The late Katie Smith was a nursing student at Penn State when she sustained a spinal cord injury in 2007. Her tenacious, endearing personality was her trademark as she continued on to earn her bachelor’s degree in psychology and teaching certifications for K-6th and Special Education at Seton Hill University.
She applied her education, experience, creativity, and love for children to design disability advocacy programs at the PEAL Center and Disabilities Options Network. Katie earned international recognition in quad rugby, skiing, boccia (a ball sport similar to bocce), horseback riding, and handcycling, and she championed the rights of women and girls with disabilities at the United Nations.
She worked tirelessly to rewrite the disability narrative for the next generation and is greatly missed by all who knew her.
Resources that Katie valued include:
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