KU News Release

Special education department to present Bob Dole Award; vet to accept for Dole

LAWRENCE — In celebration of its 50th anniversary of making a difference in the lives of people with disabilities, the University of Kansas Department of Special Education will present the first Bob Dole Award. The award, which honors individuals for lifetime contributions to people with disabilities and their families, will go to its namesake, former Sen. Bob Dole, at 6 p.m. Friday, May 2, at the Dole Institute of Politics on KU’s west campus.

Sgt. Matt Lammers, an Olathe native and U.S. Army veteran who was severely wounded in Iraq, will accept the award on Dole’s behalf. Lammers lost both legs and his left arm while serving in Iraq. A Humvee he was riding in drove over a buried explosive in Baghdad. He has since been undergoing physical therapy to adjust to life with prosthetic legs and a prosthetic arm. Dole, who was wounded in World War II, requested that Lammers accept the award on his behalf.

“Senator Dole, through his own personal experience, understands the challenges of over coming a disability,” said Ed Meyen, professor of special education. “These insights have contributed to his effectiveness in working with Congress to frame public policies that have made it possible for professions, such as special education, to make a difference.”

Dole has been a lifelong advocate for individuals with disabilities. He was one of the chief architects of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and has supported numerous causes that support individuals with disabilities and raise awareness of the challenges they face.

The celebration May 2 will begin with a reception at 6 p.m. Dinner will begin at 7 p.m. The event wraps up a yearlong celebration of the Department of Special Education’s 50th anniversary. Previous events included experts from KU and around the country giving presentations of significance to improving the quality of life for individuals with disabilities. The department also published a book of papers authored by faculty members on critical issues facing special education in the future.

Rudd and Ann Turnbull, the Ross and Marianna Beach Distinguished Professors of Special Education, will be Lammers’ hosts during his visit to KU.

Lammers will accept a bronze sculpture depicting six interlocking hands on behalf of Dole. Another version of the sculpture, created by artist Gary Lee Price, will be kept at KU, and the names of subsequent recipients will be engraved upon it.

The piece was selected because it symbolizes the senator’s career of working and collaborating with groups, colleagues, organizations, governments and individuals in behalf of the disability community, Price said.

KU’s Department of Special Education has regularly been recognized as one of the nation’s best. The master’s and doctoral programs were rated No. 1 in U.S. News and World Report’s America’s Best Colleges 2008 issue.

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