Victor k. wilson
COMMITMENT TO EXCELLENCE AWARD

Here is what Kevin’s nominator had to say about him:

“Kevin’s tenure at UGA is long (I remember when he was an ASL interpreter in my Marine Biology course when I was a freshman twenty plus years ago). Kevin is also everywhere. He’s kind of famous. If you’ve ever seen commencement, then you’ve seen Kevin in his black suit providing ASL interpreting services. It’s especially fun to watch him sign the Alma Mater. As the Assistant Director of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services at the Disability Resource Center, Kevin provides leadership to the department and in the campus community. He loves to problem solve and is willing to jump into any situation that arises.

For example, the Dean of Engineering shared the following:  “On quite short notice we had a family visit whose son suffered from profound hearing loss.  I emailed Kevin only yesterday to schedule an interpreter for Friday (tomorrow) and, as it turned out, the family planned to visit today (Thursday) at noon.  I emailed Kevin mid-morning and he said it would not be problem to accommodate the visit.  He joined us for the visit and it was great to have him there.  It made the experience for the prospective student so much better and it sent a very positive message to his father about the support that UGA provides for students with needs.”

Kevin will drive across campus in his truck to help move a colleague’s chair. He will jump in at the beginning of an incredibly hectic semester and meet with students with learning disabilities to get them set up with accommodations. He will coordinate complex captioning in real-time services with limited information from his supervisor and make magic happen. He will get on the phone with a frantic professor who is nervous about captioning their materials and enlighten them about accessibility to the point that they can’t wait to have the student in their class. He will give the new employee a pep talk. He will engage in riveting debate to get the most appropriate accommodations for a student. His wealth of knowledge and support for deaf and hard of hearing students is ever growing and adapting. His can-do attitude is contagious and appreciated. He would be a worthy recipient of the Commitment to Excellence Award. “