Benefits & Transition Planning Consultant
Sharon is a Benefits & Transition Planning Consultant at Manes and Weinberg LLC for families navigating the path to adulthood for their special needs children. She graduated with a B.A. in Psychology from Johns Hopkins University and a PsyD in Clinical Psychology from Yeshiva University. Sharon has three sons, two of whom have ASD, and has been a full-time parent and disability advocate.
Sharon has advocated to increase opportunities for people with disabilities to develop to their fullest potential. She has served on the Advisory Board of the Kean University Occupational Therapy Clinic to expand programming options, and twice served on the Board of Directors of the JCC of Central NJ to represent members with special needs. In addition, Sharon continues to advocate and provide feedback for improved service delivery to NJ Transit regarding the Access Link Paratransit System.
Sharon has been instrumental in helping to create a variety of skill development programs for youth with special needs, including summer employment for teens at the JCC and iStrive, a social group for young adults with ASD. Among Sharon’s proudest accomplishments is founding an e-commerce soap company for her children to learn job skills which is now owned by a not-for-profit agency that serves young adults with special needs.
As a parent of children with disabilities, Sharon has experienced the overwhelming weight of planning for her sons’ futures. She has researched extensively to understand the available resources for young adults with special needs and continuously updates her knowledge of a variety of programs. Sharon has joined Manes & Weinberg to share her practical expertise with families who need assistance applying for SSI and DDD and developing transition plans as their children approach adulthood.