Alumni RepresentativeKenneth KeltyKenneth Kelty is an alumni of The Western Carolina University UP Program class of 2014. A year after graduation he was recruited from The Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities at UNC to represent Disability Advocacy in the Leadership Education in Neuro Developmental Disabilities and Related Disorders Program. After completion Kenneth was invited to come back as a fellow in The Maternal Child Heath Bureau Leadership Consortium. Kenneth started with The Arc of The Triangle as an Administrative Assistant shortly after graduating from WCU.
Kenneth is a trailblazer in the disability community and higher education. He is an award winning motivational speaker and influencer on his life with disabilities and exceeding expectations from a young age. In 2017 Kenneth was The Recipient of The Laura Lee Self-Advocate Leadership Award and gave a Keynote Speech at The State of The Art Conference on Inclusive Post Secondary Education. In December of 2018. He received The Impact Award from The CIDD and his name is the plaque at The UNC School of Medicine. Kenneth manages his own public Facebook and Instagram page, Kenneth Kelty, Public Speaker and Author. Kenneth is an active member of The Tarheel Toastmasters and hopes to become a Distinguished Toastmaster, Accredited Speaker from Toastmasters International then eventually a Certified Speaking Professional from The National Speaker Associations. Kenneth does hope to have his book published and to become like Dr. Temple Grandin by becoming a famous self-advocate with a powerful story to share. |