Accessible Arts Awards
Educator of the Year in Arts & Disabilities
and
Distinguished Service of the Year in Arts & Disabilities
Presented annually by
Accessible Arts, Inc. and the Kansas State Board of Education
Accessible Arts, Inc. (AAI) and the Kansas State Board of Education (KSBE) recognize the valuable work in Kansas of artists and educators who include children with disabilities in arts experiences. To honor these individuals, KSBE and AAI established two awards, one for Distinguished Service (now the Distinguished Service in Arts and Disabilities) and one for the Kansas Special Needs Arts Educator of the Year (now the Kansas Educator of the Year in Arts and Disabilities). These awards are presented in conjunction with the annual KSBE meeting held at the Kansas State School for the Blind in Kansas City, Kansas.
The Educator of the Year is selected by a committee from nominations by peers. The Distinguished Service Award recipient is selected by the Accessible Arts Honors Committee.
Recipients:
2008 Kansas Educator of the Year - David Will, Norton - Band Instructor, Norton Community High School
2008 Distinguished Service in Arts & Disabilities - Irene Eisenbise, Hiawatha - Retired Teacher, Co-Director The Jellybean Conspiracy
2007 Kansas Educator of the Year - Tonya Wahl, McLouth - Music Therapist, Wyandotte Comprehensive Special Education Co-op
2007 Distinguished Service in Arts & Disabilities - Sally Bailey, Manhattan - Drama Therapist, Professor
2006 Kansas Educators of the Year
Nancy Rose - Adaptive Music Teacher, Greiffenstein Special Day School & Instructor, Wichita State University
Susan McHugh - Adaptive Music Teacher, East Wichita Schools
2006 Distinguished Service in Arts & Disabilities - Gaby Lucas, Olathe - Choreographer, The Jellybean Conspiracy
2005 Kansas Educator of the Year - Joell Ramsdell, Olathe - Music Teacher, Olathe
2005 Distinguished Service in Arts & Disabilities - Tina Blatter, Kansas City, MO - Visual Artist & Workshop Presenter
2004 Kansas Educator of the Year - Dr. Anne Meeker Miller, Olathe - Music Therapist, Blue Valley School District
2004 Distinguished Service in Arts & Disabilities - Barry Bernstein "Bongo Barry", Lenexa - Therapist & Consultant, Blue Valley School District
2003 Kansas Educator of the Year - Della Molloy, Parkville, MO - Music Therapist, Kansas State School for the Blind
2003 Distinguished Service in Arts & Disabilities - Michael (Mike) Toombs, Kansas City, MO - President and Founder of Storytellers, Inc.
2002 Kansas Educator of the Year - Barbara Adams, Olathe - Art Teacher, Kansas School for the Deaf
2002 Distinguished Service in Arts & Disabilities
Connie Burket, Salina - Executive Director, Kansas Alliance for Arts Education
Dr. Dee Hansen, Lawrence - Professor of Music, Baker University
2001 Kansas Educator of the Year - Lanell Finneran, Lawrence - Special Education Teacher/Drama Therapist, Bert Nash Therapeutic Classroom
2001 Distinguished Service in Arts & Disabilities - Bob Ault, Topeka - Ault's Academy of Art
2000 Kansas Educator of the Year - Myrna Minnis "The Oogly Lady", Leawood - Independent Instructor
2000 Distinguished Service in Arts & Disabilities - Dr. Howard Martin, Westwood Hills - Director, Living Drama Program, Missouri Repertory Theatre, The Jellybean Conspiracy
1999 Kansas Educator of the Year - Sondra Horning, Hutchinson - Art Teacher, USD 308
1999 Distinguished Service in Arts & Disabilities
Roger Prideaux, Atwood - Instructor, College for Living & Prairie Developmental Center
Marsha Eastep, Atwood - Para, Prairie Developmental Center
1998 Kansas Educator of the Year - Boyd Koehn, Elk Falls - Special Ed Teacher, USD 282
1998 Distinguished Service in Arts & Disabilities - Norman Fedder, PhD, Manhattan - Professor, K-State University
1997 Kansas Educator of the Year - Nancy Kremeier, Overland Park - Art Teacher, Oak Hill Elementary
1997 Distinguished Service in Arts & Disabilities - NedRa Bonds, Kansas City - Art Teacher, Donnelley College
1996 Kansas Educator of the Year - Beverly Dick, Wichita - Execuive Director, VSAarts Kansas (Very Special Arts Kansas)
1996 Distinguished Service in Arts & Disabilities
Hon. Richard Edlund, Kansas City - State of Kansas Representative, Advocate for the arts for children with disabilities
Kathleen White, Prairie Village - Kansas State Board of Education, Advocate for the arts for children with disabilities
1995 Kansas Educator of the Year - Maureen Davis, Overland Park - Drama Teacher, Shawnee Mission North HS
1995 Distinguished Service in Arts & Disabilities - Ellen Morgan, Salina - Executive Director, Association of Community Arts Agencies of Kansas (ACAAK)
1994 Kansas Educator of the Year - Wilena Peterson, Garfield - Teacher, Garfield School
1994 Distinguished Service in Arts & Disabilities - Belinda Harry, Pittsburg - Asst. Director, SE KS Special Ed Co-op
1993 Kansas Educator of the Year - Vickie Horton, Kansas City - Music Director, KSSB; Music Therapist, Wyandotte Special Ed Co-op
1993 Distinguished Service in Arts & Disabilities
Denise Apt, Iola - Advocacy for Accessible Arts programming
Shelby Smith, Wichita - Advocacy for Accessible Arts programming
1992 Kansas Educator of the Year - Tammy Herl, Newton - Art Therapist, Prairie View Mental Health Center
1992 Distinguished Service in Arts & Disabilities - Betty Welsbacher, Wichita - Professor, Special Music Education, Wichita State University
1991 Kansas Educator of the Year - Jacqui Jones-Johnson, Olathe - Outreach Coordinator, Kansas School for the Deaf
1991 Distinguished Service in Arts & Disabilities - William Freeman, Kansas City - Director, Accessible Arts, Inc.
1990 Kansas Educator of the Year - Sherri Boese, Wichita - South Central Director, VSAarts Kansas
1990 Distinguished Service in Arts & Disabilities - Mary Gleason, Ulysses - Coordinator, Arts Programming for Special Students
1989 Kansas Educator of the Year - Kay Martinez, Parsons - Art Therapist/Director of Art Therapies, Parsons State Hospital
1989 Distinguished Service in Arts & Disabilities - Gerry Buckley, Overland Park - Director, Gallaudet University Regional Center