Lanya Lynn Elsa, PhD, is a researcher, speaker, consultant, and best-selling author whose work explores the intersection of disability, belonging, and the power of human connection. Drawing from more than two decades of experience as both a mother of two sons with Usher syndrome and a special education researcher, she has dedicated her career to helping families, educators, healthcare professionals, and policymakers better understand one another through the lens of lived experience.She has served in leadership roles in deafblind education, family engagement, and national disability advocacy, and her research has focused on family-professional partnerships and the voices of families raising children with disabilities. Through her writing, speaking, consulting and public service, she invites people to move beyond assumptions, embrace curiosity, and recognize the stories that connect us.Beyond the Divide is her third book.Learn more at www.lanyaelsa.com