(Atlanta) The Georgia Inclusive Postsecondary Education Consortium (GAIPSEC) reserves its Leadership Award for those who tirelessly promote opportunities for students with disabilities to experience college and train for integrated careers. Dr. Karla Wade’s colleagues say she is the perfect recipient.

A career transition teacher with Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Agency (GVRA), Wade is assigned to Kennesaw State University, an institution often regarded as a model for successful inclusive education. In a letter announcing Wade’s award, GAIPSEC Statewide Coordinator Susanna Miller-Raines wrote, “Kennesaw State University is one of the trailblazers for inclusive college experiences for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities in Georgia, and the Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Agency has been one of the vocational rehabilitation trailblazers in the nation. Thank you for your commitment to both organizations.”

Wade accepted the award at GAIPSEC’s February Leadership Team Meeting (photo attached.) Her supervisor, GVRA Director of Transition Lauri Tuten, said, “We are so proud of Karla and her commitment to Georgia students with disabilities. She believes, like we all do at GVRA, that institutions of learning are at their very best when they are diverse and fully inclusive. We are thankful for the impact she makes on students as she helps them prepare for life beyond college.”

Prior to joining GVRA in November 2015, Wade was an Enrichment Program Coordinator with KSU. She has also served as the University’s Director of the Summer Intensive Program at the Academy for Inclusive Learning and Growth, a consultant for Joshua Tree Center for Therapeutic Inclusion, and a Transition Coordinator with Cobb County Schools. She holds her Ph.D. in Special Education Leadership from Capella University. She authored ‘Transition IEP Goals and Activities to Prepare for Inclusive Postsecondary Education’, which was recently cited by the University of Massachusetts at Boston’s ThinkCollege.

About GVRA

GVRA is the state’s Vocational Rehabilitation organization. It was established through legislative action in 2012 with the goal of helping every Georgian with a disability who wants a career to attain success. The organization incudes five programs: vocational rehabilitation, Roosevelt Warm Springs and Cave Spring Center, Georgia Industries for the Blind, the Business Enterprise Program and Disability Adjudication Services. More information is available at gvs.ga.gov.

Media Contact: Robin Folsom, GVRA Director of Communications and Marketing, (404) 922-1303