Kurt Timothy Reid, of Maiden, recently received the Jack B. Hefner Award from the North Carolina Council on Developmental Disabilities.

Holding an associate’s degree from Catawba Valley Community College, a bachelor’s degree from Appalachian State University, and a master’s degree in library science from Appalachian State, self-advocate Reid has shown a passion for learning starting in kindergarten.

Beginning his academic life in a self-contained class for children with autism, the school’s kindergarten teacher saw Reid’s promise and put him in her classroom full time. By middle school, Reid fell in love with the school library where he “hung out” until his dad could take him home each day. As he learned more about libraries, he chose to intern in his high school library where he won the Library Club Scholarship as well as the Library Award.

While in college, Reid became active in the Autism Speaks chapter on his campus. Armed with his life experience with autism, Reid created and presented workshops through his college’s library science program on “Social Skills for Teens with Autism” and “Tips for Librarians to Help Patrons with Autism.” Currently, Reid is creating a library orientation program called “SPOT: Special Populations Orientation Training” to help library workers assist people with all types of disabilities. Reid has volunteered for several libraries.

“Sometimes the best advocacy comes from just giving an individual with a disability an opportunity to create, present, work and so much more,” said Reid’s mother, Melanie Elrod.

The North Carolina Council on Developmental Disabilities is a 40-member, governor-appointed body with 60 percent of its members mandated as people with intellectual and other developmental disabilities or family members of people with disabilities.

The original story appeared in the Hickory Daily Record on January 4, 2015.