Richard D. Williams is an advocate supporting scholars and their families that require additional supports to meaningfully access education through exceptional (special) education services, Section 504, or any instance in which the system delays or denies meaningful access for any scholar. Richard also provides educator coaching and offers professional development to schools and districts. He is the Founder and CEO of Ubuntu Educational Services, LLC (https://www.ubuntued.net/) He is a proud alumnus of Clark Atlanta University’s School of Education and served as a teacher and district administrator for 12 years. He is also a trained Philosopher with a bachelor’s degree in Philosophy from Georgia State University. Richard serves in the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) and Council for Children with Behavior Disorders (CCBD) in various roles and mediums of engagement. Richard is an active scholar-practitioner through publications such “I Can"t Breathe: The African American Male With Emotional Disabilities in Education” (Griffen, 2020) and his forthcoming (Jan 2022 for print, available 12/13/21 electronically) edited text “Challenging Deficit Thinking for Exceptional Education Improvement,” presentations at various conferences, and serving as an adjunct professor in the American University School of Education.