Skip to main content

Yes I Can

The Kentucky Council for Exceptional Children has established the Yes I Can (YIC) awards program to acknowledge and celebrate the accomplishments of children and youth with exceptional needs.  This award honors children and youth with exceptionalities that shine. Nominees must be 3-21 in age at the time of the nomination and a resident of Kentucky.  Each nominee may be nominated in ONE category only.  Applications must be complete and contain ALL required information in order to be considered.
One winner in each category will be selected (Academics, Arts, Transition, Technology, School and Community Activities, Self-Advocacy). Nominations may be made by parents, teachers, friends, paraprofessionals, etc.. In the event of a tie, preference will be given to nominators that are CEC members.

Award recipients will be:

  • Recognized and receive a commemorative award at the Kentucky Exceptional Children’s Conference in November.
  • featured in the KYCEC Spring Newsletter, social media, and KYCEC website.
  • Nominated to National CEC for consideration of the National Yes I Can! Awards.

 

Required Components

Statement of Achievement: In 500 words or less, describe why the nominee deserves to receive this award.  Include information such as **challenges the student encountered prior to his or her accomplishments; **his or her exceptionality/exceptionalities; **the type of special education services provided to the nominee; **the student's achievements in his or her category of nomination; **the setting in which these accomplishments occurred; and **the impact these accomplishments have had on the student or others.

**Please note that if the nominee is selected as a recipient, the responses may be used by KYCEC for the awards and publicity purposes.  Please make sure that you provide the most accurate information possible.

Signed parent consent is required for nomination. Permission granted by the parent is for consideration of state and national YIC awards, including all publicity associated with this award.

Parent Consent

***In addition, please be prepared to share the following documentation:

(If you are a Google Drive or OneDrive User, please create a folder and share it with kentuckycec@gmail.com.  Remember that all supporting documentation for your application must be received by the June 30th deadline.)

  1. Headshot
    (Required) A quality photo of the student only for use in publication, programs, and the awards ceremony.
    artwork; Awards; Record of activities; Record of technology used; Employment history, etc.
  2. Video
    (Required) Must be less than 2 minutes in length. Videos should support the Statement of Achievement (Section B) indicating why the nominee deserves this award. This video should highlight the nominee’s work/achievements, his or her daily life, or a statement from the nominee about the impact that his/her accomplishments have had.
    Example video and link: https://youtu.be/UNHlybVcETw
    Videos should be uploaded to YouTube or another video sharing service and must be made public so that the review committee can view.  You can upload the video in original format into the shared folder or give us the "link" to the video below.
  3.  Supporting Evidence
    Two additional forms of documentation may be included.  No more than two will be considered.  Examples of documentation may include:  Essay written by the nominee (may be something he or she has written in the past or written specifically for this award; Must support the Statement of Achievement, highlighting the nominee's work/achievements, daily life, or statement about the impact his/her accomplishments have had; The essay should be no longer than 300 words); Copy of transcript; Copies of artwork; Awards; Record of activities; Record of technology used; Employment history, etc.

For questions or assistance, please contact Brittany Rossell at brittany.rossell@hardin.kyschools.us or kentuckycec@gmail.com.

Application

Printable application for preparatory purposes

Last Updated:  15 March, 2024

© 2023 Council for Exceptional Children (CEC). All rights reserved.