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ROXANNE J. CHANG, JD, MS LLP, is an attorney specializing in elder and special needs law. She is also a Limited Licensed Psychologist, with a Graduate Certificate in Gerontology. Ms. Chang has experience in consultation and advocacy for persons with dementia, developmental disabilities, and other individuals with special needs. She also provides conflict resolution services, including mediation and conflict coaching. Ms. Chang has a solo private practice in Plymouth, Michigan.

Parents and grandparents often have a pretty good sense of when they may want to create a special needs trust ("SNT") for their child or grandchild with atypical needs. They also understand, perhaps after discussion, when their family's circumstances warrant a need for money management, or if an inheritance will jeopardize essential means-tested government benefits, like SSI or Medicaid. In meeting with a special needs attorney, Clark and Cathy explained that Sara, their daughter with developmental delays, would be unable to manage her own inheritance. The question they had not fully considered was, "Who should hold that job after they are gone?"

The Voice is the e-mail newsletter of The Special Needs Alliance. This installment of The Voice was written by Special Needs Alliance member Kristen M. Lewis, who practices in Atlanta, Georgia at Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP. Kristen is also a Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC). She is a frequent national speaker on special needs planning, and serves on the Boards of numerous non-profits that support individuals with disabilities and their families. In her vast amounts of free time, she trains certified service dogs for Canine Assistants in Milton, Georgia.

The Voice is the e-mail newsletter of The Special Needs Alliance. This installment of The Voice was written by Special Needs Alliance member Morris Klein, who practices law in Bethesda, Maryland. Morris has been recognized as a Certified Elder Law Attorney by the National Elder Law Foundation, and focuses on elder law and special needs planning. He currently serves on the SNA Board of Directors, and is a former member of the Board of Directors of the First Maryland Disability Trust.

This installment of the Voice was written by Robert B. Fleming. Robert is a partner in Fleming & Curti, PLC, a Tucson law firm focusing on special needs planning, trust administration, guardianship/conservatorship and estate planning. He is a Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, and also of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys. He has been a member of the Special Needs Alliance since its founding, and was one of the original co-authors of the SNA's Handbook for Trustees, the free online guide to managing special needs trusts.

This installment of the Voice was written by Special Needs Alliance member Evan J. Krame who focuses his practice on estate planning, probate, special needs planning and elder law. Evan is a past president of Shared Horizons, operating a pooled trust serving the Mid-Atlantic region. Evan also served as co-chair of the Estates, Trusts and Probate Section of the DC Bar. He has been honored as a Top Attorney and Best Lawyer in Washington and Maryland. Evan is a candidate for rabbinic ordination, seeking to blend his work in the law with pastoral care and spiritual direction skills. You may visit his website at Law Offices of Evan J. Krame.

The Voice is the email newsletter of The Special Needs Alliance. This installment was written by Amy C. O'Hara, an attorney with the New York law firm of Littman Krooks LLP. Her practice focuses on special needs planning, trust administration, guardianships, elder law, veterans' benefits and estate planning and administration. Amy is a member of the Special Needs Alliance and active participant of the publications committee. She is also a member of the New York State Bar Association. Amy graduated from the State University of New York at Buffalo Law School.

The Voice is the e-mail newsletter of The Special Needs Alliance. This installment was written by Special Needs Alliance member Stuart D. Zimring of North Hollywood, California. Mr. Zimring is the lead author of "Fundamentals of Special Needs Trusts" and co-author of "California Guide to Tax, Estate & Financial Planning for the Elderly" (both published by LexisNexis). He is certified as a specialist in Estate Planning, Probate and Trust Law by the Board of Specialization of the State Bar of California and is a Fellow of both the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys and the American College of Trust & Estate Counsel. He serves on the boards of directors of several not-for-profit organizations focusing on the needs of seniors and those with disabilities, including ONEgeneration in Southern California and the National Senior Citizens Law Center.

The Voice is the e-mail newsletter of The Special Needs Alliance. This installment was written by Sandra Smith, a partner with Oast & Hook, P.C. in Suffolk and Virginia Beach, Virginia. She is the editor of the firm's weekly newsletter, the "Oast & Hook News," which is available on the firm's website. She is certified as an elder law attorney by the National Elder Law Foundation. Ms. Smith is the co-author of the "Special Needs Trusts" chapter for the Elder Law in Virginia handbook published by Virginia CLE. She is a member of the Board of Directors and the immediate past president of Commonwealth Community Trust, a pooled trust in Richmond, Virginia. She retired from the United States Air Force as a Lieutenant Colonel with over 20 years active duty service, and earned her Juris Doctorate degree from the College of William and Mary School of Law.