Woman with brown hair smiling at the camera

HDI 50th Anniversary Spotlight on Stephanie Meredith

What I love most about HDI is the culture cultivated by Dr. Harold Kleinert and nourished by so many other great leaders here—to be kind and nurture partnerships while also taking a stand and sometimes taking risks to make sure we are addressing the most pressing needs for people with disabilities and their families. I will forever be grateful to Harold and HDI for taking a risk and being willing to support our prenatal project and give it a home because it was the right thing to do … even when we had almost no funding. That kind of vision and commitment to helping families is rare and wonderful in an organization as expansive as HDI.   —Stephanie Meredith, Information Services Director, KentuckyWorks Staff, and Program Director HDI National Center for Prenatal and Postnatal Resources

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Megan McCormick, 30-years-old with Down syndrome; Clay Carroll, 22 years-old with Williams syndrome; and Andy Meredith, 19 years old with Down syndrome

Employment for Youth with Disabilities: Seeing a Brighter Future, HDI Seminar Recap

By Amanda Kelley Corbin

What are your hopes and dreams for your son or daughter’s future? It’s something every parent has pondered. And while the question is simple enough, the answers can be as complex and diverse as our children are. This is especially true when a child has a disability.

“Every child deserves to develop their talents and follow their dreams,” said Stella Beard, Assistant Director of the Kentucky Special Parent Involvement Network (KY-SPIN).

The goal of the Human Development Institute (HDI) Spring Seminar held on March 21, with nearly 100 attendees (online and in person) was to help parents develop their son’s or daughter’s dreams.

Stay tuned for the video to be uploaded in the next couple of weeks!

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Two men with Down syndrome working on their phones.

Spring Seminar: Employment for Youth with Disabilities: Seeing a Brighter Future

“As an employer, I’ve been fortunate to have employees with intellectual disabilities who meaningfully contribute to our programs, and as a mother, I have been so proud of my own son with Down syndrome as he has worked in the community at a grocery store and is also working toward a career as a photographer, and I don’t think these are isolated cases of what success can look like. People with intellectual disabilities have much to offer when given the opportunity!” – Stephanie Meredith

Our Spring Seminar on “Employment for Youth with Disabilities: Seeing a Brighter Future” was held on Thursday, March 21, 2019 from 6:30 – 8:30pm ET, and it’s available now online.

The seminar was held at the UK Coldstream Research Campus Human Development Institute Training Room 1525 Bull Lea Road, Lexington KY. A link to the live video stream of the seminar was sent to registrants. Continue reading

Photo of a conference room.

KentuckyWorks featured at Regional Parent Summit on Autism

by Larry Taylor, Ed.D., Executive Director Kentucky Autism Training Center

The Kentucky Autism Training Center and the Kentucky Office of Autism collaborated to offer the Regional Parent Summit at Greenbo Lake State Resort Park in Greenup, Kentucky. Parents of individuals with autism, self-advocates, and professionals gathered on June 28 and 29th to learn, network, and develop relationships. Continue reading

Governor Bevin signing Executive Order about Employment First, including Katie Wolf Whaley

Governor Issues Executive Order Making Employment for People with Disabilities a Top Priority in Kentucky

On May 15, 2018, Governor Matt Bevin signed Executive Order 2018-328 to add Kentucky to the growing list of states with Employment First policies for people with disabilities. This Order will ensure that competitive and integrated employment in the community shall be considered the first and primary option for persons with disabilities who want to become employed. This means that all state agencies will work toward making sure people with disabilities have opportunities to work in the community and offer valuable skills to their employers while receiving a competitive wage. Continue reading