News
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HDI Staff Spotlight on Adam Potter
For much of his college career, Adam Potter struggled to find the right path. Despite being an avid musician, he didn’t feel like his initial music performance major was a good fit. After changing his major several times, something clicked when he found Broadcasting and Electronic Media. “I don’t like things with one answer. I’m…
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Exploring the Intersectionality of Ability, Race, & Religion
Dr. Nicholas Wright and Maria Kemplin, staff at the University of Kentucky Human Development Institute, received a University of Kentucky Office for Institutional Diversity Award to support programs that are student-centric and foster collaboration through partnerships that address the important of diverse views and cultures. In partnership with the Martin Luther King Center and the…
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HDI staff spotlight on Carolyn Wheeler
Carolyn Wheeler’s heart broke when she came across a book called Christmas in Purgatory on her mom’s bookshelf. The book was a photographic essay on the conditions in large, state institutions in the Northeast for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. It was first published in 1966. She later had a job in such an institution in…
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HDI Celebrates National Mentoring Month
January is National Mentoring Month, and that makes it a great time to highlight HDI’s Disability Mentoring Program. The program pairs people with disabilities with students who want to learn more about their experiences. “The thing that makes it work is that people that are actually in the program, get that firsthand experience with disability.…
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Making Connections
As Executive Director Dr. Kathy Sheppard-Jones tells it, 2023 was a year of connections for the Human Development Institute. Connections, according to Sheppard-Jones, are a key aspect of how we do our work – one that can extend beyond the needs of individual projects. “Grants end. Leaders will come and leaders will go. If we…
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She got her wish! A staff spotlight on Bethany Hughes
Bethany Hughes always knew to some degree where her life was headed. “People always say, Hey, I always wanted to be a firefighter,” Hughes said. “I didn’t ever know what I wanted to do, I just always wanted to be working with children in some realm.” She got her wish. Hughes now works as a…
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2023 Jacki Shouse Service Award Dedicated to the Memory of Maurice Dawson, Jr
Jacki Shouse began working at the University of Kentucky Human Development Institute in March of 1990. She accepted her first position with the Human Development Institute in February of 1998, where she spent the next 19 years until her retirement. Although we miss her greatly, giving the annual Shouse Service Award gives us an opportunity…
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She wears many hats! A staff spotlight on Chelsea Bocard
Chelsea Bocard wears enough hats, she could open her own hatter. Bocard’s technical job title is Disability Program Assistant, but it doesn’t get across exactly how much she assists with. She is involved in numerous projects at HDI, including the Kentucky Post School Outcomes Center (KYPSO), the Supported Employment Training Project (SETP), HDI’s Universal Design…
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Applications being accepted for the 2024 Summer Leadership Experience
The University of Kentucky Human Development Institute in partnership with the Kentucky Office of Vocational Rehabilitation present the Summer Leadership Experience (SLE) in July 2024. All Kentucky high school upperclassmen (entering juniors and seniors) with disabilities are welcome to apply. Camp will take place on the University of Kentucky campus and includes a 4-night stay in a…
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Johnny Collett joins a special episode of the State of HDI Podcast
The University of Kentucky Human Development Institute (HDI) is pleased to announce a special episode of the State of HDI podcast series. Listeners have the opportunity to join Johnny Collett, Deputy Director at HDI, for Advancing Ideas for Improvement or Innovation in a System Where You are Not the Boss. Learn about five principles that…