In Memory of Kristen Layton

By Anne Hayes and the full IDP Team 

Everyone at Inclusive Development Partners (IDP) is deeply saddened by the tragic loss of one of our consultants, Kristen Layton.  Kristen was a tireless advocate for the rights of all children with disabilities and was particularly passionate that learners who are deafblind or have multiple disabilities receive a quality education.  Her decades of work, both domestically and internationally, no doubt improved the lives of countless children.   

Kristen was a talented writer and contributor. Kristen wrote the section on support for students with multiple disabilities or deafblind students in the USAID Universal Design for Learning to Help All Children Read Toolkit and contributed significantly to the World Bank Using Principles of Universal Design for Assessment Toolkit.  Kristen most recently worked with IDP on supporting alternative assessment designs for learners who are blind in Malawi and Kenya and supporting the work for the USAID Receptive and Expressive Language Module (RELM). 

Although Kristen is leaving behind a solid footprint in the field of inclusive education, she will be most remembered for her kindness and compassion.  Kristen was a wonderful friend and colleague.  Her excitement and commitment to ensuring that no one is left behind brought energy to her work and made working with her fun. She will be missed by everyone who was lucky enough to know her and work with her.  We know, however, that her legacy of improving the lives of children with multiple disabilities will live on through her work.   Our thoughts are with her family during this difficult time.