WIND Distinguished Alum Award

Do you know a disability studies minor graduate who has made outstanding contributions to the field? Every five years, the College of Health Sciences and the Wyoming Institute for Disabilities (WIND) will honor a “WIND Alum of the Year.” The award will be offered in 2024 and will recognize a prior graduate from the University of Wyoming who earned a minor in disability studies and who, subsequent to graduation, has made outstanding contributions in one or more of the following ways:

• Professional Recognition – Candidates have been recognized in their field with a focus on improving the lives of individuals with disabilities. The candidate’s work has demonstrated impact in a related discipline and/or in the field of disabilities.

• Leadership – Candidates have demonstrated leadership or emerging leadership in the field of disabilities or in their discipline with a focus on disabilities. The candidate’s leadership included innovative approaches to building capacity, improving systems, or advocacy.

• Advocacy – Candidates have demonstrated excellence in advocacy on behalf of individuals with disabilities. The candidate’s advocacy can include policymaking, peer mentorship or direct service provision.

• Engagement & Support of WIND – Candidates have demonstrated excellent engagement with WIND in areas such as: student recruitment, financial support, volunteer support of WIND programs, providing internships, mentorship and/or job placement, or completing a Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (LEND) fellowship.

• Community Service – Candidates have made significant contributions to the community (local, state, national, or international levels). Candidates have greatly impacted the community through their actions or are involved in a variety of service initiatives.

The recipient must have graduated with the undergraduate minor in disability studies for a minimum of 5 years and is not currently affiliated with UW (e.g., Board of Trustees, employee, UW Foundation, receiving funding from UW). 

Nominations need to include the following:

• A completed online form (available in the winter of 2023)

• Updated 1-2 page bio that includes descriptions of work nominee has been doing as well as 2-3 major accomplishments since graduation

• Letter in support of your nomination OR letter in support of your self-nomination. Letters should include enough information so the committee can make an informed decision. Letters should address at least one of the criteria: Professional Recognition, Leadership, Engagement and Support of WIND, and/or Community Service.  Letters should provide biographical information about the nominee.

• Optional letters of support (maximum 3) as well as a nominee resume are welcome.

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Congratulations to the Elizabeth Cantalamessa, WIND 2019 Distinguished Alum!

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Elizabeth Cantalamessa, originally from Houston, Texas, received her B.A. in philosophy from the University of Wyoming in 2012 with a minor in disability studies. She worked as a direct support professional at ARK Regional Services and taught literacy and dance at the Cooper Center for Creative Arts in Laramie before joining the master’s program in philosophy at the UW. After completing her M.A. in 2015, she taught introductory courses in philosophy and ethics full time at the University of Houston-Downtown. Since 2016, Cantalamessa has been in a Ph.D. program in philosophy at the University of Miami. Building on a longstanding interest in disability studies, her dissertation focuses on the discursive nature of disability, especially social normitivity. She is expected to complete her dissertation in the spring of 2021. Through her teaching and graduate training, Cantalamessa has become dedicated to non-traditional education, promoting greater accessibility in academia, and expanding conceptualizations of disability in the field of philosophy.