The University of Kentucky (UK) Human Development Institute (HDI) has awarded the prestigious Paul Kevin Burberry Award to Haley Potter. Haley is a full-time HDI staff member working across multiple projects at HDI. As part of her studies in the Universal Design Certificate Program, she created a guidebook for performing arts professionals to implement accessibility, inclusion, and universal design in their organizations. She also created the Percussion Empowerment Project, a program that provided free percussion classes to middle school girls. Dr. Tony Lobianco presented the award to Haley at the HDI All-Staff Meeting and said, “Haley is a strong proponent of promoting leadership and self-advocacy”.
The annual Paul Kevin Burberry Award honor is given to a student who has demonstrated a strong commitment to people with disabilities, academic excellence, and the leadership qualities exemplified by Burberry’s own life. It is named in memory of the Berea native who was the first student with significant physical disabilities to graduate from Berea Community High School. He went on to Berea College and UK, as a philosophy major. While a student at UK, Burberry worked with HDI to create training modules to train medical and allied health students on developmental disabilities. Though his life was cut short before graduation, he was posthumously awarded his UK degree with highest honors in 2004.
Haley encourages others to continue advocating for social justice and underrepresented populations in their daily and professional lives to create a more inclusive world. Congratulations Haley Potter!
