H. Rutherford Turnbull III -- Rud --is an American author, educator and leader in the field of disability policy and law.

[1] He was the principal draftsman or staff person for the NC Senate and House in revising that state's disability laws (special education, limited guardianship, civil commitment, rights of institutionalized persons, eligibility to vote) while being professor of public law and government, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (1969-80).

on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities; chairman, board of trustees of Judge David L. Bazelon Center on Mental Health Law; senior officer of The Arc of U.S.; senior officer of TASH: The Association for Persons with Severe Handicaps; and chair of the Am Bar Ass's committee on disability law.

Kennedy and his sister Eunice Shriver, he was recognized by a consortium of seven family and professional associations in the field of intellectual/developmental disabilities as one of 36 people who changed the course of history in the 20th Century.

He is the father of Jay (1967-2009), a person with intellectual disabilities, autism, and emotional challenges; and of Amy and Kate, both civil rights advocates.