The following teams help to come up with input and solutions for different employment initiatives for people with the most significant disabilities throughout Kentucky. Please contact the team lead if you’d like to join us in working on a particular area of interest!
Policy Work Team
The intent of this work team is to assess, advise and promote policy that will aid in employment opportunities for people with disabilities in Kentucky, with an emphasis on students with the most significant disabilities.
- Kathy Sheppard-Jones – Lead
- Norb Ryan
- Harold Kleinert
- Tal Curry
- Stella Beard
- Jeff White
- Katie Whaley
- Steve Shannon
- Jill Griffiths
- Jacqui Kearns
Next meeting: Friday, May 24, 2019 at 11am. Contact lead if interested in participating.
Family/Advocacy Work Team
The intent of this work team is to ensure that we are taking into consideration the variety of family and youth needs and issues that must be addressed in order to impact positive transition outcomes (and ways to address them).
- Stephanie Meredith – Lead
- Jason Jones
- Traci Brewer
- Norb Ryan
- Karen Guettler
- Malkanthie McCormick
- Megan McCormick
- Margaret Woodard
- Kathy Sheppard-Jones
- Annette Jett
- Karen Boudreax
- Emma Keyser
- Stella Beard
- Jay Tyner-Wilson
- Grayson Kemplin
- Mari Kemplin
Marketing/Outreach
The intent of this work team is to find ways to disseminate information and resources offered to the public in order to promote employment for Kentuckians with disabilities. Specifically, we would like to have all stakeholders be aware of our training modules, website and support networks. There will be a focus on finding mechanisms (e.g. meeting professional development requirements, reaching families and students) that embed resources across organizations for the benefit of stakeholders.
- Jason Jones – Lead
- Larry Taylor
- Emma Riley
- Traci Brewer
- Camille Collins
- Stephanie Meredith
Postsecondary Work Team
The intent of this work team is to build capacity of quality higher education programs as a tool to improve outcomes for students with disabilities, with a focus on students with intellectual disability, to promote greater knowledge of students, families, K-12 education systems, and institutions of higher education about quality higher education programs that improve outcomes for students with disabilities, and to align policy and guidance across entities involved in high school transition.
- Kathy Sheppard-Jones – Lead
- Maria Kemplin
- Jennifer Hicks
- Jason Wheatley
- Harold Kleinert
- Rebecca Simms
- Melissa Jones
- Cindy Clemson
- Buddy Hoskinson – DAIL
- Donna Davis – KCTCS
- Stephanie Little – Coop Director
- Karen Boudreaux
- David Beach – KY AHEAD and UK DRC
- David Merdian – WKU student
- Becky Cabe
- Vickey Reilly
- Helga Gilbert
- Gina Embry – KCTCS
- Caroline Atkins – CPE
- Lisa Carrico
- Ashley Taylor
- Laura Butler
- Nancy Bardgett
- Kristen Tibourtine
- Dawn Offutt
- Barry Whaley
- Rebecca Gregory
Data Work Team
The intent of this work team is to find ways to ensure that KentuckyWorks is sharing data that that informs of the status of transition from school to work or postsecondary for youth with disabilities in Kentucky. This team also ensures that appropriate metrics are in place to assess the transition process.
- Tony Lobianco – Lead
- Maria Kemplin
- Jeff White
- Tal Curry
- Kathy Sheppard-Jones
- Harold Kleinert
- Stephanie Meredith
- Tania Sharp
Transportation Work Team
The intent of this work team is to research and share promising practices in transportation options available across Kentucky that can help people with disabilities successfully work and access their communities.