is a member of the Theta Alpha Kappa, The National Honor Society for Religious Studies and Theology. Mrs. Evans is married to her wonderful husband, John, of 27 years, and is the proud mom of their son, John David, who has exceptional needs.

Robby Kiley

Director of Faith Formation, Granger, IN

Robby currently works at the University of Notre Dame, developing training platforms for the University Development teams. Prior to this, he served as the Director of Faith Formation at Saint Pius X Parish in Granger, IN, from 2014-2024. Robby started at the parish as a volunteer with the Angela Merici program, an adaptive religious education initiative for children with disabilities, and continues to serve as an advocate for individuals with disabilities and their families at the parish, diocesan, and national level. His inspiration for his ministry is his twin brother, Patrick, who was the first child with an intellectual disability to be confirmed at his home parish. Robby and his wife Ann live in South Bend, IN with their children Charlie (7) and Owen (4).

Jessica Massey

Board Certified assistant Behavior Analyst, Pensacola, FL

Jessica is a Florida native and Catholic-revert who has a deep passion for sharing the beauty of Catholicism with the world. She holds a B.S. in Psychology in Applied Behavior Analysis and has worked in the field since 2015. Throughout her career in Applied Behavior Analysis, Jessica has worked directly with children with intellectual and developmental disabilities and has experience supporting a variety of diagnoses. She became board certified in the spring of 2022 and has been working as a BCaBA since.

Lisa Wagner-Carollo

Deaf and Disabilities Ministries Coordinator for Catholic Charities, Kansas City-St. Joseph.

She is also the Founder of Chicago’s Still Point Theatre Collective and established Still Point’s outreach program, The Imagination Workshop, for adults with developmental disabilities. She has also worked with L’Arche and was one of the first two live-in assistants for L’Arche Heartland. She is a Spiritual Director and has served on the Spiritual Life Committee for L’Arche Chicago. She is also the author of Above, Along, Inside, and Through: Poems, Prayers, and Reflections, a spiritual memoir. Recently, she co-produced with Still Point Theatre Collective and Rush University Hospital None of Us Want to Stand Still, a film advocating for better health care for individuals living with developmental disabilities.

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