Power Player: The Kathleen Vaughan Story

Kathleen Vaughan has not only seen the world, she has changed it. Vaughan has globe-hopped for decades, visiting war-torn countries to participate in reconciliation and missionary work around the world.

At home in Richmond, Virginia, she has put her MA in Public Policy and BA in Government to good use. An adept communicator and shrewd policy analyst, Vaughan has tackled responsibilities such as coordinating a writing team for the Governor, planning and presenting legislative briefings for the public, writing formal documents for public presentation on behalf of the Governor and Attorney General of Virginia, and representing elected officials to citizens of the Commonwealth.

Vaughan was born and raised in Houston, Texas. She attended two gifted programs and a highly competitive arts High School. She was recognized by National Scholars in the Arts, received arts and academic scholarships and was awarded Thesis of the Year.

Apart from her public service career, Vaughan excels as a writer, photographer and singer. And, although not first and foremost in how people describe her, she has a developmental disability.

“My value as a person has nothing to do with my disability,” explains Vaughan, who was born with Lipoma, a form of Spina Bifida. “My parents told me that, as a person, I have inherent value that is not based upon anything I do, so it can’t be diminished or removed. They taught me that there’s a higher law, and when government or individuals try to define you as less than a person, the legitimacy of their authority ceases to exist.”

Today, Vaughan enjoys her role as Associate Director of the Center for Self-Advocacy Leadership at the Partnership for People with Disabilities at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU). She openly discusses her experience as a person with a disability. “Even as a young child, I knew how to talk about my disability with my doctors, teachers and peers. However, it didn’t define me. It was part of my experience, and something I managed in order to fully engage in life.” She goes on to say, “I don’t expect to be treated any differently because of it.”

Vaughan cites her recent involvement in a self-advocacy panel discussion at VCU as an example. “Funny story, we were asked to tell a little bit about ourselves. After we moved to the next round of questions, I realized I had not disclosed my disability! That goes to show just how much I don’t view my disability as determining my identity! Here I was, participating on this panel for the sole purpose of sharing the insights and experiences I’d gained as a person with a disability. And yet, when asked to tell who I was, it just didn’t occur to me to mention it.”

When asked about disability advocacy and what remains to be done, Vaughan expressed her belief that Virginia is poised and ready to reform its historical focus on large, state institutions that separate people with disabilities from the general public.

“Although originally designed to help people, institutions do not serve people well long term,” she says. “As a child who was often hospitalized, I caught a glimpse of institutional medicine. Even at its best, it is impossible to completely develop as a person in an institutional setting.”

She went on to say, “there are people living in institutions in Virginia who want to live independently. A desire for independence is part of human nature. Technology has opened doors like never before, increasing mobility and accessibility, and driving down costs.”

With generations of Virginians in her ancestry, Vaughan sees beyond the Commonwealth’s traditional treatment of people with disabilities. “I implore Virginians to remember the pursuit of liberty, proclaiming the inalienable rights, human dignity and equal protection of the law for all people.

“It would help if all of society could be more open and honest…We need a more authentic culture when it comes to disabilities. It’s silly to be afraid of it, or intimidated by it,” she says. “It’s just part of life. The fact that I have a disability is just information. It’s not where my story stops – It’s where my story begins.”