Milton Tyree Receives Marc Gold Award for Employment

Tyree Honored for Decades-long Contributions to Supported Employment Opportunities for People with Disabilities

WASHINGTON (November 13, 2013) – TASH, a nonprofit advocate for inclusion and the human rights of people with significant disabilities, will recognize Milton Tyree as the recipient of the 2013 Marc Gold Award for Employment. An award presentation will take place during this year’s TASH Conference, December 11, 2013, in Chicago, Ill.

The Marc Gold Award for Employment is presented annually to an individual who has made a significant contribution to increasing access to community, integrated employment for people with significant disabilities. Milton Tyree will receive the award in recognition of his work as Project Director of the Supported Employment Training Project with the Human Development Institute at the University of Kentucky.

Tyree has been working in the areas supported and customized employment in Kentucky for more than 25 years, essentially from the beginning of the supported employment movement, and has been invaluable in ensuring human services staff throughout Kentucky have access to materials and resources for systematic instruction, discovery and supported employment. Tyree, who was heavily influenced by the work of Marc Gold and Wolf Wolfensberger, seamlessly blends systematic instruction with a strong values base that supports the role of people with disabilities as full participants and contributors to their communities.

“Employment plays such a critical role in our sense of community, independence and the desire to contribute, and so often job seekers with disabilities are only limited by resources and our societal preconceptions about ability,” said Barb Trader, Executive Director of TASH. “Milton Tyree is a valuable ally who believes, no matter the impact of disability, anyone who desires to work can work. Given the legacy of Marc Gold and TASH on supported and customized employment, he’s a true embodiment of the spirit of this award.”

The Marc Gold Award for Employment honors the contribution of Marc Gold, both to the disability field and to TASH. Gold was a founding board member of TASH whose research and advocacy provided the rationale for supported employment by establishing that people with significant disabilities could learn complex tasks. He formed Marc Gold & Associates in 1976 to promote the concepts of competence and contribution through projects focused on staff development and employment.

“Marc Gold’s radical philosophy and practices were formational in my beliefs about positive employment possibilities and my subsequent work in supported employment,” said Tyree. “Many of the people I’ve come to know and value as mentors, colleagues and allies for the cause were Marc’s students. To have any association with Marc Gold’s contribution to the field is an extraordinary privilege and honor.”

Tyree will be acknowledged and receive the aware during the closing general session of the TASH Conference this December 13, 2013, in Chicago, Ill. Learn more about TASH at https://tash.org, and find additional information about this year’s TASH Conference at https://tash.org/2013tash.

###

Download this press release

About TASH

A 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, TASH is an international grassroots leader in advancing inclusive communities through research, education and advocacy. Founded in 1975, we are a volunteer-driven organization that advocates for human rights and inclusion for people with the most significant disabilities and support needs – those most vulnerable to segregation, abuse, neglect and institutionalization. The inclusive practices we validate through research have been shown to improve outcomes for all people. More information about TASH can be found at www.tashorgstg.wpengine.com.

2013 TASH Conference

For more than 37 years, the TASH Conference has impacted the disability field by connecting attendees to innovative information and resources, facilitating connections between stakeholders in the disability movement, and helping attendees reignite their passion for the full inclusion of people with disabilities in all aspects of community life. The 2013 TASH Conference will be held December 11-14 in Chicago, Ill., at the Hilton Chicago. Learn more at https://tash.org/2013tash.