Kay McMillan, Creative Director
Kay McMillan lives with cerebral palsy and is the Creative Director for the Lookbook Project.
As Creative Director, her responsibilities include hiring and supporting the photographers, recruiting subjects, selecting photos to publish and editing copy for the project.
Kay lives independently
in an off-campus apartment with the help of a number of personal care
assistants. She graduated from North Carolina State University in
December 2017 with her bachelors in Political Science and minors in
Nonprofit Studies and Accounting.
Since
graduation, Kay has had to navigate “the system” to understand the
complexities of how employment affects her SSI and Medicaid benefits.
She is determined to achieve financial independence with a career that
improves the lives of people with disabilities.
Kay hopes that this Lookbook changes perceptions of individuals with disabilities and brings about a more inclusive workforce in North Carolina.
As a December graduate, Kay proudly shows off her new NC State Diploma that she holds in her lap wearing her cap and gown.
Kay smiling as she reaches out from her wheelchair to touch her old buddy, the large metal sculpture of NC State’s wolf mascot in the famous Wolf Plaza. Pack Pride!
Loading up in Kay’s adaptive van, known as the Kaymobile, to head to work at the NC Council on Developmental Disabilities. She goes into the office once or twice a week to check in with the staff on the progress of the Lookbook.
Kay works in her office at the NC Council on Developmental Disabilities accompanied by her personal assistant, Ilisha. The pair uses Kay’s cell phone, which is mounted to her power wheelchair, so she can easily see when she is getting a call or text.
Kay hammers away on her augmentative communication device to send an email to her coworkers at O’Neill Communications. Her communication device functions as the keyboard for her laptop as well as providing speech output.
Kay, along with her personal assistant, Ilisha, meets with David Ingram to discuss the upcoming NCCDD quarterly meeting where the Lookbook will be presented for the Council’s input.
Ilisha, Kay’s personal assistant, holds the agenda for the upcoming NCCDD quarterly meeting for Kay’s perusal.