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KYEA Seeking Nominations for Three Awards!

KYEA: Educating, mentoring, and supporting youth with disabilities in KS

KYEA Seeking Nominations for Three Awards!

Nominate an Outstanding Alumni, Mentor, or Youth Supporter

Each year, we recognize and celebrate three outstanding people who deserve to be recognized for their accomplishments and/or support of youth with disabilities. We have an award for a KSYLF alumni, one for a committed mentor, and one for a champion of youth with disabilities. Do you know anyone who fits one of the descriptions below? Nominate them! All award recipients will be recognized at our KSYLF Mentor Luncheon in July. Nominations are DUE by JUNE 1, 2018!

Justin Cosco in 2003 Justin Cosco Award

The Justin Cosco Award is given out every year to a KS Youth Leadership Forum alumni who has demonstrated progress toward their goals and growth as a leader. The award began in 2004, but was renamed in 2007 after the death of an alumni of the first KSYLF, Justin Cosco. In order to receive the award, nominees must be an alumni from the KSYLF years of 2001-2016 and must have demonstrated achievements since their time as a delegate. If you know an alumni who has grown since their time as a delegate, then consider nominating them!

Alumni can either nominate themselves or be nominated by someone else.

Learn more about this award and download the nomination form

Mentoring Matters logo with heart and palm holding logo up Mentoring Matters Award

Mentors really DO matter! Mentors can make a huge difference in someone's life. This is especially true when it comes to youth with disabilities. A good mentor can expose a young person to new opportunities, motivate them to follow through on their goals, encourage them to focus on their abilities, make them feel like they are not alone, and more. KYEA wants to recognize those individuals in our state who have made a difference serving as a mentor to a youth with a disability. Who do you know that fits this description?

Nominees must have past or present experience with mentoring youth with disabilities in a short or long term relationship. This could include one-on-one mentoring, job shadowing, group mentoring, or e-mentoring.

Learn more about this award and download the nomination form

John Peterson Spirit of Hope Award

Do you know someone who has a true belief in the potential and abilities of youth with disabilities? There are people all over this state who are champions for young people with disabilities... they promote the contributions of youth and have a passion for empowering our next generation. This award celebrates people from all walks of life that recognize the potential and worth of youth with disabilities in our state.

Nominees must have demonstrated a consistent belief in youth with disabilities (ages 5-25) for at least one year. Examples could include being a volunteer at KYEA, involvement in another youth program, actively sharing a message, etc.

This award was created in honor of KYEA friend, John Peterson.

Learn more about this award and download the nomination form

REMEMBER! All nominations are due by JUNE 1, 2018! Award recipients will be recognized on July 12, 2018.

"Appreciation can make a day, even change a life."

-- Margaret Cousins

2018 Kansas Employment First Summit Update

Featured Keynotes:

Crystal Bell– Missouri Family to Family and Family LifeCourse Specialist; University of Missouri Kansas City, Institute for Human Development
Joe Steffy– Founder of Poppin’ Joes Kettle Corn, featured in, and introducing a screening of “Bottom Dollars.”
Jim Larson– CEO of Morningside Services, Olympia, WA
A Conversation with the Kansas Secretaries

24 Educational Breakout Sessions Available
Professional Development Credits Available
Breakfast and Lunch Provided Both Days
Registration is free
A limited number of lodging scholarships available

Registration is now open!
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2018-kansas-employment-first-summit-registration-43312466754?aff=eac2

SKIL ADOPTS NEW SMILE PROGRAM

by Andy Rausch and Joe Reinecker

   SMILE is a new positive behavior support system SKIL has developed recently. SMILE is an acronym that stands for Successful Manageable Inclusion Leadership and Encouraging. The concept was first brought to CEO Shari Coatney's attention by SKIL Special Projects Coordinator John Stacy Denham, who had read about Fortune 500 companies adopting similar programs.

   “I had originally talked to Shari Coatney about setting it up with the kid's program, and when she heard about the positive behavior support I was interested in putting together for that, she thought that was something we could do system-wide, completely across the board,” explains Denham.

   “Basically what it does is it sets up positive behaviors you want to see and it rewards people for that as opposed to coming down on people for breaking the rules.” The concept behind SMILE is that it establishes a shared language and verbiage that all customers and employees at SKIL can use. For example, Information and Referral Specialist Heather House recently coined the term SKILsters for customers and representatives, and the term has since caught on.

   The idea behind SMILE is to enforce inclusion and to make everyone feel they are part of a collective family at SKIL. According to Denham, the introductory SMILE project was handing out little cut-out smiley faces to people who were smiling as an attempt to reward desirable behavior.

ATTENTION --- KANCARE EXPANSION RALLY!!! April 3rd!

Alliance for Healthy Kansans sponsored
a Rally at the State Capitol on April 3^rd at 2:00p.m.

The issue was "Expand Kancare!"
Many organizations and entities from around the State were represented there.
medicaid expansion rally

End the blockade NOW!

When it comes to health care in Kansas, the question is simple: Should everyone be able to receive adequate care?

And the answer is simple: YES.

Yet, the Kansas Legislature continues to drag their feet in expanding KanCare, despite the fact that an overwhelming majority of Kansas voters support expansion. And what’s worse is that they’ve now taken to blocking any discussion of expansion -- or any other bills that could improve KanCare.

This is unacceptable.

KanCare must be debated. Take action by calling your legislators today.

Legislators who support expansion outnumber those who don’t by nearly 2 to 1. But doing nothing gets the same end-result as a vote against Expansion.

Health care for more than 150,000 Kansas who fall into the coverage gap is on the line. And blocking debate on other bills to improve KanCare impacts more than 400,000 Kansans who are already in the program.

Call your legislators and put the pressure on. Demand an end to the blockade now.