LifeChanger of the Year Nominee Profile

Kylee Keele was nominated anonymously.

Ms. Keele creates a positive classroom environment in her self-contained Life Skills classroom. She fosters a space where all students feel safe, valued, respected, and understood. Her approach begins with building strong, trusting relationships through a deep understanding of each student's background, culture, identity, and lived experiences, including how their disability impacts them and how they communicate, whether through speech, AAC devices, PECS, or other supports.

Her classroom is structured, consistent, and highly visual, using tools like clear routines, first-then boards, and transition supports to reduce anxiety and promote independence. She clearly defines and positively states expectations, which are supported by individualized behavior systems that celebrate effort, growth, and all forms of communication. In her classroom, disabilities are not only acknowledged but respected, accepted, and represented in every aspect of classroom culture.

Through lessons, literature, and daily discussions, she promotes disability awareness, fosters inclusion, and teaches that differences are not deficits. She actively supports students in developing self-advocacy, communication, and regulation skills using strategies like the Zones of Regulation, emotion visuals, and calm-down techniques. She carefully plans inclusion opportunities with general education peers, using tools such as social stories, role play, pre-teaching, and visual supports to ensure students feel confident and have a true sense of belonging.

Ms. Keele collaborates closely with general education teachers to ensure accommodations are upheld and inclusion is meaningful, not just physical presence, but full participation. Her classroom is sensory-friendly and welcoming, with calming spaces, sensory tools, and visuals that reflect the students' abilities, cultures, and personalities. She also prioritizes building strong partnerships with families through ongoing, strengths-based communication that connects school and home. Above all, her classroom honors every student's identity and embraces all forms of communication and learning. She celebrates neurodiversity as an essential part of human diversity, something to support, understand, and uplift.