By Sara DiRienzo, WIND Information Specialist
Wyoming Institute for Disabilities (WIND) bids farewell and best wishes to Kathy McWhorter, WATR and AIM project manager, who retired in December 2012 after seven years of service. Her contributions and dedication to the disability fields tremendously impacted the lives of individuals and families with disabilities in Wyoming and throughout the nation.
Kathy changed the terrain of accessible instructional materials. Working in the nascent stages of technology for students, she helped form many precedents for accessibility in Wyoming. This sentiment echoes within the voices of her colleagues and with whom she worked closely:
“Your contributions from the process of finalizing the NIMAS standard to its national implementation as a foundational element for meeting the access needs of students with print disabilities have helped move the NIMAS vision to reality.”-Michael F. Slade, Ed.D., Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services, U.S. Department of Education
“I wanted to take this opportunity to thank you for your dedication and innovation in helping the Wyoming Department of Education put these supports and resources in place. The work that you have done has impacted hundreds of students and will go on to impact thousands and thousands more to come.-Tiffany Dobler, Special Programs Director, Wyoming Department of Education
“You made available a knowledge base for Wyoming residents that may not have been effectively shared with educators and families without your patience and depth of experience.” –Leo Urbanek, Education Manager, Wyoming Department of Corrections
“You have been the sole Board member who has been a state-level NIMAS coordinator… I can comfortably state that few individuals have provided the Board and the Center with the scope of information you have.”-Skip Stahl, Senior Policy Analyst and Project Director, CAST and the National Center on Accessible Instructional Materials (NIMAS) 
“You and I had an amazing opportunity to help create, shape, and mentor the field of assistive technology in education in its infancy. I am so proud to have been able to work with you.”-Gayl Bowser, Independent Assistive Technology Consultant
“Under your leadership our assistive technology programs achieved a place of prominence not only in Wyoming but also the entire nation.”-William MacLean, Jr., Ph.D., Executive Director, Wyoming Institute for Disabilities (WIND)
“You cared about serving the people the way that would help most. People first.”- Parent of a child with disabilities
Throughout Wyoming Kathy will no doubt be greatly missed. We would like to congratulate Kathy on a successful career and wish her a happy retirement.
Photos;
First photo: Kathy McWhorter.
Second photo: Kathy enjoys a hug from Rebecca Christensen (WIND) at her retirement party.
