When Dr. Joan Burleigh co-founded the Able Kids Foundation in 2005, she hoped to form an organization that would empower people with disabilities to work past their many life barriers through a strong focus on education, outreach, and research-based solutions. In just two short years, the organization has come a long way toward accomplishing this goal through its flagship public service campaign the I AM ABLE™ Initiative, which includes the annual I AM ABLE™ Art Extravaganza! and the I AM ABLE™ Sponsorship Assistance Program.

As CEO of the Able Kids Foundation, Dr. Joan Burleigh brings an impressive record of success to her position. An accomplished inventor, lecturer, and researcher, Dr. Burleigh has focused on research in central auditory processing disorders in adults and children. Before establishing the Able Kids Foundation, Dr. Burleigh worked for more than 30 years as a principal investigator and educator at Colorado State University. Specifically, Dr. Burleigh held the position of Senior Research Scientist and Scholar and Director of the Center for Central Auditory Research.

Dr. Burleigh has given over 150 presentations nationally and internationally on behavioral manifestations, evaluation procedures and management for children and adults with central auditory nervous system dysfunction. She has also lectured in areas of hearing loss and its impact on education progress, otitis media and associated hearing loss, sensorineural hearing loss, pediatric audiology, auditory pathologies, and psychoacoustics.
In addition, Dr. Burleigh has authored or co-authored a number of chapters in various textbooks and co-authored the “Handbook of Central Auditory Processing Disorders in Children Dr. Joan Burleigh’s current area of research include the study of central auditory nervous system function as it relates to human performance.

Dr. Joan Burleigh stays current on the latest trends in audiology as a member of numerous professional organizations, including the American Speech and Hearing Association and the American Academy of Audiology. As an inventor, Dr. Joan Burleigh is responsible for a number of disruptive innovations in auditory technology.